Super Swing Golf

"A stiff learning curve, but an amazingly enjoyable title."

Story: 8/10
Let's just get this out of the way from the getgo. Yes there is a story. No it isn't very deep. Yes it's enjoyable and makes the game very entertaining. Long ago, a malevolent power put up an evil barrier and began to drain the island of all life. As things got worse and worse, sorcerors concentrated all of nature's power into a single sphere, known as the Phoenix Ball. Unable to be touched by human hands, a club known as the Air Lance was created, and a hero from another world (our Earth) was called to drive the ball into a single hole in the barrier and dispel the evil. Now every year the inhabitants of Pangya Island celebrate the defeat of evil by playing the symbolic "Pangya" in a friendly competition.

With 8 playable characters, and 6 caddies, there are plenty of memorable storylines to discover. Generally they are very upbeat, and some of them are downright strange (and hilarious). Every character has multiple storylines to play through, and many of them are connected.

Gameplay: 9/10

Pretty straightforward, folks. There are two methods of control to choose from, which will be detailed below in the "Control" section. Apart from that, you just aim and hit the ball (pro tip: try to get it in the hole in as few strokes as possible ^_^). What separates this from most golf games is the variety in the smaller details. The courses range from Blue Lagoon, which is your standard course with friendly fairways and forgiving greens, to Sylvia Cannon, with enormous water hazards, helicopters and giant fans scattered about the course to mess with wind speeds, and of course, an enormous cannon which can shift the wind's direction and speed in a single blast. There are several others to choose from, each with their own unique terrain and effects. The characters all have their own individual stats and advantages, and can be customized by purchasing outfits with the money you earn in-game (called "Pang"). These outfits can effect the stats of your character drastically when used correctly, and depending on which caddie you bring with you, the effects become even more pronounced. There are several sets of equally-customizable clubs to choose from as well, ranging from 3 sets of "Air Lance" clubs (regular golf clubs), to clubs made from household items (plungers, square rulers and hammers), magic wands, and even maces and umbrellas.

There are three modes of versus play: Match Play (the lowest score on each hole gets a point, and whoever has the most points at the end wins), Stroke Play (standard golf rules, lowest score wins), and the very strange Balloon Pop, where the goal is to hit as many balloons as you can, and stroke counts be damned.

Single play has 3 modes as well, with "Pangya Festa" as the Story Mode, Match Play as exactly what the name suggests, and a tournament mode fulfilling the role of Stroke Play. There is a lot to unlock, and at over 56 hours at last count, I'm still only about half done with Pangya Festa mode.

The gameplay is not entirely without it's flaws, however. The camera controls are very lacking, and occasionally the auto-selected viewpoint will be behind a tree or a mountain. Such instances are rare, but very obvious when they occur. You also cannot select the angle manually, which would have been a very nice feature.

Another common complaint is that the AI is unbalanced. This is not entirely true, but definitely bears explanation. The AI starts out tough and keeps getting tougher. The only thing that never changes is that every now and then the CPU will just "give" a hole to you. Seemingly sinking the ball into the water on purpose or hitting the ball into a wall. It generally only happens when the CPU is trying for a risky shortcut, but sometimes it seems to happen "just because". At any rate, on the later levels of Pangya Festa, the difficulty is VERY high, and you are absolutely forced to bring your A game to the table. To put it more simply: in the beginning you can win by getting par on every hole, in the late game if you aren't shooting for birdies and eagles you're going to lose.

Graphics: 10/10

Super Swing Golf has a very colorful and upbeat anime sensibility about it, and the visuals suit it perfectly. From the vibrant characters and costumes to the imaginative courses and special swing effects, the visuals may not be stunning in terms of polys per frame, but they accomplish exactly what they are supposed to.

Sound: 10/10

Just as with the graphics, the soundtrack for the game suits each stage well. My personal favorite is White Wiz, which has a lot of cheery acoustics that suit the Christmas theme well. While I'm not about to go rush out and buy the soundtrack, there hasn't once been a moment when I wanted to change the music.

The sound effects are equally appropriate. But the one that absolutely must be mentioned is the always-satisfying "PANGYA" that is played every time you successfully complete a Pangya shot.

Control: 9/10
There are 2 methods of control in Super Swing Golf: Swing Mode and Button Mode.

Button Mode is very much your standard golf game's setup. You start at a white line, press B to start a slider moving, press B to set your power level as the slider moves to the right, and then press B again in the center of the initial white line to get a perfectly centered Pangya shot. If you're not satisfied with your power level you can just not press B the third time and try again, but if you press it to the right or the left of the white line with your third press, your shot will veer in that direction. The speed of the slider goes up in poor conditions such as Rough and Bunker, and the thickness of the line is affected as well. Special shots are inputted using the D-pad as the slider goes back to the left.

In Swing Mode, you set your power on the upswing, and speed/accuracy are based on your downswing. If you swing too slowly you won't get the full power you selected, and if you swing too fast you run the risk of twisting the remote at the end of your swing and getting a hook/slice. Generally in Swing Mode if you swing nice and straight, you'll be safe. However it takes a lot of practice to master, and can be frustrating to new players. The advantage of Swing Mode (and it's a big one) is that once you've mastered a good Pangya Swing, you don't have to worry as much about bunker shots, because your accuracy isn't based on timing, but rather your swing. Over time, this makes Swing Mode much more competitive, because it allows you to concentrate on longer drives, and more complicated shots. But in the end it all comes down to personal preference, of course.

Replay Value: High
An enormous amount of items/costumes/stories/trophies/stages to unlock in single player, and many possibilities for multiplay makes this a game you won't have any trouble picking up and playing with friends.

Super Swing Golf is absolutely a game that will last you for a very long time, be it solo or with friends. It's something that you may want to rent before you buy, as it does have a steep learning curve, but if it's your style of game, you won't want to put it down.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/07