Outlaw Golf

"Not quite a Hole in One, but definitely a 1-putt Eagle!"

I’m not really into golf games. I think the last golf game I owned was “Golf” on my Intellivision and it was bad…very bad and boring. In fact, that game might have been the reason why I never purchased another golf game for 20 years! But alas, I now own an Xbox and it’s going through its “dry season”. With not very many titles being offered until this September, Outlaw Golf piqued my curiosity just a bit. Then again, maybe it was the fact I could play with lesbian strippers and beat the crap out of my caddy whenever I wanted to which persuaded me to drop $50 on a golf game. Don't worry though, I've played MANY golf games before, from ''Links'' on the PC to ''Golden Tee 2002'' in the arcades. I have a good idea on what makes a good golf game.

Gameplay: This game is solid. It reeks of high quality everywhere, from the actual Gameplay mechanics to the course design. After about 18 holes or so, you should get past the slight learning curve, and then this game is a blast. It’s easy to play, but hard to master. Thank God you can earn better clubs and balls (GOLF balls, that is) as well as increase your character’s attributes (like power, accuracy, control, etc) by winning certain events or going to the practice area and beating high scores in mini-games like putt-putt and the driving range. Then your game will seem to be based more on skill and less on luck. I’ve had fun playing this game single player as well as multiplayer. It’s very user-friendly, since you’re able to see things like the path the ball with travel in the air, or the path it will take on a crazy green. Still, it doesn’t feel like you’re cheating too much since you still have to deal with the fluctuating wind, using the right amount of power while not shanking your swing, and the lie of the course, etc. Your composure can also affect your ability to hit a good shot, but, if you’ve got any sort of hand-eye coordination, you can easily just beat your caddy like a red-headed step-child to get all of the composure you’ll ever need...stress-relief I guess.

A few very minor complaints: I have experienced two silly bugs, which happen infrequently. First: Once in a while I shank a ball and it goes “Out of Bounds”. Well, the game offers a few options of what to do next: Play the ball where it lies, try again from your last shot, or drop it closer to the course. I have selected to drop the ball on occasion, and the game drops the ball…right in the hole! WOO HOO! An eagle! Uh, whatever. Second: The left and right triggers are used to zoom in and out sometimes, and if your Xbox controller’s triggers are “stuck”, even just by a wee bit, the camera will continually zoom in or out slowly. Easy fix: Just tap the triggers hard until the zooming stops.

Also, to swing your club in the game requires you to pull back then tap forward with the right knob on the controller. It’s awkward at first, but I got used to it. My friend complained and said he would like to see an option to CHOOSE to either use the knob to swing, or the good ol’ “three-button-press” swing from other golf games (like EA’s Tiger Woods Golf). Finally, where are the friggin golf carts and why can’t I drive them? C’mon, that’s like one of my favorite things to do in REAL golf. GIMME THE CART!

Gameplay receives an 9 out of 10.

Graphics: Some of the better graphics on the Xbox. Definitely the best looking golf game ever made. EA should buy out Simon and Schuster (Outlaw Golf’s producers) and use their graphics engine for Tiger Woods Golf. The players, courses, spectators, environments and other random moving objects all look great. There are a few instances of noticeable redraw while your ball is rolling around the course, and once in a while there’s some choppiness, but nothing that really detracts from the Gameplay or the game itself.

Graphics get an 8 out of 10

Sound: The sound is pretty good. Nice effects while hitting the ball (especially when you BOOM it off the tee). But, this is not supposed to be a golf sim, so there is some goofiness, especially the things the characters and commentator say. They’re funny at first, but if you’re playing this game as much as I am, you’re gonna want to turn off the sillyness, and thankfully, you can! Music is okay, but not a lot of tracks, so it’s repetitive. Being this game is on the Xbox, I wish I could choose my own music which I have uploaded to the hard drive!

Sound gets a 6 out of 10

Replayability: Hmmm, after you beat it with one character, you can beat it 9 times over with the rest of the characters, but what’s the point? Well, the point is that if you want all the characters in the game to be equal, you’ll have to play with them all in the TOUR mode, equally as well! YIKES! That’s a LOT of golf. I think I’ll play it through with one or two characters, and then wait for the cheat code to come out to boost up everyone else to 100%. Other than the “Tour” mode, there are like 10 or so other game types to play, like Stroke play, Skins, Casino, Best Ball, etc. Some are good for “VS” type play; some are good for team play. It’s a very deep game, with 3 courses (18 holes each), I’m sure it will take a little while to learn all the nooks and crannies to each course to then become a master at the game. The addition of 4-player game play helps this game out a lot, as long as you have some friends who will sit down and play 9 to 18 holes of golf. I have a feeling I'll be playing this game for a long time.

Replayability gets an 9 out of 10…in other words: It’s a GREAT BUY!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/02, Updated 06/23/02