Links 2004

"A solid golf game ... with some chinks in the armor"

There is obviously one genre in which Microsoft has placed an emphasis on having their X-Box excel within, and that is sports' gaming. With the addition of a golfing game, Links 2004, already a known brand entity on the PC gaming market, the X-Box has reached out a gaming hand to a lesser vocal segment of us sports fans. The golf fan doesn't go to a match shirtless with 4 of his buds where they each have a bold emblazoned letter spelling out T-I-G-E-R on their chests ... he doesn't hop in the RV for a 300 mile trek to an asphalt oval to cook hot dogs and gulp Budweiser to the deafening roar of his favorite team member's engine ... he isn't even allowed to make noise when his guy, or gal, is making a big shot... much less wave a big styrofoam finger in their face and shout out what a bum the opponent is. Why, in fact, there's a dress code to usually even get into his sports' stadium !! So, how does one get a videogame to provide excitement & challenge within this seemingly sophisticated and laid-back atmosphere ? Why, with solid gameplay ... good graphics (though rough at times as I will explain) ... and a rocking on-line experience at par with other sports titles (and yes, the golfing puns were intentional).

Gameplay : 9

I love the mechanics of the golf shot in this game. The usage of the left hand stick to control the power and 'fluidity' of your golf swing works extremely well. The button press timing of titles like ''Hotshots Golf'', etc. don't seem right after playing with this control scheme. The added bonus of choosing what type of shot you wished to utilize on the swing ( such as a ''chip'' or ''blast'', etc.) made for a surprisingly deep experience. You felt accomplished when you made that awesome bunker shot or sand save. Two things, however, kept this score from being higher. One is the putting within the game. Their is absolutely NO forgiveness around the hole. If you make the putt too hard, it will NOT go in ... end of story. Unlike real golf, where you can sometimes luck out and putt the ball hard through a break on the green and have it sink... here it's gonna hit the lip and bound off (hard). And there's an annoying camera-style animation on some putts which prevent you from seeing the actual shot ( you must hit replay to see the way the ball actually traveled). The second gameplay grievance is that you cannot tell the ''lie'' of the ball in whatever surface you find your next shot. Sometimes, the commentators giv e subtle clues as to being ''buried in the rough'', etc.. but even these didn't seem accurate. So, on some shots out of the rough, (or worse yet, the dreaded dry undergrowth) .... a shot with a certain club might go only 1/2 the club's LISTED distance, whereas in the same type of surface ...using the same club ... a shot might travel 3/4 or more of the listed distance ... as you curse as your shot carries over the green onto the sand trap beyond the hole. An animation (ala ''Hot Shots'') showing the DEPTH your ball is in the rough/sand/etc. would be nice, and can be definitely an improvement looked at for Links 2005.

Graphics : 8

The courses are lovely within this game. An attention to detail seems evident, and the flora and fauna seem lifelike and crisp .... from afar. Upon hitting a ball into the woods, however, you do come upon some pretty rough textures and ''Turok-looking'' bush and tree graphics. Another drawback in this department is the crowd surrounding the golf course. They look and act as stiff as boards, with very little animations ( other than stiff clapping or ducking if your shot heads their way ). To call them ''cookie-cutter'' seems appropriate, and granted that the crowd plays no actual factor in real golf either, and as such may make this point seem moot to some. But, in my book, if you're going to have a crowd in the game ... at least make them graphically on par with the rest of the title. The other drawback in the graphics department has to do with the customization of your golfer. The choices seem way too limited, like choosing the color and styles of clothing ... and would love to see customizable facial/bodily features in a future title.

On-Line :10

Yes, I am giving this it's own category ... because this is a Major bonus for this title. You want to test those skills you've honed from countless hours chipping in from the rough or blasting your way out of the sand?? Here's the spot. The multi-player is fun ... and on X-Box Live , exactly what you bought this title for. ( Let's face it... renting is nice, but not for the serious gamer who wants to compete on the highest levels ... right ?!) This is something the X-Box is getting right from the get-go and Sony had better shape up and stop resting on the laurels of one game (SOCOM and now Socom2) to define it's on-line appeal. The X-Box is adding top-notch sports titles (like this and Top Spin) ... FirstPersonShooters (like Castle Wolfenstein, Unreal Championship & the much anticipated Halo2)... and action/adventure games (Crimson Skies, etc.)
If the future is in on-line excellence, then out of all three next-gen systems I own(poor lil Gamecube ... the little box that couldn't) the X-Box seems the clear choice out there. To get on my soapbox for a minute ... why would I buy a hard-drive for an aging system (PS2) to play a game on-line (FFXI) which I can play for the same amount of $$ and with far superior results, on my computer ??

Overall : 9

The game is not perfect, but it is a solid title with a great golf swing interface and alot of challenge and replayability. Add to that the on-line component and you have a sports title worthy to sit within anyone's X-Box library. And not just for you stuffed shirts who think popularity is ruining the game of golf, but for us everyday players who can finally make that bunker shot and not end up throwing our clubs into the nearby lake.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/04