Mario Golf: Advance Tour

"A fun, if disappointing, round of Mario golf."

Intro: As a big fan of Mario, and an even bigger fan of golf, I had an entirely logical reason to take a huge liking of the Mario Golf series, and the more character-development driven sequel for the game boy advance had me really hyped up. And while my expectations for this game weren't entirely unfulfilled, bland courses and unlikeable characters on top of a cookie-cutter golf game format help to lessen the experience.

Gameplay:7
As I suggested before, quite a few of the aspects of this game have been done over and over again, and feel very tired by this point. For instance, the swing system incorporates a three-press swing that has been featured in every Mario Golf- no, golf game in general (barring few) since the idea of console video game golf. While there is some innovation with the inclusion of extra button presses for backspin and topspin shots, anyone who played Toadstool Tour for the gamecube would be familiar with this. Also,if you're playing the story mode, there is only one course that actually incorporates a Mario theme. And at this one course is the only time you actually get to see some Mario characters. Throughout the rest of the game you're subjected to playing as and competing against everyday golfers trying to be the best there is. And while this isn't a bad idea, this definitely wasn't what I expected from a Mario Golf game. And since I'm listing the negative gameplay aspects, allow me lament over doubles golf, a new addition to the series, which actually brings the game down. Half of your shots are reliant on your partner, who isn't anywhere near the level of play you're at. She (or he, depending on your character) sucks. You can try to fix this by pouring your hard-earned experience points(more on this later) into her,but it helps very little. By level 38, with a drive distance of 235 yards, a 140 yard mis-hit into the rough is not uncommon for them. However, while the game is nowhere near original( 4 of 5 courses are reused from the GBC Mario Golf) everything in it is done very well, and while the many side games outside of the courses also get repetitive, they're still a welcome addition. The one big breath of fresh air that gives this game an edge over others is the character building. It adds the element of improvement to the game, and since playing more is how we get better in real life, it is a very logical addition, giving you control over everything from spin control to distance.

Controls-10
Very logical button placement and great response; typical of a Nintendo game. Nothing negative can be said about this( except the redundancy of the three-press swing, but I mentioned that above as it relates more to gameplay).

Sound-6
The music is decent, and the sound effects realistic but the voice-acting is terrible. The characters speak out loud only while golfing on courses, but get used to what you hear, 'cause you're gonna hear it a lot. "Nice on" and "Yes!", seem like sensible things to say on a golf course, but how about a body-builder/golfer named Tiny saying "All right, muscles!" It's even more bizarre when you actually hear it.

Graphics-7
The graphics are actually very good for a game boy advance game, featuring some of the best 3-D models I've seen on the system, but the courses are almost drab enough to be considered depressing. That bright, almost shiny green seen in previous Mario Golfs is replaced by olive green, yellow-green, and forest green, all with out a hint of brightness. Believe me, the colors are bad.

Overall-7 (Not an average)
The game play is fun, but definitely not fresh, but side quests and character building lift it out of monotony. Controls are almost perfect, and the sound and graphics are good overall, but still flawed. All-in-all, though, it's a fun game.

Buy or Rent?
Definitely worth a rent, provided you know a place to rent game boy games, and there are definitely people who will like it enough to buy, but unless you're a big golf game fan, you would be wise to leave it at a rent. There are better game boy games for you to shell out 30 bucks on.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/08/04