Mario Golf: Advance Tour

"Peach wearing a very, very Short Dress"

Now that I have your attention, let the review begin.

Though Mario starred in NES Open back in the days of old, the Mario Golf series we know started back on Nintendo 64 in the year of 1999. The game's solid list of modes, courses, and characters won over the masses of video game players. A GameBoy Color version was released, which offered a role-playing element in the series. In the current era, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was released on GameCube. It had plenty of modes and colorful graphics, but did little to evolve the series. As history continued to repeat itself, Mario Golf: Advance Tour was released for our favorite portable system. Does this reincarnation truly measure up to its past lives?

The story begins as an inspired young golfer, who can be named at your own will, joins a golfing club. After being welcomed by the club's leader, the little golfer receives an equally small partner. The two young golfers start their careers, with dreams to become the ultimate golfer. Opponent by opponent, course by course, they plan to even join the ranks of Mario! Though this story is not terrible, it was directly taken from the GameBoy Color version. Plus, the sense of rising through the ranks is never truly felt. The only nice touch is that a man named Kid, the main character of the previous game, raised the main characters. A touch of nostalgia is always a good thing.

Obviously, the core of Mario Golf: Advance Tour is the golfing. The player is given the option to choose their club or just use the one the game advises. There is no longer a grid at the landing point; there is only the simulation line. However, the hills are enough to see without the set of lines. The power being aimed for can be changed using the L and R Buttons. This will also change the simulation line, allowing the player to plot his or her shot very carefully. The simulation line will not respond to wind, so the rare thing known as common sense is still required. A power shot can be done six times per 18 holes; whether to save them or not can be a difficult decision. It also encourages perfection, as a perfect shot will not use up any power shots. The terrain being shot from can affect how far the ball can be hit, but not by as much in the previous games. For example, a bunker barely changes the reasoning behind a shot unless the ball is up against a slope. The game does not truly punish landing off the fairway except in massive Par 5 holes. Once the player has calculated their shot, it is time to execute it.

By pressing the B Button, the shot meter will begin to move. As it moves to the left, it should be stopped with a press of the A Button or the B Button. Pressing the A Button will trigger an automatic swing, in which the control of the shot is chosen at random. However, using the manual shot with the B Button allows for more options. The meter will go back, and the button must be pressed to stop it at the correct time. However, a backspin or a spin forward can be added to a shot just by pressing the B Button or A Button twice. It may not seem significant at first, but a little spin can be life changing on the more difficult holes. The ball seems to have bouncier physics than in any game before it, but not so much that the course seems made of rubber. After carefully shooting a certain amount of times, the green is reached.

Putting was a pain in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Luckily, Camelot heard this frequent complaint and fixed it for our portable fun. Arrows represent the hills while on the green. Depending on the distance the ball is from the hole, a short, medium, or long length of putting can be chosen. With short putts, the hills barely affect the ball's roll at all if hit slightly harder than necessary. However, when a medium or long putt is required, the hills can make getting the ball into the hole very difficult. Unlike Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, the ball can actually be hit slightly harder than required. This takes out the frustration of hitting the ball with the force of a 20-foot putt and watching it pop out of the hole 17 feet away.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour has depth not found in its console brother. Upon the completion of every challenge, experience points are earned. These can be split with the main character and the partner however you please. Once a level up occurs, certain areas of the golfer's abilities can be improved. These include drive distance, control, spin power, the height at which the ball is hit, etc. The area to improve is in the hands of the player. However, caution is required. As certain status improve, statuses other than drive distance may start to worsen if neglected. Also, there are special clubs that can be found throughout the game that can affect different status. Though the Power Clubs that improve drive distance are by far the handiest, the other club options may come into play in different situations. It is an awkward flaw, however, that your partner cannot equip a different set of clubs. Nevertheless, the development your characters see in performance is quite a show.

The Story Mode of Advance Tour has many mini-games. These mini-games can help improve any golfer, give experience points, and, most importantly, are fun. These challenges include shot practices, approach practices, and putting challenges. There are also special challenges such as trying to play on a weed-filled course or knocking out Monty Mole. These little diversions add a noteworthy amount of fun to the entire experience.

The Story Mode has tournaments, where the best score needs to be obtained, matches against other golfers, and also Doubles tournaments and matches. In Doubles, you and your partner take turns hitting the ball. This is perhaps the most challenging aspect of the game, since your partner is only skilled at putting. The game also includes extra modes such as the Near Pin contest, the Gate challenge (similar to Ring Shot), Club Slots, Speed Golf, and the rest of the package (but still no mini-golf).

It should be noted that most running around during Story Mode is optional. Tournaments and matches can be accessed with a menu screen; only side quests require field exploration. This is a good option for those who want to jump right into a round of golf.

After fulfilling the requirements, Star Courses can be unlocked. These courses change the way the game's normal holes are formatted. Instead of being a golfing simulator, these courses are full of traps and gimmicks. Even greater than Toadstool Tour, these variations contain Warp Pipes, switches, item blocks, and many more items found in the Mario universe. These courses are very fun to play, especially with a few friends.

That is right, this game even supports a multiplayer mode. Matches among up to four people can either be played passing a single GameBoy Advance around or via link cables. In addition to fierce competition, clubs may be traded with a friend while using the link cable.

The main strength of Mario Golf: Advance Tour is the amount of extras. The modes mentioned earlier are significant, but even more so is the connectivity. The game can link with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Almost no games take advantage of this feature, but this game shows the possibilities. Secrets can be unlocked in both games through linking, which adds replay value to both versions. However, the coolest feature is to transfer your character and clubs to your GameCube. The selection of clubs can be equipped to the Toadstool Tour characters, perhaps making that worthless character a true golfer. However, the most fun part of connecting is being able to breeze through the courses with your GameBoy Advance characters. The characters can reach a drive of over 400 yards with the proper leveling and equipment but still have perfect control. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Bowser!

The extras are sure very dandy, but it is still a very notable flaw that the actual golf has not changed even the slightest. For those of us who have played through every Mario Golf game, this one will feel too easy due to the amount of experience we have. Luckily, Doubles will add a great amount of challenge. Though the Mario Golf formula is addictive and fun, this game will not change anyone's opinion about the series for the good or bad. Another flaw that should also be noted that Mario and friends barely make an appearance at all, which is a disappointment, especially since their design is much better than the ones of the new characters.

The graphics were stolen straight from Golden Sun. The environments and character models are very realistic, but do not fit the Mario theme whatsoever. Even the little emotion bubbles from Golden Sun are found here. The game goes into a view behind your golfer during a swing. The objects during this view are slightly blocky, but still look good. In the big picture, Mario is supposed to have bright and cartoon-like graphics, not visuals from a role-playing game.

The effort put into the sound department of this game is a satisfying result. The music fits every location and situation. The Star Courses have music clearly inspired by previous Mario games. The sound effects are very accurate to the sport of golf. The voice samples, though decent, are too small and far between to effect the personality of the character much at all. An announcer will be heard in situations such as hitting a nice shot or getting the ball of the green quickly. He never becomes annoying at all; in fact, the little voice clip makes victory even more satisfying. Though the audio does nothing to stand out among other games, it still passes the bill in every manner.

Those who loved the past Mario Golf games can rest easy, as this game is a winner. The golf mechanics, though offering nothing new, still work perfectly. The depth added through Story Mode is exactly what Toadstool Tour should have offered. The amounts of extras and connectivity are even more than just icing on the cake. This is easily the best round of golf to be found on GameBoy Advance. With massive length and fun, anyone who does not despise golf should find this to be a very entertaining way to play golf on the go. While most companies just make a watered-down port of a console game to put it on a portable, Mario Golf: Advance Tour offers the same core gameplay found in Toadstool Tour, but with even more features, extras, and entertainment that can never be put away.

Rate: 9.0/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/09/04