Mario Golf

"Whether or not you enjoy Golf, this game is for you."

I am not a particularly good golfer. I can't tell you what iron/wood you should use in a given situation. But I do know that Mario Golf for the gameboy is so incredibly addictive that I have not put the game down yet (except for when my parents take it from me).

Graphics: I'll be honest, this is a gameboy game and as such the graphics are nothing incredible. They are, however, clear and identifiable. You are not go to confuse a water hazard for a bunker or something similar. The characters are well drawn and each character looks different. Another plus is that each course has its own texture set, a real feat considering the number of courses that there are. The clubhouses are easily navigatable and have an old Final Fantasy feel to them (more on that later). Everything is easy to read and understand.

Control: Very intuitive. After one or two swings everything will click into place very quickly. After one or two holes of play you will be able to the ball where you want it to go with some consistency. If you have played golf games in the past then everything will be absolutely fine from hole one. It will take sometime to master fine control over ball direction, but it is a skill worth learning quickly. Nothing to complicated about these controls at all

Sound: Pretty standard for the most part. You have the normal array of hit sounds varying depending on where you hit the ball from. The background midis are generally very peppy and active, but nothing that will really stick in your head. This is the only portion of the game that is not above-par in this game, but it also is not sub-par.

Single Player: This game has a ton to offer you for a single player expierence. The first thing you should about this game is that it has lots of RPG elements. The first of which is that your character gains experience points that will let you increase some of your abilities (like driving range or how much hook you have on your shots). In addition you also have actual interaction with other characters in the games. You can travel to any of the five clubhouses and talk to everyone there for hints on your game. Also available at these club houses are tests that you can take to improve your game and gain experience. You may also participate in club tournments for lots of experience. And lastly you may take on the local club master and unlock that character for your use at later times. All of this adds up to an incredibly addictive game with all the appeal of an RPG and the fun of a well made Golf game.

Multiplayer: You can think of the multiplayer in two ways. First you can think of it as a Pokemon hybrid. What I mean by this is that you take your custom character and pit it against your your friend's custom character. Second you can think of it as a talent contest by taking the same premade character (i.e. Luigi) and see who can get a better score with him. Either way it is incredible fun that is well worth trying out many times.

Overall: If you are looking for a great game with lots of replay value and addictive action, pick up Mario Golf. If you are looking for a very well done hybrid game that combines two of the most popular genres around, buy Mario Golf. On one last note, if you happen to also own the N64 Mario Golf you can take your custom character from the GB version and use the transfer pack to use your character in the N64 game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/99, Updated 12/27/99