Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Impressions

Nintendo is showing a brief, three-hole demo of its upcoming golf game, Mario Golf, at E3 2003. The game is being developed by the golf wizards over at Camelot, so fans Camelot's previous work should know what to expect here.

The highlight of the demo is the Mushroom Kingdom course, which builds a collection of golf holes around the castle from Mario 64 and other famous Mario-related locations. Here, you'll find sand traps containing chomp chomps. If you land a shot in the sand, the chomp chomp will wake up and eat your ball, forcing you to replay the shot.

The game uses standard golf-swing mechanics, but you can eschew the three-click system with ease, as the game defaults to automating the third click. You will be able to select power shots, and the game has a "nice shot" bonus animation that sets your golf ball on fire. You can also mark off ranges on the swing meter for more refined control.

The game supports up to four players, and it lets you pick from the standard cast of Mario favorites, including Peach, Luigi, and Waluigi. The game has a few different options for play, including match and stroke play or various tournaments. The game will also have some sort of connectivity with the upcoming Game Boy Advance version of Mario Golf, which is subtitled Advance Tour.

Mario Golf is currently scheduled to ship in July.