Personally, I have never really liked golf. I had played Hot Shots Golf on the Playstation (the same developers developed H.S.G. and Mario Golf) and actually enjoyed it somewhat but the characters just didn't appeal to me. So, when I found out about Mario Golf I kept a close eye and waited for it to be released. Upon it's release I noticed the game received fairly high scores from many sources so I decided to give it a try. Let me say that I am totally satisfied with my purchase. Camelot did a great job with Mario Golf's graphics. The graphics are sharp and don't have the usual N64 blurriness on textures. Sometimes the trees look flat but they are usually off to the side so they aren't that bad. All of the characters look good and don't have jagged edges. They look solid...you don't see break up along seams. The grass textures are also distinguishable on the green without much trouble so you can tell if it will land in the rough or not. The game physics have to be complimented. The stats it gives you for characters are more than just there. They hold true to actual gameplay. If a character has a fade (curve in their shot) listed then the fade will be noticeable in their shot during gameplay. For example, Luigi's fade is 2 squares to left so that means his shot will curve left slightly so you want to aim a little further to the right. These little touches add depth to the game. It's nice to see the game wasn't dumbed down. As far as music and sound go, they are nothing spectacular but they are by no means irritating. Some of you might be thinking, "What about the character voices?" Well, they don't really talk a whole lot. The music is pretty much calm and cheery and lets you concentrate on your shot. The game has many modes and characters to unlock with a nice ramping level of difficultly so everything is not unlocked too quickly. Modes include Ring Shot (where you must hit the ball through every ring AND get par), Speed Golf (basically a time trial) and Get Character (where you have to beat the character you want to unlock in a tournament)among others. There is even a Mini Golf mode like what you would play at Putt-Putt. If you are new to golf, don't let the game scare you. The manual is in depth and even includes a dictionary of golf terms. There is also a "How to Play" tutorial type section in the game. If still not convinced, I suggest you at least rent it or try it at a store display. Don't just think: "Golf..ICK!". You may be pleasantly surprised by how much fun this game is.
Mario and friends have been known for playing all kinds of different sports and engaging in all sorts of different activities. In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64 the Mario gang get together and pick up a bag of clubs to ... Read Full Review
From what I know, Mario Golf was the first Mario sports game around. At first glance it seems like Nintendo was going to milk Mario and make some gimicky golf game that has nothing to do with golf, but you'd be wrong by ... Read Full Review
