Links 2001 Preview
We take a look at the new and improved Links series from Access and Microsoft.
Links 2001 includes a number of impressive new features, including a sophisticated course design tool, an all-new rendering engine, customizable club distances, and a pair of new golf pros (Sergio Garcia and Annika Sorenstam) to accompany the ever-present Arnold Palmer. The game has a number of performance and stability problems, but those can, hopefully, be chalked up to the current prerelease state of the code. Ultimately, the success of Links 2001 will depend on the loyalty of existing Links fans and Microsoft's ability to smooth out the beta's current poor performance.
The most notable new feature in Links 2001 is the new graphics-rendering engine. Will it turn many heads away from the 3D graphics of PGA Championship Golf 2000? Not likely. Though the new visuals look good, they still employ the same video-captured golfer overlay used by previous Links titles. The overall effect - despite some glorious new vistas and incredibly detailed settings - is a pasted-together look and feel that comes up short against the fully 3D games out there.
Still, if you liked the look of Links 2000, you'll most likely appreciate the look of Links 2001 as well. Overall, this version of the game looks much better than previous versions, thanks to a host of new graphics capabilities. For example, the new terrain types you'll encounter in this game include bunker overhangs, cliffs, and massive rock archways. All of the scenery (trees and the like) are now anti-aliased so that they blend in a bit smoother with the background. The anti-aliasing also helps with the golfer animations, although, as noted previously, the pasted-in effect is still an issue with Links 2001. Less notable features include ambient life such as birds and butterflies that seem to materialize out of thin air over the course. As luck would have it, the bird animation in the beta we tested was placeholder art, so the animation resembled a bunch of little flapping "v" birds, as if drawn by a grade-schooler.
Otherwise, the new graphics engine in Links 2001 is a step forward for the series. As stated above, PGA Championship 2000 still has an edge in the graphics department, but Links 2001 can once again make a solid showing for itself.
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