Konami's The Final Round succeeds easily in bringing excitement on the green to the Playsation. The Final Round is beautiful, using 32-bit polygon and texture mapping technology to create lush, realistic 3-D characters and a beautiful and dynamic 18 hole course. The grass actually looks like grass, rather than a flat green block, and the background actually feels far away. The interface is smooth, and the controls are easily picked up after one or two strokes. Ultimately, it's the player against computerized physics and nature - just what every couch potato golfer wants, right?
Well, not quite. First of all, The Final Round contains only a single course. By contrast, Electronic Arts' PGA Tour 97 offers two courses. Because depth perception on the texture-mapped green isn't very clear in The Final Round, players must rely on a grid to see the actual shape of the ground, making it extremely difficult to line up a precise enough shot to nail a long putt. Moreover, you can only chose among six lanky, fictional golfers, each of whom has a few dominant characteristics (power, technique, luck, etc.). Compare these six worthies to 20 golfers in PGA Tour '97, including some actual players, and The Final Round begins to look a little lean.
When the 18th hole is finished, however, let it be said that The Final Round is a very enjoyable game, and digital golf fans should thoroughly enjoy it. While this may not be the best golf video game ever, it's easily one of the better offerings available on the Playstation.
