A very fun game for golf and sim lovers alike
User Rating: 7.8 | Sid Meier's SimGolf PC
Introduction: Before i start, dont groan. SimGolf is not your usual Tiger Woods 18 hole borefest that'll drive a bullet thru your skull.. SimGolf is another brainchild of Sid Meier, so you know its gonna rock. In SimGolf, you design an entire golf course, where the holes are, whats in the way, elevation, where buildings are, etc. Then, once you've finished making your course, your custom made player, and dozens more, go out and play in it ( you can control your own ). Keep in mind, its not like a normal golf game. Insted of the normal realism, you get an overhead view, which actually makes this damn game FUN! Gameplay: In SimGolf, you start off by chosing an area to make your golf course. The only thing on the course is the club house, where you can send golfers out to play, and maybe a few landmarks and benches. You start off by making your first hole, you chose where it goes, its entirely up to you. After you make your hole and open it, people will start to show up and play, so keep building up. You can get up to 18 holes total on your course. Along with making the holes, and adding in sandtraps, water, tree's, flowers, etc, you can also assign staff. The staff consists of people who can greet the guests, like golf pro's and celebrities, marshals who make sure people dont waste time on the holes, women to pass out food and drink to hungry golfers, and of course, some technicians to take care of pesky dandilions that'll popup on the course every so often. In addition to that, you can also build buildings, which will add extra things, like allowing your golfers to use golf carts, and improving there putting/driving distance. Once you have completed your golf course, you can control the club pro ( named Gary Golf, tho thankfully, hes totally customizable ) and begin to play your own course against some of the other visiting golfers. After you pull of great shots, you can raise your skill levels, for such things as putting, luck, recovery, etc, to improve your golfer. When your tired of your course and golfer, you can save both for tournament play, and play against other computer opponents for the best score. Story: Um...who said there was a story? Graphics and Sound: First, sound. The sound is fairly unremarkable, as there isnt much aside from the opening music, and odd sound effect. The Graphics are fairly good and work well with the game. The only problem is that, for example, in the water there are some shapes, which i assume would be coral. Everytime it appears in the water, it is the same shape, and in certain areas, a part of said coral will be off of the map, and we can still see it, which doesnt look very good sometimes. All in all tho, the graphics are fairly good. Replayability: This game has some good replay value. Ive found myself playing it for a couple months straight, but even if it isnt your kind of game, its great to play when you only wanna shoot off a couple holes out of boredom. Final Recommendation: I give SimGolf an 8 out of 10. Its a fun and entertaining game that can be enjoyed by most anyone, but it does have some glitches which could have been improved with updates. Unfortunately, it seems Firaxes and EA have mostly given up on Simgolf, so no such luck.
