Everybody's Golf is full of characterOver the years, golf games have been a mainstay of many a video game system. Even though I'd say I wasn't an avid fan, if I think about it, I've been playing golf games right from the start. They were everything most of the other games I played weren't - relaxed, slow paced and fairly simple. It was one of the few game types on early consoles that you could get anyone to play, even non-gamers, due to the simple 'aim, button press, button press' mechanic. They're the real precursors to all this 'social gaming' which the likes of Buzz and Singstar have built on. Passing around a pad while knocking a virtual ball around a course and drinking a few beers is pretty close to gaming perfection, in my opinion. Everybody's Golf is a nice addition to the genre with some nice twists, but sadly low on new ideas.
Everybody's Golf is a title that sums up precisely what the game is all about. It's a golf game that is simple enough that it allows even the most inexperienced player to enjoy it, yet it can be tweaked to allow a challenge for hardened gaming (Golf) veterans. It's a great leveller and allows players to use the 'Everybody's Club', which means you'll only be required to set the strength of the shot. This means that your mum has a realistic chance of beating you at a game you've been playing for several weeks. The jury is out on how good a thing this is.
AdvertisementThe game's design sensibility is considerably more welcoming than your average golf game too, with realistically rendered courses beautifully offset by some over-the-top cartoony players. It's a game that has its tongue in cheek throughout and refuses to take golf as seriously as other games might. The Caddies are also wonderfully bizarre too. I ended up sticking with a Sean Connery wannabe, also called Sean. His accent was the reason I initially chose him, but it was some of his completely off-the-wall catchphrases that made him a vital factor of every game. "It's like stealing a Quail's egg," said to describe a long range putt, is one of my favourite examples. What does that even mean? I don't play golf, but I'm fairly certain it's not a common term. If its only aim was to amuse, it succeeded admirably. It's elements like this that speak volumes for Everybody's Golf's appeal. While the mechanics are excellent, it's the little character quirks that draw you back just as often.
The actual gameplay is a lot more like your traditional golf games. You select the club type then double tap a button up and down a bar in order to hit the ball with accuracy and power. Nothing new here, but it's a solid mechanic that has proved itself in many a game. It's getting long in the tooth perhaps, but if it ain't broke... The game modes on offer are also exactly what you'd expect. There is a tournament mode, used for playing full courses against multiple players and a versus mode in which you can play nine holes in a one-on-one tournament. Both modes unlock courses, characters and items with enough play. However, most of the game modes only truly shine in multiplayer. Indeed, it's with the multiplayer where you'll get the most fun out of Everybody's Golf. Even the slightest mistake will see controllers and childish insults being thrown about.
At its core, the gameplay is pretty familiarIf you're one of the few PlayStation 2 owners happy to play an online game other than SOCOM, Everybody's Golf has plenty to offer. Simple four-player matches are the norm for online golf games, but they're still fun to play here given the light-hearted nature of the gameplay. If four players aren't enough for you, how does a fifty-player tournament sound? This rather immense number makes it feel like you're actually part of a proper tournament - PGA Light of sorts.
The sights and sounds of Everybody's Golf are quirky, but in truth it's pretty basic stuff. Other than the in-game elements, the whole thing seems quite scruffily thrown together. Considering that developer Clap Hanz has been developing golf games for quite sometime, it's pretty disappointing. It's hard to not like the game's charm and character, but certain elements could fool you into thinking you're playing a budget title.
Even with its quirky characters, it's hard to recommend Everybody's Golf over any other popular golf game. If you have one you like, stick with it. That's not to say that Everybody's Golf is a bad game - far from it - it's just a game that really doesn't do enough to distance itself from the competition. If you like cute characters that spout comedy catchphrases, and want to play with some of your non-gaming friends, few other golf games can match Everybody's Golf, but it's not quite as different as it could have been.
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PS3 consoles are still a bit more expensive than Id like, especially as Id be buying one on the strength of just one game, so I was pleasantly surprised to see there was an older version of Everybodys Golf for the PS2. Perhaps I could be rescued?
To be honest my expectations werent great. Having spent so long on the PS3 I suspected the PS2 graphics would look well, PS2-ish. Primarily Im a fan of racing games, and I took the best one I have over to my pals house for a bit of demolition argy-bargy. Gameplay, of course, was still excellent, but the reduced graphics capabilities were certainly shown up. Surely the same would apply if I downgraded to an older, ostensibly less sophisticated version of the golf game.
No, the graphics are not quite up to PS3, but theyre some way better than almost everything else I have on PS2. And the gameplay is near enough identical in terms of concept and execution, the only major difference being the traditional swing bar approach to shots more of that shortly. Ultimately, the only thing I can say is that having booted the thing up and started playing I was very pleasantly surprised.
Thats the good stuff.
Unfortunately the bad is pretty bad, and it seems to revolve around the swing bar and its relationship to what happens after you hit the ball. The problem, indeed, is that this relationship often comes across as maddeningly tenuous. There are two things which often result in me switching off the console altogether and giving myself ten minutes to calm down.
First just hitting the optimum power level and the sweet spot of the ball can feel like a superhuman challenge. Its not me getting older. Its just incredibly difficult to get it right. OK, its a piece of software designed to test your reactions as much as anything else, but lets not forget the name of this particular golf game. It might hail itself as being for everybody, but it seems to make the assumption that everybody has the judgment and reaction time skills of a fighter pilot. Im not grumbling about this difficulty per se; had the game set out to be a pro golf simulation youd expect to be tested in this way perhaps what makes it worse is that (unlike, even, some pro golf sims) there is no mulligan feature or opportunity to restart a hole. If it starts to go wrong you either persevere to the painful end or reset.
Second regardless of whether or not you get the power and address bang on, the results can be very unpredictable. In training mode I repeatedly tried several tee/fairway/rough/bunker/green shots. On many occasions apparently perfect power/address hits saw the ball end up a huge distance from the advertised spot, even taking into account wind and elevation. Equally, big differences in power/address saw the ball end up in pretty much the same spot. At times I almost got the feeling the game was designed to deliberately force you into certain positions on the courses. I know that isnt the case, but it started to feel that way.
Third the holes themselves (and this is improved greatly for the PS3 release) offer very few alternative shots from tee to pin. Try to sneak a different route and chances are youll end up behind a tree or be blocked by some other obstacle. Go for big power from the tee and theres a strong chance youll career off into rough or bunker, even if the overhead indication suggests youll be safe.
Graphically its great. Perhaps the sole weakness is the down arrow test for windspeed the blades of grass are sometimes so hard to see you wonder if theyre there. As for gameplay, you always feel as if your reactions are being tested to the very limit, but the results of your successes can be frankly unfair. Which leads to frustration. Which leads to switching off your PS2. Which isnt a good thing.
All credit to Clap Hands for the improvements seen in the PS3 release. They were clearly needed.
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