Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

The Good
The graphics, sound, and atmosphere of the game are all here in traditional mario fashion. I enjoy the mario themed sports games as most are lighthearted, low impact fun for both sports fans and non sports fans alike.

The controls are quite simple, and the game can easily be learned without reading the manual at all. By the time I played the first 9 holes I knew exactly what I was doing.

There are also a variety of modes of play, such as stroke play, gathering coins (which involves hitting the ball into areas that have a large amount of coins), and playing with a randomly selected limited number of clubs, to timed play where you must play fast and beat the timer. Up to four people can play, and the more you have the more fun the whole thing can be.

The Bad
Unfortunately, this game fails to deliver. It just wasn't very fun for me to play. I have played other golf games such as Outlaw Golf and Links for the PC, so perhaps I have higher expectations than most.

For one, the camera angles are absolutely terrible. More time is spent on the stationary character than the ball itself. Often you'll hit the ball and wonder where it went while the camera focuses on mario, or whoever you picked.

There are a wide variety of characters to choose from, all with different tendencies in their swing. Some characters shoot short but straight, while others may have a lot of power but less control, causing the ball to splice. The problem is however, when you play characters that seem to be opposites, they tend to perform the same. For example, I can take a straight shooting character, drive the ball at maximum power without making any adjustments prior to the drive, and then do the same for a character with less control and the balls will typically end up very very close to one another.

Putting/driving is way too easy. I got pars and birdies my first time ever playing the game. There is a feature to where after you select the power level of your drive, the computer will automatically hit the ball perfectly straight if you let it. Boo.

Wind, which is a major factor in golf and many golf games has almost negligible effect here. 20mph crosswind? No problem, and almost no difference from 0 mph wind even while using a wedge at full power.

The ball doesn't roll enough. The physics are unrealistic. When the ball hits the ground (even with a low trajectory high speed shot) it slows down as if it hit sand or an extremely wet surface. If it's raining in the game, it's even worse as I've used a putter on the green for a long range birdie and even at full power I couldn't get within 10 feet of the hole because it was stopped short.

Commentary is almost non-existent, except for a voice (not even a mario character's voice as the commentator) that says 'nice shot!' or 'nice on' just about everytime you hit the ball or make it to the green.

The game often feels static and lonely. I can't put my finger on it but unlike other mario sports games that I've played, I'm just not enchanted by this one.

The Bottom Line
I understand that this game was designed to be a mario game first, and a golf game second, but if you ask me it fails to deliver on either point.

If one were a mario fan, AND had never ever played any other golf game in the past, this could be a good pick. Otherwise, I'd suggest Outlaw Golf, or Hot Shots golf over this one.