Mario Golf

Are you ready to play some Hot Shots Golf err…I mean Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64? Camelot, the developer of this title, was also the original developer of the first Hot Shots Golf, the other cutesy golf series that lives on the Playstation consoles. So if you’ve played Hot Shots Golf like I have, you’ll notice that the gameplay mechanics are exactly the same. I really do mean they are exactly the same, from the way you swing the club, to the putting mechanics, to the close up shots of the player after the hole is done. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Mario Golf uses the 3 click system, which should be simple enough for anyone to figure out. To put spin on the ball, you hold down on the analog stick while the shot meter is going on. It sounds almost too simple compared to today’s golf games such as the Tiger Woods series, but adults will still be able to enjoy this, as it is still golf and feels like golf despite the simple mechanic by today’s standards. The part on the upper right portion of the screen where the wind direction should be showing is there, but instead of an arrow, they use the ghost that is found in most Mario games. This does make sense as it is a Mario game, but it can be confusing to figure out which way the ghost is actually pointing.

The music is nothing special. In fact, you’ll hear the same music on every course pretty much. But if you are a fan of golf, I don’t believe this will stop you from enjoying this game, as the focus will be on the type of shots you need to pull off. There are Mario sound effects sprinkled in the appropriate places and that should keep most Mario fans who are on the fence about liking a golf game happy.

I never owned a Nintendo 64, so I can’t say for certain how bad these graphics are. But when I was playing this game, I got the feeling that more effort could have been put into making the course look nicer, especially the trees. Everything is bright and colorful, but the textures seem awful to be honest. Golf is a visual game, when I play golf in real life, I take the time the enjoy the beauty of what I’m doing. What might have helped is if they had taken the Paper Mario route and made the characters and course in that fashion, instead of forcing something the Nintendo 64 can’t handle.

Regardless though, I love golf and Mario games as well. Unlocking the characters and courses is a fun and rewarding experience in this game, and I was able to overlook the poor graphics eventually. I also am an avid fan of the Hot Shots Golf series, so it was easy for me to get into this one. Mario Golf does have its flaws, but they are forgivable.