Mario Golf (N64) > Reviews (9)

This game is brought to us by 'Camelot' and 'Nintendo'.

Does the Nintendo Expansion enhance the games graphics? No.

Is it Rumble Pack compatible? Yes!
Is it a multiplayer? Yes! Up to 4 people can play!

Golf isn't everyone’s idea of fun. Some see it as a boring sport, others love it. Well, I have tried before and I m not good at it - it is fun when I actually do hit the ball - but it is not often.
However, no matter what you think about golf, this game will please you. Golf has been injected with the cast from the Mario games, but that is not all! There are many fun features on the game, and all will be described a little later in the review.

I remember seeing this in 'Nintendo Magazine', the screen shots were sofull of colour - I knew I had to have this fun looking game. Well - I got it!

It comes in the conventional Nintendo 64 game box. A rectangular cardboard box - mainly black, with a picture on the front and screen shots on the back. Inside is a colourful instruction booklet that is simple to understand.

First of all, what does this game play like? Well, fantastic actually! I find a lot of sports games to be quite boring, but that is far from the case here. You get to select which golf clubs you want to whack the ball with, which any individual can easily do. Then you must select how hard you hit the ball. This is very simple to do; even a complete novice gamer can learn to play quite easily. The weather also varies; it can be sunny, rainy and even be night time! The wind changes constantly as you play a round of golf so you must always take the winding to consideration.

The fact that 3 of your friends can join you and participate in the fun is great alone, but even when playing alone you won't be bored with the game, as there are so many features. One fun thing to do when playing with friends, is to press the yellow C buttons, as they will make your character make taunting noises - which will annoy your friend as they try to put that possible winning ball!

There are at least 6 'world's, with 18 courses on each. There is a nice simple golf surrounding with trees, a sandy land full of bunkers and even one set of courses shaped as various characters from the Mario series.

One mode is 'Get Character' mode: At the start of the game you begin with a few characters, in this mode however, you play a computer character. Once you beat them at a round of golf - you will win that character and you will be able to play as them as you wish. The characters become harder to beat as you progress though the game. You won't ever get bored with the characters, ranging from Mario, Yoshi (A green dinosaur), Donkey Kong, A Princess and many more. Each character can hit certain distances, and all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

There is also speed golf, where you must try and complete a round of 18 holes as fast as you can. Then there is also mini golf, where you play on courses shaped as letters and numbers. It is fun to practice on, but I find the actual game much funnier.

Another mode is 'Star Mode'; You must play golf on the courses and hit the ball through large hoops placed in various places around the course and then in to the golf hole - the catch is that you must do all this in a certain amount of shots.

The music is also fitting and quite fun. When you are putting, the music will start to play a beat and build up the tension. The music for each set of courses changes also, and changes yet again depending on what mode you are playing on. The music on Star mode is great, as is the music overall which stays true to the Mario theme.

Technology has advanced now, so these are not the best graphics on any computer game. You can see for a distance, and it appears as 3-dimensional. The characters look slightly polygonal, but the landscaping is excellent.
The game is packed nice bright colours that will keep you amused. The lakes, the sand, and the sky all look realistic, and the area is to scale. While you may not be able to move about freely, you are capable of seeing for a long distance, including the waving flag at the hole. Weather effects such as rain also look realistic, the only problem is when the ball lands in a lake, it just doesn't seem to make a very convincing splash. The graphics overall are good for a N64 game.

The game allows challenge, but it is not impossible to play. The game increases in difficulty as you play progress. How does a golf game get harder? Well, the terrains start to get harder to play on - more lakes, bunkers and more hills. The characters you play against become harder and the weather changes become much more frequent, with the wind being the major enemy.

The games replay value? Well, it is ongoing. There are many characters to use, as well as many courses. The game is ever changing, and is never the same twice through due to the weather circumstances. The game can be played over and over, without too much repetition. The star mode, character mode, speed golf and mini golf options will keep you occupied and if you ever do get bored - which I doubt - you can always invite your friends over to join in the fun!

Overall, anyone can play this game and enjoy themselves. Even my friend's mum that doesn't like to play games at all that often enjoyed playing this. I am not really even a sports fan, and I still found this game fun to play. This game can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The game has so many features and is presented in such a fun way; you will wish real golf was this fun!

This game can easily be picked up for £10.00 or under. The best place to look for it is E-bay.