N-Philes

Mario Golf: Advance Tour

Posted by Archived.

During the previous generation, the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color saw companion titles in Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. Now, while these games were fine on the N64, the Game Boy Color versions featured an extensive RPG experience where players could turn a nobody into the greatest tennis or golf player that ever lived. So, when this generation rolled around, and new versions of Mario Golf and Tennis were announced, it was assumed that they would follow the model of the past generation. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was first out of the gate, and though it left something to be desired, we all knew that Mario Golf: Advance Tour was going to be where the true fun would lie. And, oh, how Advance Tour delivered.

Golden Sun, But Good

Camelot already has extensive working knowledge of the Game Boy Advance, as proven with the graphically beautiful, yet surprisingly bland, Golden Sun series. At the outset, players are treated to a long cinematic scene that reeks of Golden Sun, but worry not; the game bears no resemblance to that title. It's just a golf game that happens to maintain all of the graphical touches of Camelot's past efforts.

The RPG elements are integrated fairly well; winning tournaments and beating various challenges earns experience points, which can be assigned to improving stats such at drive distance and accuracy. Like other sport titles that allow players to watch their characters venture from "piece of crap" to "toast of the town", these elements seriously add to the single player experience. And best of all, players can plug their suped-up GBA characters into the Gamecube version, and watch them wail on the best the Mushroom Kingdom has to offer.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour really shouldn't bear the "Mario" name, as it really is just a straight-up golf title. Mario isn't even in the game until the very end. Other new, fairly standard NPC's riddle the rest of the game. Only the final course bears any resemblance to the title's Gamecube brother, with Chain-chomps and other obstacles peppered throughout. The first four courses are straight-up golf, and I prefer that.

I've only played one golf title, the fantastic but frustrating Swingerz Golf. Part of the problem with that game was that the markers always said where the ball was supposed to end up. However, it didn't take into account ground features, like slow fairways or hills that could prevent my ball from reaching its destination. Mario Golf: Advance Tour employs a very intelligent system where it shows where the ball will first touch the ground, as it allows players to know if they actually are avoiding water hazards or not. And there is also a stat that says how far the ball will eventually roll to, but spinning the ball can augment that. I frequently just used the backspin to make the ball stop dead, so I knew exactly where it was landing.

A Simple Walk in the Park

Advance Tour features an extensive training mode designed to get players acclimated to driving accuracy, putting, chipping, adjusting for wind, and mastering the top and backspin. I completed the training objectives in each area before attempting the tournaments. Unfortunately, these training levels worked so well that the game became far too easy. I never lost a tournament or match play competition.

The AI also left something to be desired. For some reason, the computer (both my doubles partner and competition) never seemed to get the shot meter (basically a dial that moves all the way to one end, like in most golf games or the kicking system in Madden) to hit maximum, nor could they accurately hit the ball in the sweet spot (simply pressing A or B when the reticule passes a certain point). My mad Wario Ware skillz allowed me to hit a perfect shot every time. I could not say the same for doubles partner; bless her soul, she made far too many mistakes.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a fantastic golfing title that competes with the big boys. It features five full courses and a host of mini-games that'll keep people busy for those long road-trips. My only complaint would be that it is far too easy, but I guess golf is a frustrating sport enough in real life so the difficulty had to be sacrificed to appeal to the mainstream gamer.

Posted in: Reviews

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