You know, I’ve never swung a real golf club in my life. I hear that going to the range is a lot of fun and can be therapeutic. One day, maybe. But for now, I enjoy golf in video game form.
Sure, I dislike the concept of golf. “Golf,” according to Samuel Clemens, “is a good walk spoiled.”
Yet, I play golf video games. I guess it’s because they don’t have the land usage issues, country clubs, classism and cost of real golf. I’m guessing that if I did play real golf, though, I’d get just as angry as when I play the video game version and miss an “easy putt.”
This anger is intensified when playing Super Swing Golf on the Nintendo Wii. Maybe I’m angrier because I’m physically getting into the game. Taking a golf swing with the Wii remote is a much more visceral experience than pressing a button to time a swing on other consoles. I’m actually cursing when I don’t make a shot, which is different from my experience when playing Mario Golf on the Game Boy Advance.
My guess is that the extra realism just makes the double bogey harder to take.
That said, Super Swing Golf is an okay game. One that I’m glad I rented instead of purchased.
While entertaining, the game is too simplified for its own good. The cute, whimsical atmosphere of the courses are interesting, but I found myself just wanting a round of golf without stylized windmills and crazy water hazards. That and the game suffers from lengthy (for a console) loading times.
There are also strange interface issues, such as you have to use the pointer to get ready for a shot. It’s fine the first few times, but I found myself wanting to just play some golf, and press a button on the remote to address the ball, instead of aim at the television and click on a button.
While it is interesting that there is a story mode to beef up your character, it just isn’t enough to keep my interest.
Guess I’ll just have to wait for a Mario Golf or Tiger Woods option.