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by Microsoft
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If youre one of those who
despise sports games, especially golf, allow me to say a few things
about one game that just may change the way you think about golf,
period. Links 2004 marks the classic golf simulations first appearance
on a console, and its a rip roaring first impression.
For those of you who arent
familiar with the Links franchise on the PC, allow me to give you a
quick overview. For over a decade now Microsofts Links has been the
standard-setting flagship golf title that allows players as close to a
golf course as possible without having to don the funny pants. Now
gamers can enjoy the best-selling golf title on Microsofts own console,
redesigned just for the Xbox.
Let me start by saying that
this is the prettiest golf game Ive ever laid eyes on, and Ive laid my
eyes on quite a few of them. Youll slice through individual blades of
grass, see leaves realistically blowing in the breeze, trees bending
and swaying, birds whistling and flying in flocks in the distance, and
raindrops pelting the entire course to the point where I wanted to throw
on my galoshes and raincoat. Courses are very well designed after their
real-time counter parts, and you have a total of nine of them to
traverse, five of which must be unlocked by scoring well in challenges
or career play: Aviara, Greywolf, Mauna Lani, Superstition Mountain, New
South Wales, Oakmont, Loch Lomond, St. Andrews, and the fictional Ocean
Mill.
Before you do anything
though, you need to create a nifty player. You can make one up, or you
can use real pros. If theres a gripe to be had at all here, it would be
the lack of customization to your created players, and the lack of real
pros to choose from. You wont see any Tiger Woods or Phil Mikelsons
here, but you do get Sergio Garcia and Annika Sorenstam, who are equally
as compelling. You can choose standard items of clothing like pants,
shirts, shoes, gloves, hat, skin color, and of course your name.
Something I think is rather impressive is you get to choose from a
lengthy list of nicknames that the commentators will use throughout
your golfing career, giving it a little bit of personalization. The
downside to this is you better like that nickname because you cant
change it once youve selected it, unless you create another player from
scratch. As is expected in a golf game you can choose your own clubs,
and even your brand name, such as Callaway or Ping. You have a limited
number of ball logos you can use to begin with, but more impressive
ones can be unlocked by playing well. Truthfully though, this does
nothing for performance and is strictly for cosmetic purposes, but just
seeing an eight ball or flame ball logo rolling around on the course is
just plain cool. Also unlockable are three different ball types, giving
you certain advantages like control and spin, or distance.
Okay, enough about all that.
Lets get to the meat of the game. First of all, as was mentioned
earlier, the graphics are stunning, and the intricately detailed courses
are almost as good as being there. Better in fact, since you dont have
to actually walk any of the eighteen holes. The animations of the
players are like liquid crystal and are extremely well done. However the
spectators do nothing more but stand there and clap like robotic cartoon
cutouts, which was rather annoying, and is about the most unrealistic
aspect of the whole game. Thank goodness you never see them very often,
so its really no big deal.
The controls of Links 2004 are
extremely intuitive, simple, and very easy to learn, and those of you
who are familiar with console golf games should be right at home here.
You use the left thumbstick to control your swing by pushing back to get
your power, and forward to hit the ball. You use your right thumbstick
to control the spin and direction of your ball while in the air. By
tapping the X button you can see a birds eye view of the course, along
with a green line that measure the distance to the hole, helping you
select the right club, which is as easy as squeezing the left and right
triggers. For added control, you can punch the B button before a shot,
and select one of six different shot types to use, each one being used
in different situations. For instance, if you land a particularly poor
shot under a tree, you would choose the punch shot to keep the
trajectory low to the ground, or a blast shot if you find yourself in
a bunker. Putting is made easier via a putting assistant, which is
essentially a blue line that shows you the direction your ball will
travel. Its narrower and longer for beginning players, and wider and
shorter for intermediate and advanced players. If youre like me
however, putting will still be a challenge.
If youre worried about the
depth of career play, dont be. Career play starts with two nine hole
tournaments on the Rookie Tour and gets substantially larger from there,
ending with the Legend Tour which is a seventy-two hole shootout for
first place. There are five tours, over 30 different tournaments, and
more than forty seven million dollars in prize money to be won. Not too
shabby. To help you win that kind of cash are Skill Events set within
career mode to help you hone certain abilities, like chipping, putting,
and making par or better.
All of this sounds great just
playing by yourself or with a couple buddies, but when you add Xbox Live
to the mix, you have yourself one killer golf sim. One of the best
features of Links 2004 on Xbox Live is Stroke Fast Play, where instead
of taking turns, you all play simultaneously, and tracers (the trail
left behind the ball as it sails through the air), appear to show all
players shots. A full round of golf can be played in a fraction of the
time it would normally take, making the pacing more exciting. On top of
this, all nine courses are available to play on Live, and more courses
will be added later for your downloading pleasure.
The audio department is about
as good as you can get in a golfing sim. My one biggest complaint would
be the commentary. At times it gets monotonous, as does most videogame
sporting commentary. Hearing the same names over and over again starts
to grate on your nerves, and the fact that the commentary sounds so
robotic doesnt help. However, you have complete control over it with
the option to turn it down or completely off, so its just not a big
deal. The crowd responds to your every shot, good or bad, just like on
television, and really adds to the realism of the game. You hear music
while surfing the menus and options, and the ambient sound you hear
while golfing is about as real as it gets. The sound effects are crisp
and clean and what youd expect to hear on a real golf course, to a tee
(sorry). To add to an already feature-rich game, you can import your own
custom soundtracks. Now you can listen to Symphony Of Destruction by
Megadeth while slicing the crap out of your ball. Fun times.
What it boils down to is this: Links 2004 is one of the best sports
games out there, period. If youre a big fan of golf and have been
looking for that perfect golf game to bide your time, this is a
no-brainer. For those who arent necessarily golf fans or have never
played any kind of golf in their life, consider picking this title up.
The simple and intuitive controls combined with super addictive gameplay
will have you driving, putting, and chipping for hours on end. With
features like Xbox Live, custom soundtracks, stunning graphics, oodles
of tours to complete, and plenty of cash to be won, Links 2004 is easily
one of the top sports games of 2003, and has something to offer to
virtually everyone.
Eric Bodrero (01/01/2004) |
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Snapshot
Ups:
Rich, detailed graphics, Intuitive controls, Fluid
animations, Lots of courses to choose from, Online play
Downs:
Lack of deep customization of players, Lack of pro
players, annoying commentary
Platform:
XBox
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