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By Keith B (14th Apr 2008)

I never thought I was going to turn into the kind of person who liked swinging a virtual club at a ball, but apparently I am. It all started with Links on the PC, with Arnold Palmer’s name emblazoned across it, and then the Tiger Woods series captured my attention. Everybody’s Golf is like neither of those games, because it’s aimed at a far more casual sort of player, and despite thinking I’d be put off by the cartoon-like ultra-Japanese presentation, it’s not a bad game at all.

But, like I said, it’s aimed at a very casual gamer, with it possible to wrap up nine holes in about as many minutes. It may not look glitzy in its 720 resolution but looks aren’t everything I recall being told in my youth, and while I never listened back then, you should now.

The premise is straightforward – work your way up from amateur, through the ranks, taking on harder and harder opponents. To give you incentive to keep playing, you are given bonuses and power ups every time you win a round and you stats also get a boost. You select a caddy to accompany you on the round and, should you show faith by using one repeatedly, you get a loyalty bonus which helps you unlock bonuses also. As you slowly build you character you find yourself able to drive the ball farther, better chip out of sand, putt more effectively and so on.

When you wrap up a contest in first place you get to pick one of six virtual playing cards to see what your bonus is. Most of these will be extra types of clubs you can select in the future although things like experience points and access cards to certain courses are also there to be found.

So you get the idea, it’s all about winning the round and getting some unlocks, pretty straightforward. So how does it play?

Pretty well I have to admit. Just because the game uses very cartoon-like characters doesn’t mean that it’s slackened too much the difficulty of actually getting around the course. For the lower end of the skill pool you can play it pretty straight, with the default club selection usually pretty good and the wind and angles never really being so severe an adjustment that failing to correctly judge it means you’re going to struggle. On the other hand, once you get to grips with the mechanics of the game you can use things like the wind to give you that little bit extra distance in your drive. Everybody’s Golf is happy to let you cruise through the game effortlessly, but will reward you if you try and learn some skills.

In order to take a shot, you either choose the advanced or traditional swing system. Traditional comprises a bar which fills as you power up, and you click to determine power and click again as the bar moves the other way to determine impact. The advanced sees you judge the same clicks from the actual swing of the character, which certainly makes it feel more of a challenge.

Visually, Everybody’s Golf is pretty underwhelming. This certainly isn’t something you’d invite people around to marvel at, but hey, gaming is about having fun and not necessarily visual splendour, so we can get beyond that. There are quirky facets to characters that are quite endearing, like one little lady who strolls into shot to tee off, leans back and groans ‘stretch’ as she does so on screen. They’re like little kids, with a Japanese slant on their appearance. This eastern feel also manifests itself while in a round of golf too, because every time you hit a really good shot you get a ‘Great Shot’ message that pops up in a cavalcade of colours.

The sound is pretty standard fare too, with nothing that really stands out as a high point. Weather effects are accompanied by the corresponding sounds (wind or rain) and the ball sounds pretty real when being struck by the club. That’s it.

You can also get online with the game and take part in a variety of competitions and tournaments, although for the week or so I was playing I couldn’t find a single game to play. I’m putting it down to the fact I had review code so if I can get onto a game later I’ll amend this review.

So, there’s nothing in the above that really makes this stand out and based on that, I wonder why the Hell I like the thing so much, because I really do. And that’s despite there being only six courses and 15 characters at launch, although more of each have been promised.

Maybe it’s the short little clips you get at the end of each round. They’re brilliant, and I wish developers did more like them. In order to keep a nice tranquil air to the room you’re playing in, the developers have a variety of five or six second clips which run, and they’re actually good at reducing tension (I grind my teeth desperately, so I know about needing relaxation). There is one of four dolphins being filmed from above as they jump in front of a boat; one of the Rockies with clouds swirling; another of a killer whale jumping from a pool and up towards a camera; one of a swim through a barrier reef. They’re wonderful to look at and I love them.

So maybe it’s the fact that Everybody’s Golf doesn’t take itself too seriously and even attempts to make the player feel like they’re only there to have fun, or maybe it’s because golf is a sport that’s so associated with greying hair and tartan trousers that this game really succeeds in making it appeal to kids. Perfect for passing 20 minutes alone in the house or sticking on with a few mates around, if you’re into social video game golf, this is worth a look. It’s just not for the diehard golf fans. Go get Tiger instead.