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Swingerz Golf

by Michael Cole - October 21, 2002, 4:31 pm EDT
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Between 1080 and Mario Party-ing, TYP took some time to check out Swingerz Golf for the GameCube. Can Telenet compete with Camelot? See what this Mario Golf fan thinks.

Though I wouldn’t consider myself a huge golfing game fan, there have been a few golf games over the years that captured my heart. So it was with enthusiasm that I wandered over to the Swingerz Golf kiosk, itching to hit a few golf balls.

The game physics and course design left me fairly impressed. As a true golf game, players are able to attempt approach shots, off-green putts, power shots and more without much of the ridiculous guesswork found in the joke that was Monkey Golf 2. I also noticed my clubs level up in mid-game, suggesting the game has RPG elements like Mario Golf for GBC. The game provides all the little technical aspects needed in a good golf game, plus extras like the time of year, and it should be commended for its interesting holes and complete physics.

However, I found myself displeased with the controls themselves. Pushing L and R to switch clubs is disorienting enough, but the bigger problem is the golf swing itself, which makes use of the analog C-stick. I grew up on the 3-button swing, so I naturally prefer that setup, but I had approached Swingerz Golf expecting analog controls along the lines of a circular motion. I was amazed to find this wasn’t the case. Instead, the game asks players to pull the stick “back" (down) and then “follow through" by pushing the stick forward as straight as possible at the desired strength percentage. It all sounds well and good, but pulling it off is just a little too difficult. It took me well over 30 attempts before I started to understand how the controls worked, and I never really got the hang of it thanks to my unsteady fingers. I simply found the game to be much too sensitive, handing me a duff unless my follow-through was almost completely straight. Power shots seemed impossible to pull off. And even when I was told I made a good shot, I never seemed to get all of the club’s distance, so I’d end up dangerously short most of the time. When putting, a slightly inaccurate follow-through meant a cruel extra stroke, not that I didn’t have a hefty score already. For me, all of this was compounded by the nature of spring-loaded analog sticks themselves, which demand different quantities of force at varying positions for constant speed. I understand Telenet’s desire to focus on the swing instead of aim, but I found Swingerz a little too much like the real deal for my liking. I’m sure I would improve with time, but a golfing game should be readily accessible to anyone who picks up the controller, not just professional surgeons.

The graphics and audio were a mixed bag. The slightly anime-influenced characters had a plastic coating, as did the environments (especially the water), but the game also featured an excellent draw distance and a smooth framerate. If I had to make a general statement I’d describe the visuals as average Dreamcast quality. The layout seemed natural enough, with easy to read lies and distances, and a friendly camera. The game featured a jazzy song not unlike something you might hear in the club’s Pro shop, and the various golf sounds were realistic enough.

Though most of the characters seem interesting enough, their voices are just annoying! Each player gets his or her own choice of caddy, who only makes the same stupid supportive comments such as “Here goes nothing!" over and over again. And since everyone present apparently has something to say about a shot at the exact same time, you’ll rarely understand what a character just said, even when playing with just one friend! It’s like Eidos thought it would be neat if they took Sonic Adventure 2’s garbled, overlapped voices, made them even less coherent and tried to one-up Sonic Team by making all the voices uninspired! Hopefully there’s a way to turn off the voices or at least ditch the caddies, because players definitely won’t want them hanging around.

Swingerz comes out October 23rd, but I’d suggest golfers check the title out at the Cube Club or give it a rental before putting down the wad of cash. Those who can handle Swingerz’s interesting swing controls will likely find the game very amusing, but those who can’t will just wind up frustrated.

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Genre Sports
Developer Telenet Japan Co. Ltd.
Players1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: Swingerz Golf
Release Oct 23, 2002
PublisherEidos
RatingEveryone
jpn: Wai Wai Golf
Release Nov 28, 2002
PublisherEidos
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