Australian Gamer Review :: Everybodys Golf 2

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Everybodys Golf 2

Reviewed on: Playstation Portable
Available on:

One of the strangest things with this game was that I found myself getting really drawn in even though it had no plot, no story line, and no pizzazz.

Players:
Genre: Sports
Release: TBA

Distributor: Sony Computer Entertainment

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Everybodys Golf 2

News from Anna - July 11th @ 8:54am

Golf sims, like most sporting sims, aren�t that similar to playing the game in real life. There are far more variables involved in a real match of golf plus a bit more conversation on the side and a hell of a lot of walking. Everybody�s Golf 2 follows in the footsteps of well, every other Everybody�s Golf for the last ten years.

The menu greets you with an extremely cheerful and upbeat soundtrack that grabs you and doesn�t let go, like an old aunt with your cheek. You put up with it mainly because it�s oddly comforting despite the pain. The blonde in a mini skirt that proffers the choice of single, multi, options, yada yada yada will turn up more than once after the menu � oh yes, don�t let those specs fool you, beneath the desk she has a sexy little mini skirt that will keep your attention from the tips that pop up during those loading times. And how long those loading times were�

The other NPC you meet is your caddie, Madison, whose name shall now be Maddie in the interests of comedic effect. She makes the indispensable comments of �Let�s go!�, �Nice shot!� and provides the odd �Ooooooooh!� you�d normally expect in a tournament from the crowds of onlookers if your shot came really, really close. This effect was spoilt by the fact Maddie was not actually a crowd, but just one person and thus redundant. Her face will pop up when you�re on the green letting you know if it�ll be for a birdie or on par with some words of encouragement. She also has a cute little :o face when you try something radical like hit the ball as hard as you can into the scenic mountainside.

Singing and golf - the next music based peripheral game

On my first round of golf I tried out the option of dressing my character up a little, though so early in the game meant she was in a little red and white number (of which I liked to call Misty-style) or something of a tomboy. I couldn�t be bothered after that so my collection of outfits grew but my character didn�t change. In ways, this was a good thing because as you stick with one particular avatar you earn loyalty from them. But better to call it experience than anything because all they do is get better at golf rather than actually do anything particularly nice for you. Well, it was that and the fact that the time you take to actually go between screens to change items on your characters took an age and a half.

Though the whole �outfit� collecting smacks of simple item pick-ups � they actually relate to your game in an obscure, but still relevant way. The hair/hat assortments contribute to your control, the body outfits increases the power in your swing and the accessories lift your ability for spin. You collect these by winning matches in the single player challenge mode. Some of these matches are one on ones, others are tournaments and every few matches you win the option of having a one on one with a special character who joins you once you�ve beaten them and allows you to climb the heady heights of golfing superstardom. You can also start playing as these new avatars but I stuck to Misty � a sucker for the loyalty perk to the end. They can also open up new courses (which is good, since after a few rounds, each one can get a bit predictable).

When in a match, the technical level of making your shot went over my head at first, I�m still yet to move on from �Easy shot� option to the normal one where you have to start tracking more than three variables at once. You can switch golf clubs (a tactic I never thought I�d use and yet the possibilities were endless!), change the direction of your swing in order to take into account the wind (though if it had shown how strong the wind was, it might�ve helped there also) and the incline of the ground you�ll be facing (this was/is a fiasco as I�m still not quite sure how it works and so my putting skills leave me with the ball curving around in wild circles). Easing into the game, I ignored this at my own peril and found my shots wildly inaccurate even though I had waited for my swing bar to fill up before taking the shot. Distances are measured as you line up your swing, showing you which direction you�d be taking your next shot if you landed there and how much further it is from there to the hole.

Oh yeah, he's coo coo alright

It�s kind of embarrassing how all of this information fits into the tiny screen on the PSP, and I�m still to find out exactly what some of the little measurements on the sides are for. When I move on from Easy Shot they may take on a bit more meaning yet it comes across as technically accurate to what you�d expect in a golf game if you were any good at it and had someone constantly yelling out distances in the imperial.

Other options in this include Training, which is pretty self explanatory, a Strokes course � where you�re pretty much competing against yourself and getting the best score you can and the Mini Game which consists of nine hole-in-one attempts for the best score possible. Each of these was but a mild diversion from what I found to be the meatier part of the game, playing against those smug virtual players.

Changing outfits for your player has only one novelty. Pressing the square button allows you to view the items differently. Woo hoo. This was the only feature I saw here. The actual benefits of making my blonde wear a clown nose were, to my eye, quite minimal despite what winning the items brought. Every effort I was making to bring down that perky self-esteem wasn�t working unless I made her miss par.

I would like to point out here that in the event your character finishes a hole, responses will either be along the lines of �Oishee, why me???� (complete with teary, fist flying tantrum),�Hooray! One, two! One, two!� (fist pumping, legs marching on the spot) or a �Yes! That was cool!� that held a bit of victory-sign flashing in a sailor moon-esque pose. Guy avatars have some variation on this but not much. However, I did sense a slight British accent in his �What went wrong?� clip. After a while, this kind of response will get annoying whether you�re winning or losing.

Graphics wise, this isn�t the best that�s out there on PSP. Some of it can be chunky with limbs going through trees if you�re close enough to one though the settings look pretty fantabulous for each course, the water in particular looks inviting, too bad you lose points for being too close. The mountains are not just for show either, many can be used to bounce around and over to get that shot pas the extra hundred yards or so to the hole. The colours do match the soundtrack through, keeping the game lightweight and enjoyable.

Rain, hail or shine

There�s also the option of going multiplayer though the smug single player that I am isn�t allowing for it in this review except for the concession that tournaments might work really well. Apart from the fact that you�ll still feel like you�re in single player mode as there isn�t much differentiating between the two but for the scores coming from anonymous human players instead of anonymous virtual players. Or so you might like to think.

All this being said, I played it on and off for several days straight to the detriment of time spent on Crisis Core. Yes, I realise this is crazy but something deep inside me really wanted to show those transgendered opponents who could really play golf. One of my earlier opponents � Dolores � had a distinct female voice (I swear there are only four voice sets which means you often end up playing someone who sounds exactly like your own avatar�and even then, the guys sound like girls half the time) and yet had baggy trackpants and a goatee. Did no one else notice this? Am I being a little sexist here when I subconsciously attribute features like goatee to only one gender?

One of the strangest things with this game was that I found myself getting really drawn in even though it had no plot, no story line, no pizzazz. It was odd to find my normally dormant sense of competition rising to the occasion and yes, I felt aggressive in ways an FPS had never been able to provoke. It takes a special kind of game to bring that out in me. So I�ll grudgingly give this sporting sim some token of my respect. I�ll probably get back to it in a few weeks to play a few more rounds and that is saying a lot for any PSP game out on the market these days.

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Final Verdict

There isn't much you can't like in this game, it draws you in without being addictive and can actually make you feel like you'd be semi-decent if you ever got out in your matching jodhpurs and vest onto a green. From the start it's welcoming but never feels like a walkover, keeping the challenge in it at all times. Maddie the caddie awaits!

Pros
Ability to press X to skip shot cinematics, quirky soundtrack, includes both immersive and casual gameplay, technical detail in lining up your shot makes sense, pretty visuals, easy learning curve.
Cons
Frustrating loading times, annoying and unnecessary commentary on most shots.