Golf (eShop)
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3DS
| Golf

It's pretty interesting how more recent game releases in a specific genre can make us realise just how terrible past games are - games that we may well have lauded at one point in time.

Take Nintendo's Golf, for example. Released in 1985 for the NES, and then later for the Game Boy, it was a rather big hit with console swingers.

Compare it to golf titles now, however - in particular to the Mario Golf series, which drew much of its inspiration, admittedly, from the original Golf game - and it feels like it's missing key features which make it virtually unplayable.

For this reason, Golf is not worth picking up, especially if you loved it first time around and are feeling nostalgic. Your memories will be shattered, believe me.

Tee off

Golf does exactly what it says on the tin. There are two 18-hole courses to play through, and your job, unsurprisingly, is to hit a small hard dimpled ball into each hole one by one.

You choose your club, the direction to hit the ball in (taking wind direction and power plus obstacles on the course into account), and then watch it fly.

Hitting A starts the bar moving, hitting it again sets the power, and hitting it a third time determines the accuracy of your shot. A bog-standard golfing game mechanism, I think you'd agree, though bear in mind that the original Golf game was in fact the first to employ this power bar method.

Whereas modern golf titles will now throw in all kinds of gameplay extras, such as ball spin, a green view, and fancy visuals, Golf lets you hit the ball and repeat from the same viewpoint throughout. Nothing more, nothing less. It's rather dull.

Subpar

Golf on 3DS also doesn't feature some of the most essential elements of video game golfing - or, at least, elements that have since become essential.

For example, when you choose the power of the shot, you're told how far away the green is, but you have no idea how powerful your shot is. You simply have to work it out by trial and error, guessing how much power is needed for each individual shot.

There's also no multiplayer option. Hit '2 Player' on the title screen and the game will simply ignore you, as with all of the the other Virtual Console titles.

Unfortunately, Golf has not aged well at all. Saying that, it's worth noting that it has a lovely atmosphere to it, and it's obvious that were it not for this game, the Mario Golf series may well not exist.

Golf is a game we should be thankful for, but leave firmly in our memories. It's definitely not worth the asking price, especially when you consider that Let's Golf! 3D is also available to download on this platform.

Golf (eShop)

Golf is a classic Game Boy title best left in the depths of your memories, as it now feels horribly dated and bereft of gameplay options
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.