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FUN FUN FUN

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: October 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The graphics on Swing Away Golf are better than any other golf game that I have ever seen! Buy this game, and you'll have a blast!

Best golf game I've ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: October 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is tremendous. I usually get the latest PGA / Tiger Woods EA game out for my PC. I will not be getting it this year. This game is wonderful. The story mode on it is a lot of fun. You get to play from month to month (you only get to play in one match per month) and earn new equipment and ratings and eventually you get to go from an amateur to pro golfer and start earning money to use to buy better equipment from the golf shop. I recommend this to anyone from someone who has the slightest interest in golf to a golf fanatic like myself. It's the best launch game of the 5 that I got.

Frustrating and condescending

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 10
Date: November 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I played Hot Shots and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this game.

I started with the practice mode. It let me try shots three times (each time telling me how poorly I had done) before it informed me it was going to move on to the next lesson because I am having trouble with the building blocks. There was a lot of text one needed to skip through to go through practice so I though I would try my luck on the links instead of pressing 'X' many times for another three attempts at practice.

The computer player would yawn when I was trying to line up my shot. It constantly told me about how its breakfast was contributing to its good play. It would rarely complement my good shots but often criticize by bad ones.

The commentator/coach never has anything useful to say. It lets you know when your ball is short of the hole that you could have hit it harder and it never fails to let you know you are not playing as well as you could be, do you have a cold?

The graphics are fine, but they do not make up for the lack of sportsmanship in the computer players. The attitude drove me away from the game.

annoying. Loses much in the translation

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I am in full agreement with another reviewer, who said this game was annoying and condesceding. I too, loved HotShots Golf and had high hopes for this one. I don't care if the graphics are better. I don't care if the courses are well designed. I was immediately turned off by the training which was frustrating and patronizing. I don't need this! Why do we play these games anyways? I have a sneaking suspicion that this game became a casualty of innapropriate translation from Japanese to English. Any text which is spoken in this game, by any character, will make make you angry. The gameplay pales in comparison to Hotshots. The swinging mechanism is poorly designed. I know swinging cages are popular on the golf channel, but they are infuriating and unneccesary as the basis for a video-game swing. Real consistency is difficult to calculate, and the alleged "sweet spot" (where you need to make contact with the ball) is not explained by either the instruction manual or the aggravating trainer, who would rather frustrate you than help you.

If you can be turned off a game by subtle things like "attitude", as another reviewer mentioned, think twice before buying this game.

fun, but could be WAY better...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

i loved hot shots golf for the original playstation. so when i bought swing away for the ps2, i was thinking that it could nothing but as much fun and more. i was wrong. the gameplay is way slower than hot shots. everything in the game seems to move in slow motion (swing icon, in-between holes, hitting the ball), making it hard for you too really get into a groove, to where you can have a good time. if that's not bad enough; the caddies are awful. they talk to you as though you're an idiot and they always have something to say...it gets old fast. the training mode is worse, it's very condenscending, making you want to figure the game out on your own. if you don't mind all of this the game is fun, well-designed holes, great landscapes, good camera options, and all the goofy character animations of the original hot shots. best bet: rent it and decide for yourself ....

Good graphics, but too easy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The game is pretty fun. I really like the story mode, and the opportunity to advance through the different stages, to finally becoming a pro. I too found the training pretty lame, but a few rounds on the course solved that. Also, I was initially concerned about the sweet spot, but that problem was solved after a few rounds. All in all I find the game a little too easy for a good computer golfer. It's fun to play, and is simple for the beginner to understand and play somewhat well. It's the kind of game that is fun to play while you drink beers with your buddies. Conclusion: A purchase for someone that likes computer golf and doesn't need Links 2001 type graphics or difficulty.

Pretty good game. Could be a little better.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When i bought this game my first impression was that it was kind of jerky while loading. I feel that this game is fun and very entertaining, but i feel that it could have been made better than this. I like how the caddy tells your about the green unlike other games like mario golf but i felt that mario golf is a much smoother game than this one even though it is a N64 game. Well if you like golf games and don't really mind having a game tha's not the smoothest then this game would be great for you. Enjoy.

A better-than-average game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

To be honest, I bought the game because I was getting tired of playing Tekken and all the other games I'm interested in are not being released until January. I was a big fan of Hot Shot golf and thought it might be nice to get a golf game for the PS2.

The game is fun - very fun, I think. It was extremely difficult getting used to at first; there is a very sharp learning curve initially because the documentation on simply "how to play" just isn't in the game - neither in the books nor during the "lessons". However, once you get the hang of the controls the game becomes quite enjoyable and mildly addicting. After about a week of recreational play (I typically play for about 45 mins until my wife tells me it's time to eat/clean/"do something constructive"), the learning curve completely disappears and it becomes almost overly easy. However, the 'Gran Turismo'-esque simulation mode is quite addictive...I would definitely recommend it.

Pros: Fun interface without being cute, lots of replay value, a LOT of different multi-player capabilities (typical stroke and match play, but also skins, sudden-death, long-drive, and betting capability), the course generator builds completely new courses ON THE FLY (adds TONS to replay value), and the weather pattern will actually change during course play (not just between holes, but between strokes on a hole...adds some new challenge). Scenery, weather, water...awesome!

Cons: The game does not explain itself well (I still don't know what "H/S" means on one of the 'rating' charts) at all and the in-game characters can get really annoying when you're not doing well. The caddies kinda stink (but the only game with caddies I liked was 'Hot Shots (1)') and the bgm music is vry limited (read as beat your head against the wall repetative).

All in all, a much better than average golf game for a console. Fun for friends and wives, and for people who aren't golf fanatics IRL (I'm not and many of my friends aren't, but the ones who are really enjoy the game as well). And even though the interface is clunky at first, it's quite enjoyable after you beat the learning curve out. IMHO, three things keep it from being a five-star: bgm music, ingame character attitude, and explanation of what-the-heck some of the stuff in the game means. I hope you enjoy, I did...well worth the [price].

I am addicted to this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I own 5 games for my ps2 (including SSX and Madden) and I play this one way more than any other. It is not that SSX and Madden and others are bad games, it is just that Swing away golf is so well done. The gameplay is so incredibly deep that I don't see an end to my gameplay in site. I was a big fan of the Hot shots series so this game is the next natural progression. As previously mentioned, the initial learning curve may be a little steep but I find the learning curve on SSX to be steeper. One note of caution: play with the sound off because the voices / caddies get old real fast.

First golf game a disappointment!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

For those of you that enjoy a game of golf by yourself or with a friend, then skip this game! Loading time is way ridiculous for the PS2 loads up a different camera angle every time you swing. A major time drag. Also, physics in the short game is non-realistic. Anyone know that an 8-yard chip off the green is not that difficult. And anyone who has played this game can tell you that the first par 3 on the first course is almost impossible to get on the green without coming up short. So, in my opinion, go out an get Hot Shots Golf 2 for the PS1 and you'll have way more fun.

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