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Addictive!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: June 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is incredibly fun!

I'm not a golfer. I also don't play golf games on the PC, on a console, in a house, with a mouse... you get the idea. I saw all the great reviews of this on different game sites and thought I'd give it a try. After all, it was made by Camelot, the same designers who did the outstanding Golden Sun games for the GBA.

Rather than just being about playing golf, you get to spend time talking to other golfers, finding secrets, playing minigames, getting custom tickets so you can pick up special clubs, and gaining experience to improve your abilities. You have a partner in the game too and have to balance out spending experience points on your own character and on your partner. Get too good yourself and you'll be slammed on doubles play.

This game is simple to play and hard to master. You can perform the basic commands easily, but can really customize how you hit the ball, the spin you give it and more. You can make each shot as complex as you want to.

Mario Golf is a really really fun game. I thought I'd just play a few holes and haven't put it down for three days. This is a must have, up there with my top 5 games for GBA - Advance Wars 2, Golden Sun 2, WarioWare, Final Fantasy Tactics and now Mario Golf.

You need this game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: June 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I've ever bought, and that's no exaggeration. I've never really been into golf games, like those Tiger Woods ones, but when I bought Mario Golf (MGGB) on the Game Boy Color, I was hooked. It's the only game that I actually still play from my GBC. And then this game came out. I never thought that they could outdo MGGB, but they did. Advance Tour, like MGGB, is actually a role-playing game disguised as a golf game! Ingenius! Instead of fighting enemies to increase your HP or MP, you play tournaments or complete tasks that increase your control, the height of your shot, drive distance and more. And the goal? Why, it's simple--to the best golfer and someday play Mario!

Graphics: (5/5) The Game Boy Advance's screen has never looked better. Bright colors and fabulous simulated 3D images. It's from the makers of "Golden Sun" (Camelot), so if you thought those graphics were awesome (I did), they're all here! Cool!

Sound: (5/5) The music is catchy and there's actual digitized voices! You can hear "Nice Shot" whenever you hit the ball perfectly or your character whine when he/she fails at a task. I don't know how they packed all this into one game!

Gameplay: (5/5) Okay, I'm not the most coordinated gamer out there, so for me to say that this game is easy to learn, it says a lot. But, like the real game of golf, it's easy to learn, but darned near impossible to master. Plus, the game is limited to the few buttons the GBA has to offer, so expect those buttons to be well used. The game itself is not merely a golf game, as I mentioned. Like the box states, "It's Role-Playing Golf" and that makes it much more interesting than a plain old golf game. But if you only want golf, you can have that, too, as well as a bunch of other mini golf-centered games. However, with all the features locked away in the "Story Mode," I'm not sure why anyone would buy the game and NOT play it like a regular RPG. Also, you can link to other GBAs for muli-player cooperative or head-to-head action. Camelot sure stuffed a lot of different features into this one tiny cartridge, let me say.

Replay Value: (5/5) You won't be able to put this game down. Ever. You will lose friends, pets and the ability to see without glasses. That's how much you'll be glued to your tiny front-lit screen. Like I said, the game is easy to learn, but near impossible to master and that's what will keep bringing you back for more. And then there's the ability to play with your friends in doubles play or against one another. There's just so much to do!

Let me start off by saying that this game is NOT just for people who love golf. I'm not terribly fond of the sport, although I used to go every once in a while. But Mario Golf, in the two incarnations I've played, are the BEST games out there. They combine the challenge of golf and RPG into one slick game that the whole family can enjoy. As far as I know, there's no violence in this game, so I can recommend this game to gamers of all ages, but because of the RPG-nature of this game, I think kids age 10 and up will appreciate the game much more. Oh, and adults won't be able to put it down, either.

Addictive Fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As the owner of over a dozen golf games for Nintendo, Super Nintendo, etc., I must say that this is easily the most addictive...

GRAPHICS/SOUND:
The graphics are very easy on the eye and a cool Mode 7 feature allows you to follow behind your ball as it flies through the air. Simple and easy to read...that's more important on a game where you're trying to concentrate your button timing anyway. The sound is so-so, nothing fancy, but I still tend to hum it a little when I'm not playing...Some voice comments from the players add to the thrill of the game.

REPLAY:
This is the whole reason for getting this game! Unlike other golf games in which you win and throw it in the corner for a while, this one it more of a Golf RPG. You spend time unlocking secrets and building up your character to be the best! You're looking at a game that should give you your money's worth...

CHALLENGE:
This would be my only concern for this game -- I won the first four tournaments on the first try -- granted, I'm a golf nut, but most of them were runaways. I'm afraid that those looking for a great challenge may fall short of expectations here. Some side games are a little challenge, but the main games are rather easy.

PLAY CONTROL:
This is one of the easiest setups I've seen for golf, yet your able to do so much. Top spin, back spin, hooks, slices, etc. call all be accomplished, but without mashing 6 buttons at once. A little tough to time at first, but easy to learn and get used to...

THEME/FUN:
What a unique game...the RPG Golf theme gives this a nice twist that makes it both fun for golfers and for adventurers. Despite the easy challenge in areas, it still provides hours of enjoyment and fun/coloful graphics for its audience. For those looking for a good game to whip out for 5 minutes at a time or sit down and play for a few hours -- highly recommended!

Mario Golf on the GBA

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for my birthday, and I had pretty low expectations. But I popped it into my Game Boy SP anyway, and I heard-and saw-oh. From the opening movie, I knew that this game would be great. I knew right.
The thing about Mario Golf:Advance Tour is that it's not a golf sim. No way. This is a highly detailed and addictive RPG. You do everything from buy power-ups to find special tickets which you can use to make special clubs.
Story Mode:Oh, mama. The overall design of it is amazing. Only about 50% of the game is playing golf, so the other half is running around, completing challenges with your own character that you named and made, and talking to various characters, like Kid, the local golf pro, your mentor, and the guy you have to beat in a match to win the game, and either Ella or Neil, your doubles partner depending on which of them you're playing as. Con? I usually suck at story modes in video games, so I don't really mind, but if you're one of those hardcore gamers who owns an Atari 3200 and wears a sweatband and can recite the entire intro to "The Legend Of Zelda" by heart, then you'll probably be disappointed by the easiness of this game. It's basically a Sunday drive in the park until the Links Tourneys.
Graphics:Oh sure. The graphics look like your average Mario GBA graphics at first, but as soon as you get behind the tee, you're immersed in a beautiful 3D shot mode that I personally want to take on a first date and buy chocolates for.
Sound:Fun music, character voices, sound effects, what more to say?
Overall:4 stars.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour looks and should feel great!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: April 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game looks great. I saw a trailer of it and the game acts just like it's GAMECUBE counterpart, with the exception of the RPG Mode, and an even greater game play. Instead of controling one character, you control 2! That's right, in this game, just like Mario Tennis for GBC, you control 2 characters, but only in the overworld, "in-game" or while golfing, you only control your own character. You can hook it up to your GAMECUBE using the "GBA/GC Link Cable". You can transfer your "Custom Couple" to the game, but no word on if the characters "stay saved" or get removed and have to constantly replace the characters in the game EVERY time you turn on the game. (...) I hope this game meets my standards and musical hopes.

As good as Golf on the go can get.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: June 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

10.0 Presentation
Absolutely brilliant and thorough golfing experience that goes well beyond the console experience. The RPG element adds depth to an already great golfing design.

9.0 Graphics
If you liked the Golden Sun style, you'll love the look of Mario Golf. The 3D view's a little awkward, but after a few minutes you won't even notice the strange Mode 7 skewing.

9.0 Sound
Fantastic audio and soundtrack throughout the experience, though some tune selections don't exactly fit the golf action.

10.0 Gameplay
Camelot really knows its golf. GameCube Mario Golf was great, but the GBA version blows it away in features and depth.

10.0 Lasting Appeal
Single player, multiplayer, tournaments, RPG level-up, GameCube connectivity, Wireless network support. Did I miss anything?

Unputdownable

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I own four GBA games which I play every now and then, usually to pass time in between lectures and on long bus rides etc. However, after purchasing Mario Golf, I soon realized just what a great game this is, and have barely let my console rest!!

The golf is fun, and not overly technical. You don't have to have any outside knowledge of the sport to be good at this, as you learn everything you need to from caddies and other golfers in the game.

The storyline is full of adventure... typical of Mario games. You have maps and venture different courses, worlds and experience new challenges all the time.

Indeed, you start off as a novice, and work your way up until you become the creme de la creme. There are so many things you can do, and so many nice courses to utilize.

It's the one GBA game that I would give ten stars out of five, because the graphics are great, the gameplay is absolutely superb, the music is refreshingly fun, and the story is top notch.

If you do decide to get this, you'll know what a gem it is.

Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well I'm one of those people who doesn't like sports games (except racing). When my fiancee first told me about this game, I was very skepticle. I thought that this game would be really boring and not fun, well boy was I wrong. This game is very fun and also very addicting. One of the great thigns about this game is that there is a RPG element to it, which makes it that much better. There are also many different modes and a lot of things to do. You can play a story mode which has a lot of diffrent types of golf and mini games or you can play the quick mode which is some different twists on the old game of golf. Regardless if you like golf or not this game is a must have for anyone who wants to play a fun game with lots to unlock and discover.

Mario Golf, ADVANCED FUN!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 16
Date: September 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is your second Mario Golf Game Boy game, except this time it's on the GBA (Game Boy Advance). You can play as either of two masculine or two feminine players and develop your skills as you play. The better your opponent(in Character Match mode), the better your score (Stroke play) or the better your place (Tournament), the more EXP. (EXperience Points) you're going to get. The faster you level up the better your character is going to be, BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP YOUR EYE ON ALL LEVELS BECAUSE MOST OF THE LEVELS WILL DROP WITH EVERY PASSING LEVEL! Besides from that, you can save up to three characters at once!

Not that much of a Mario game, but a good golf game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

While this is probably your best bet for a worthwhile golf game on GBA, it isn't exactly a Mario game either. You only start with four playable Mario characters at the beginning of the game (Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Princess Toadstool) and your primary character in storymode is Some Anime-looking Dude you get to name, similar to Mario Tennis (except you get 8 characters right off the bat in Mario Tennis). You have to spend quite a bit of time unlocking things before you really come close to anything remotely Mario-ish. And there's a lot to unlock. The storymode in the game is very SNES-esque in its RPG presentation, and there's a lot of different mini-games that play by some unique rules (slot clubs, for instance, randomly selects clubs for you for one hole, so in essence you could be left with trying to par a 495 yard par 5 with a 4-wood and a pitching wedge) and some that are just conventional "closest to the pin" contests. Completing these mini-games, as well as tournaments (both singles and doubles) gives you experience points, which you can utilize to build up specific parts of your game, such as driving distance or spin control. And like I mentioned earlier, in the early going while unlocking things and building experience (which may take a while), there isn't a whole lot of Mario going on, and that may turn some players away.

But if you're strictly looking for a good golf game for GBA, this is as good as it's going to get. Considering both the graphical and physics-engine limitations that are present (remember how awful some SNES golf games were?), this game really does a great job presenting a solid golf experience in terms of gameplay and control. It's your traditional three-click swing system, and you can control the spin and select the impact on the ball itself, letting the player manipulate his/her shot in a lot of different ways. Putting is pretty easy; if you putt with some mustard behind your shots, almost any putt will go in from within about 25 feet. The courses are all very different, providing tropical, desert and um.. Scotish atmospheres. The last course that is unlocked after winning each tournament and sufficiently building up experience is the Mushroom Course, the only all-out crazy Mario course in the game, and it's a doozy.

The thing to remember is this: if you're looking for a Mario themed game, you may want to look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a good golf game for GBA, this is the best you'll find.

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