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Let's not get carried away...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 15
Date: June 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I waited a long time for this game. I was very excited, having played mario golf on the N64, to have a similiar game in a handheld format. Unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations.

Pros: great graphics, cool side games that help improve your skills, being able to build your skills through winning tournaments and the sound is decent. There's a storyline to follow: if you care about that sort of thing.

Cons: The AI cheats fairly early on. I'll give you an example: The third tourney is played on a desert course. The first hole is a 470+ par four. I get a birdie on the hole and when they go to the leader board I'm in 4th place! Two people are tied for first with -3! THREE UNDER??? AFTER ONE???? That means they both got a hole in one on a 470 yard hole. Now THAT'S cheap.
Another problem is dicey physics. Sometimes you'll get a ball to roll up on the green or stop one with backspin, but most of time the green appears to be made of concrete with balls bouncing yards into the air and shooting off the green at high speeds. The flight path of your ball shown by a glowing line that sometimes looks as though it's clear of obstacles but really isn't. You end up putting balls into trees, cacti etc. that look as if you should be clearing them. If a ball is close to the edge of a fairway or fringe you invariably are put in the rough. And the rough appears to be made of some hybrid of grass and superglue, a cheap way to make holes tougher. Then we'll move on to the course designs. Now I'm all for making golf games challenging but this is where the game really falls apart. Trees and cacti are simply put randomly in the middle of fairways with no thought towards realistic or asthetic course design, again, a cheap way to make holes tough. Then there are the "hills". What they actually are, are shelves or steppes that eat up ball momentum and fail to represent real world physics or course design. Not too mention they make the course look silly. Putting is random at best, you can't rotate the green to read it, the game doesn't give you any info other than distance to hole and those stupid arrows that affect the balls motion at seemingly random intervals. A big hill will certainly slow you down if you're putting up it, but won't neccesarily help with a downhill putt. You always need to putt farther than the distance the computer gives you.

All in all I was really disappointed. Maybe I'm expecting too much out of this game. I know it's not supposed to be a golf sim, it's an RPG. That's fine, I'm not opposed to adding a dimension to a game. However, if the basis of a game is golf, then it should play like a golf game, moreover, it should be a GOOD golf game. I'm not saying it should be Tiger Woods 2005, but games like Hot Shots and Swing Away do a fine job of incorporating stat building with a good arcade style of golf play. My copy of this game will be available at a used game store soon.

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.

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.

Totally addicting!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I picked this up yesterday afternoon while on my way to work. I had some downtime at work and decided to give it a go for a few minutes. Well needless to say a few minutes turned into 2 hours! The story mode can be a little slow and tedious, however it's great to be able to customize your character. There are alot of great options to play and the graphics are pretty cool. If you have some experience playing Mario Golf for GameCube, you can move up on levels in this game pretty quickly. It's ALOT of fun and definately worthe the investment. I recommend this as one of the best golf game for GB Advance.

Excitement around every corner

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm an 11 year old how knows hardly anything about golf. This was the very first game I got for my Game boy and I love it! I stayed up untill 2 in the morning playing it!!! The first time you play, you get to choose between two characters ; a boy named Neil or a girl named Ella. Don't worry , you can change their namesto whatever you like! You belong to the Mario Club.You go to one of the four golf clubs, which are Mario , Dunes , Palms and Links and you can enter their tourney. You can do doubles with Neil or Ella , or singles , which is by yourself . If you get 1st , 2nd , or 3rd place , you get a trophey to keep in your room and you also get to enter another club's torney. After you win the Links you can choose to go to Peache's Castle and play the Mushroom course. This game goes on for a while , but it is one I'd highly recomend.

This game is awesome! Buy it now!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: July 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought Mario Golf Advance Tour recently and have had non-stop fun ever since! It has great graphics, so much to do (you won't get bored playing it) and it is very realistic.
I'm a golfer myself and even if you arn't you will have fun, maybey s much you will take up golf yourself.
There is a "story mode" where you compete, practice, and do other things to get these experince points you use to boost your lever so you can hit longer shots, have more hieght, more control, ect. You can even get new clubs! There are about 10 different courses, ranging from dunes to palms, marion to the short elfin course!
You can talk to people and get tips. You can go in tournemnts or play a "quick game" with lots of wacky things whenever!
A great perk is that you can play multiplayer without the other people (up to 4) having a gameboy themself. You just take turns on the one, very cool
There is so much more I haven't even mentioned about this so you just HAVE TO go buy it now and see for yourself!

Different

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game has been a lot of fun for me. It reminds me a lot of the old Hotshots games with the added bonus of tweakin your own golfer out. Another thing I like is the fact that you can unlock a whole lot more features by connecting to Toadstool Tourney on the Gamecube and you can play your character on that. Gain more bonus stuff on Mario Golf TT for Mario Golf AT like additional Golfers like Luigi, Waluigi, and Wario. Also Can get the rest of the Star Holes for the courses. Overall the game is fun and probably will be more fun with Mario Golf TT

review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Takes a little longer to start a game, and doesn't save a game simply by turning the system off, like the earlier version would.

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