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Nintendo's excellent series continues

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 27
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The original Nintendo "Golf" for the NES was one of the first golf games that I actually found interesting, and NES Open and Mario Golf 64 remain two of my all-time favorite games, so Toadstool Tour has a lot to live up to.

Unfortunately, it has a couple of flaws (unlike Mario Golf 64), but not enough to detract from the absolutely unlimited play value.

First the bad. If you are trying to aim and there's a tree or another obstacle in front of you, it won't let you see where the ball would land were the obstacle not there. You have to mess around endlessly to put the aiming grid where you want it. Also, the top view is much harder to aim with than it was in Golf 64. The aiming on the green is not bad using the C-stick but it's *very* sensitive so it takes some getting used to.

Also, when you putt, sometimes the camera lingers on your player instead of showing you the ball... you have to rely on the sound to know if you made the shot or not.

Everything else improves on Mario Golf 64, with (eventually) six courses of amazing hilly terrain and water effects, new "fast fairways" (that you don't always want to land on) and easy-to-implement backspin and topspin. (I love how the spinning ball burns a streak in the fairway). The ring shot, speed golf and club slots are back, along with a par-3 contest and a slew of excellent mini-games.

The play is very goal-oriented, and outside the tournaments, the other players "invite" you to play them one by one... when you beat them, you increase their maximum drive - a nice touch. You can earn more characters by defeating the mini-games and collecting birdie badges as in the N64 version.

The new characters, including Boo, Petey Pirahna, Baby Bowser and Birdo, are welcome, and they all have great animations, including one that's a little shocking but funny... Petey Pirahna vomits a huge puddle on the green when he gets a bogey.

This version also has much more room to save your best shots (like holes-in-one), and you can "lock" your favorite ones so they don't get automatically erased as they do in Golf 64.

One thing I wish the newer games would take from NES Open is the cash collection mode. In NES Open, you won cash for placing in tournaments and for winning long drive contests, etc., which you could deposit and save in a bank. It was fun seeing how much you could get. You could also name all 40 of the other players in the tournament. I used to play tourneys with all my favorite video game characters.

But in itself, this is an outstanding game.

Nintendo Still Knows How to Have Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's been a while since I've played a video game that's this downright fun, something which is all to often overlooked in modern games. I'm by no means an avid golfer (I play Chip n' Putt about twice a year), and frankly that doesn't matter. The instructions give a great introduction to the game of golf for the uninitiated, and there are a ton of tutorial modes within the game for hands-on learners; even without the manual, you can be shooting par on the easy courses in half an hour.
There are a whole bunch of great modes to play in "Toadstool Tour" - aside from the standard Tournament, Stroke Play, and One-on-one modes (all of which reward your efforts with new extras and other goodies), there are quite a few fun extras, like a mode where you shoot through rings, a time attack mode, doubles (doubles? in golf?), and a few others. Best of all, almost every mode in the game can be played with up to four people with a single controller! The different modes and extras (including 16 playable characters, each with a "Star", or improved version, and unlockable courses) should keep you playing for a long time on their own, the game has a very satisfying feel which will give you that "one more hole" feeling for hours on end, and the multiplayer experience is top-notch and varied.
This game shines technically, too. The graphics, while they may look simplistic or flat in screenshots, do not do the game justice. It's a very clean looking game with a great variety of colors and locales, and while the courses have a very realistic look and feel (the water, in particular, is great), they blend surprisingly well with all of your favorite Nintendo characters, who retain their cartoony proportions. There are also some great little 'special effects' touches, such as the fire effect produced by a ball rolling with spin, and some really good camera angles and course fly-bys. Sound effects and little mini-voiceovers are all here and sounding great, but the music is just standard background fare except when there's a tense moment, where old-schoolers will recognize some themes from the original Super Mario Brothers.
Overall, this game is wonderfully polished, and, more importantly, an absolute blast to play. It'll keep you entertained for a very, very long time. I strongly recommend that anyone with access to a Gamecube give this a try. Regardless of your views on golf, you're sure to have a good time!

Perfect for relaxing with friends

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: September 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Mario Golf provides a nice break from the frenetic, white-knuckled stress of many multiplayer video games. Yet, despite its slow pace and lack of explosions or gunfire, it's far from boring. My roommate and I have logged many, many hours playing golf (not to mention an unbelievable amount of time already invested in the Nintendo 64 version) and Mario Golf simply doesn't get old.

Nintendo has improved on the sort of basic golf simulation video game by using not just its proprietary characters, which are entertaining, but by using some creativity in course design. The courses are varied enough to keep the game fresh, and the graphics are nothing short of remarkable. The character art looks great, but the truth is in the details: the trees in the background, and even the grass on the course, look fantastic.

Most of all, though, the game is FUN. The addition of an "automatic" two-tap system means that even your non-gaming buddies can pick up a controller and play along immediately. And the reviewer who complained that he beat the game in four hours obviously didn't spend hours playing the many side and bonus games which allow you to unlock additional characters and to improve the ones that are initially available.

Finally, the game promises some exciting connectivity with the Game Boy Advance, which is great news for those who own both systems.

Best....Golf....Game....Ever!!!(well, almost)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: August 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This really is a great golf. I think that the only golf game that could top this is Mario Golf for Game Boy Color. Well, heres my mini review:

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Many improvements over the N64 original, including new characters, new modes, and a new swinging system, which, i might add, works very well. One of my few complaints is that the AI can sometimes get pretty cheap, but other than that its okay.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Very colorful and crisp, but can sometimes get a little blocky.

Characters and environments look very nice.

Sound: 10/10
Character voices are good and well toned, and the music is as catchy as ever.

Overall: 9.5/10
A very, very nice improvement over the original that will keep you playing for hours upon hours for the secret characters, star characters, courses, and modes.

SPOILER ALERT!!!: The four secret characters are Boo, Shadow Mario(from Mario Sunshine), Bowser Jr.(from Mario Sunshine), and Petey Piranha(also from Mario Sunshine).

Disappointing But Still Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: August 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This title is disappointing, but still good. If you only are going to get one golf game, this one is adequate. However, it has nothing special over the other (high resolution) competition. Sometimes having the default to automatic can make it more enjoyable for beginners, but it becomes boring. The ability to have more control does beat the competition, so it keeps the rating up.

A great golfing game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: July 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After playing mario golf, i would like to say it is a great game. New graphics more characters and easier controling, gives anybody, of any age to play this game. Unlike mario golf 64, which had complaints about it's impossible controling, the desiginers at Camelot have made a new control style. All those vetran players can still use the same controlling from mario golf 64, and amatures can play the game to its fullest with easy controlling. Graphics: The graphics in this game are top notch and show gamecubes power.Sound: This game still has realistic golf noises and voice acting. control: new improved controls, to help novice players.overall: a ... lot of mario golf fun

Camelot Does It Again!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I must say, when I decided to get this game, I wasn't sure I would like it much, but I very much liked Mario Tennis, also by Camelot, so I thought I would give Mario Golf a try.

This game is great fun to play and has that simple, pick-up and play game controls that you often get on the Gamecube. It took me a little time to figure out the more advance controls, such as topspin or slicing the ball, but it really isn't too complicated.

I think this game has a perfect balance of difficulty. The tournaments start out fairly easy, allowing you to get used to the game and how the ball bounces, and then steadily get more difficult.

One of the most impressive features, I thought, was that the game is chock full of many different things to do on the side, such as Hole-In-One mode, practice modes featuring specific kinds of shots, Ring Mode where you hit the ball through rings, Slot Mode where you can only use certain clubs, Character Matches where you can unlock special star versions of each character by beating them in a tournament, and much more! There's even secret tournaments and several unlockable characters to find.

If there is one particular flaw in this game, I would say that the putting really annoys me. The putting, in my opinion, is not forgiving enough. I have had scores of putts that stop just inches from the hole when they should go in. Putting is definately the most difficult part of this game to master.

So, if you like casual, fun golf games, or are a fan of the Mario sports games, then this game is definately one you should check out. Mario Golf is only available for the Gamecube, but well worth the money if you have one.

I love this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Mario Golf is a great game for those who are horrible at real golf, but are good at video games. I found that it was hard at times even though i have been playing video games for over 10 years. There are so many different challeges, courses, and secret characters to unlock, that you can never get bored of it! A must buy.

Stick With The Original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a good game, but MG64 just had everything better... ranging from music and courses, to characters and play modes. This game doesnt even have putt putt courses. (I was very dissapointed). Some of the courses look outstanding, but they just dont measure up to ones on MG64 that were pictures of various nintendo characters. Also, I dont know if anyone else noticed this, but the putting in this game is much more touchy. You have to really be careful about how you put, and how much force you put into it. But hey, if you liked the first one, you wont mind this one.

A Solid Golf Game With An Emphasis on Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed this game. Despite having owned it for over 2 years we still regularly play matches on what have become almost memorized courses.

This game was a follow-up for a very successful first version which was released for the Nintendo 64 about 5 years ago. You choose a member of the Mario series cast of characters, each having different strengths and weaknesses, and then play on one of the many courses which will open up for you as you continue to play the game. Not only are courses unlockable, but different playstyles, new characters, a "star" ability which allows a character to hit further, and other types of games.

Gameplay: Very solid and intuitive. The heads up display provides a wealth of information.

Graphics: The graphics are similar to the cartoony 3-d style that make up most of the Mario series of games. The courses themselves are richly detailed and provide an easy way to tell heigth and depth. Very easy on the eye.

Sound: Many of the sounds you hear from other Mario games are present. Each character has a series of taunts which you can use to unnerve an opponent. The music is low key and provides good background.

Replayability: This game has drawn me back again and again for the past 2 years. That says enough.

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