Mario Golf

Last Updated: June 30th, 1999

System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Sports
Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: September 13th, 1999
ESRB rating: NR
Players: 1-4
Rumble Pak: Yes

Mario Golf is simple to pick up but has enough in the game to satisfy ardent golf fans.

• 10 playable Mario characters, with others hidden.
• A user-friendly play system, suitable for beginners but deep enough for golf fans.
• Cartooney, polygonal 3D graphics with lush greens and realistic courses.
• Dynamic camera angles.
• Features a unique new play mode, called Ring Shot.
• 64GB Pak compatible, meaning you can download characters to your Game Boy and develop them on the move.

All members of the familiar Mario posse are available to take to the greens, as you'd expect, numbering 10 different characters in all. At the outset, however, you can only choose either Mario or Luigi, but other characters from the series make appearances off the ball. Expect everyone's favorite princess in peril, Bowser, and of course Mario's green dinosaur ride, Yoshi, to make appearances as well. The hidden characters can be unlocked by successfully completing stroke-play, tournament and combat play modes.

According to Nintendo, special attention has been paid to creating a totally realistic and immersive experience, including accurate ball flight, motion on the ground and the pitch and roll of the courses themselves. Play modes include the regular round, a one-round time-attack and a versus mode with handicapping. In addition to a fun battle mode, there is also a completely original golf mode called Ring Shot -- shooting at targets, perhaps?

There are six different courses, totaling 108 holes and, no doubt, a shed-load of hidden extras for you to discover. The course designs are directly based on the different worlds in the Mario series, and Nintendo even took a little something from Legend of Zelda and added it to the game: changing daylight conditions.

Anyone who has played Hot Shots Golf on the PlayStation can attest to the fact that it can be a lot of fun, even for gamers who don't really care about golf. With Nintendo's lovable characters and tons of hidden goodies, Mario Golf is sure to please. As part of the promotion for the Japanese release of the game, Nintendo is holding a professional golf tournament in Japan called the "Super Mario Yomiuri Golf Tournament" from June 17-20 at the Yomiuri Country Club in Japan. Mario wielding his clubs will feature prominently on all the promo material, of course.

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