| Minna No Golf Portable review |
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With its popularity in Japan and the tradition of handheld systems playing host to a number of golf titles it came as little surprise to see the quirky, light-hearted Minna no Golf (Everybody’s Golf) receive an early outing on the PSP. From the moment the game loads, it’s clear from the presentation that the developer, Clap Hanz, has tried hard to fill the ‘fun golfing’ slot. The customary super-deformed characters; the bright, themed courses filled with Windmills and Japanese Pagodas, through to the quirky animations as putts are successfully completed for an eagle or a ‘sure thing’ is fluffed, the game begs not to be taken not too seriously.
Just beneath the surface, however, noticeable in the physics of the ball and the plethora of available shot options, its easy to see that Clap Hanz have given gamers the tools to play as serious a round of golf as most available on the market.
Hitting a ball is a routine exercise, with a click of a button to start, one to set the power and once more for accuracy. Judging the shot and successfully targeting the sweet spot is tough, though, and veering either side will result in hook or slice being applied. Allowing the club to miss the sweet spot for added hook or slice results in a drastic loss in power, and those newer to the game may find themselves becoming well acquainted with the many bunkers and roughs surrounding the course. Spin, along with the harder-to-execute super spin, can also be added to the flight of the ball for draw, fade, top and back spin. Power boosts, available in limited supply, are great for those wishing for longer drives down the fairway, remembering that all-out power doesn’t always win the day. More cautious players can simply follow the direction and club choices given by the caddie (though her occasional audible comments will be lost to anyone without a keen ear for Japanese) but it’s always worth investigating other options. Taking different routes to the hole than that advised often leaves players in a better position on approach to the green.
Putting, though helped by the developer’s implementation of a grid on the greens, can prove a frustration. The system attempts to provide the player all the help that’s needed, and rarely will a missed short putt truly feel out of the player’s hands. But, it's on the longer putts where the grid’s accuracy begins to falter. Decoding the curves and contours of the green is a tough challenge and one that requires a little luck in order to triumph. Further aids are provided through the reverse camera angles and the options to ‘hide’ the golfer in order to gain a better view to the hole. Putting however, is still the toughest challenge of the game.
Thankfully, the nine hole putting challenge allows players to practice in a competitive and fun environment. Played directly from a green, players choose which of the several holes on offer to aim for. Due to distance and the lie of the green and with only one attempt available, some are easier than others, with reward points to match. Successful completion of a round earns more unlockable items and points for levelling up characters, all the while honing the putting skills of a champion. In a neat touch, just as in the other modes of play, the greatest shots are saved to a VR gallery for later viewing.
But the presentation isn’t all good. For all the fun of seeing the ball from differing replay angles, through to the player celebrations and tantrums, the repertoire is far too limited and will soon have players pounding buttons in order to skip these sequences. The music, too, is standard Everybody’s Golf fare, with the traditional upbeat elevator music floating across the fairways. Bland without a doubt, but it’s the lack of variety that is most likely to prove the annoyance. Sound effects too are lacking, with the range of clubs delivering seemingly little in the way of audio variation. A typical round, accompanied by howling wind, the tweet of bird song and the grating locust effects seem somehow tinged with a light-hearted tint, all attempting (with mixed success) to add to the complete cartoon-like package. Graphically the game has its faults: the camera control implemented by the analogue ‘nub’ is largely worthless and there is texture swapping that creates the feel of a patchwork golf course. Although visual quality is perhaps closer to PS1 than PS2 standards, these frailties do little to hamper the gameplay in any meaningful way.
The PSP’s use of UMD discs, much criticised already, provide some of the down sides in this outing. Importers will find trawling through the labyrinth of menus a task arduous enough already due to a lack of any English options, but the load times between menus certainly do little to help. More delays greet players before the start of a round, too. Thankfully, from tee-off the game shows little sign of slowing with few hold-ups through a full eighteen-hole course. Whether these loading problems are eradicated in later PSP releases waits to be seen but, for now, it’s a minor annoyance.
With many modes of play on offer, it’s challenge play that provides the heart and soul of the game. With a host of challenges (either one-on-one or against a host of anonymous opponents) to complete, success is rewarded with an almost endless supply of unlockable items. Depending on a player’s free time and dedication, Clap Hanz could be commended or berated for the Challenge Play mode. Though it guarantees tens of hours of play for any gamer that wishes to make all the courses available, the obstacles are comprised of an almost endless barrage of challenges that must be faced. Often with no more than colourful outfits, backpacks and even facemasks as a reward, it can be a gruelling task. Characters’ various skill levels will power up too, though it’s hard to see the benefit in-game for quite some time. Clubs and balls too become available, though equipping them is a double-edged sword. For the four or five points they may increase a particular skill by, they will likely deplete ten or more combined points from the character’s other assets.
Overall, this can be a frustration, especially once gamers realise this fact by seeing just how inaccessible some of the later courses can be. While South Alps, the only course available from the start with its wide fairways and few obstacles, is a great introduction to the game, and though the Momijizaka and Olive Coast courses begin to test the player in different ways it’s all in line with a user-friendly learning curve. In a tradition that harks back to the series’ first release, the later courses (heavily themed and full of obstacles in the shape of palm trees, volcanoes and gale-force winds), the game starts to distance itself from realism and shows its arcade leanings. Leaving characters fully equipped and players’ skills honed, facing little more than extended crazy golf obstacle courses, is something of a disappointment. Fortunately, wi-fi mode allows players the chance to show off these hard fought skills and outfit combinations in up to eight player tournaments; a pity though that no multi-player mode is available using a single PSP. Added to the lack of any competitors in single player mode Minna No Golf can be a somewhat solitary experience.
“Golf is a good walk spoiled”, according to Mark Twain, but if he’d lived in the 21st century of late running trains, country-hopping flights for business meetings and congestion-hit buses you have to wonder if he would have been happy enough whiling-away the minutes and hours playing the courses of Minna No Golf on Sony’s new handheld. |
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System: Sony PlayStation Portable
Genre: Sport
Developer: Clap Hanz
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Players: 1-8
Version: Japan
Reviewed: Jan 2005
Writer: Gareth C
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Pros:
- Easy to pick-up but tough to master
- 30+ hours of play for the patient
- Realistic physics behind the cartoon facade
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Cons:
- Daunting all Japanese game, though FAQs available
- No non wi-fi multi-play
- Takes an age to unlock the good items
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