PGA European Tour
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Infogrames Developer: Infogrames Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports (Golf)
Graphics & Sound: Long, long time ago, someone said that "looks aren't everything." This quotation definitely does not apply to PGA European Tour at all. From hitting the power switch, I was immediately not at all impressed with the graphics or animation of this game. I've played other golf games for Nintendo before, but what this lacked was definition to detail. I think that part of the problem was that Infogrames spent a little too much time working on the animation for the characters, and not enough on the courses themselves. At times, I couldn’t even see where the pin was on the green. Also, the sounds in this game are nothing spectacular. You will have occasional woodpecker noises or a loon call here or there, and that’s ok. The music at the beginning is catchy, and it fits the feel of the game. But you cannot get through a round of golf without hating the announcer at some point. His calls are never consistent, and he is always willing to put you down if you have a bad shot. I finally turned him off because I went into a state of depression. Plus, where is the crowd cheering me on? I need motivation!
Gameplay: Do you ever get frustrated playing real golf? Well, PGA European Tour copies that immensely. There is never a time where you can't make a better shot, which is true in real life. I really like that you can choose between 50 different REAL PGA European golfers. And the best part, no one golfer is that much better than the other. My theory is, unless Tiger Woods joins the European tour, any of these golfers have a chance. One point of notice: If you are looking to crush the ball off the tee, keep looking. The European tour is not about long balls, but more about precision. The longest drive I have seen has been 366, but on average, I would say I hit about a 290. Nintendo also did a good job in copying the difficulty in the courses themselves. The rough is thicker, the weather is a factor, and your balls will fly off the green if you are not careful. Another thing I enjoyed was that you have several different modes to play in. You can play a normal round of golf against someone else, or you can start a career where you create your own golfer. You can also play a skins game, where you can either go one-on-one, or play in a doubles match with a friend or the computer. With all these different modes, you can never get bored.
Difficulty: Anybody that ever tells you that golf is easy is lying. This goes the same for European Tour. Is it possible to beat the computer? Yes. Is it possible to lose to the computer? Yes. Like I said earlier, you won't ever have the "perfect shot" in PGA European Tour. You will always have to be conscious of the rough and of the hard greens. But in case you are consistently winning, you can always move between the levels of amateur, competition, and professional. I did find that putting was a little easy at times. For example, I putted from the sand bunker a couple of times and made it. But that is where the different levels come in to play.
Game Mechanics: I felt very comfortable with the controller throughout this game. PGA European Tour's nicest feature is that it is so easy to control. You have a few different ways to hit the ball, such as a 3-click swing, 2-click swing, or the manual hitting of the 'x' or 'y swing' (this is for you advanced players). Plus, it’s easy to change your clubs or direction of the ball with the click of the button or the move of the joystick. At first, I was not overly impressed with PGA European Tour. But once I started playing a little more, whether it was with friends, or playing on the tour, I have now found myself addicted to this game.
-Red Dawg, GameVortex Communications AKA Alex Redmann
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