Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

M is for the many reasons you should play it
A is for the awesome, Mario-themed golf courses
R is for the rockin' soundtrack
I is for this game's intuitive controls
O represents how this is the only golf game you need

G is for the great graphics
O is for the many times you'll say "oh no!" when learning to play
L is for longevity
F is for food, which you may forego in order to keep playing

Up until now, I barely took an interest in golf games.  I can't even remember playing a golf game outside of the ones developed strictly for the arcade market.  You aim your club, press a button and hope the ball goes into the hole.  What's exciting about that?  Why would I bother wasting my time with something like that when I could be playing a real sports game, like Madden 2003?  That was the crazy logic I used and thus avoided all golf games.

Then Nintendo announced that they would be bringing an updated version of Mario Golf to the GameCube.  I had played and enjoyed Mario Tennis for Nintendo 64, but never touched Mario Golf for the reasons mentioned above.  However, Nintendo doesn't usually revive games that aren't worth reviving.  So I thought I'd give this one a shot.  Worst-case scenario: it isn't fun and I stop playing.

One hour later and my view of golf games completely changed.  Just because the arcade games of yesterday stunk didn't prevent Nintendo from creating what could be their best sports title yet.  It's long, it's very engrossing and -- to my surprise -- extremely exciting.  What, exciting?  A golf game?  Yes, a golf game.  But not just any golf game.  This one.

There are so many options and so many mini-games that Mario Golf comes across as being overwhelming at first.  Once you get the hang of the game and fully understand how to play, all of those overwhelmed feelings you had become a blessing.

At the core of Mario Golf's greatness is its gameplay.  Ridiculously addictive and heavily polished, Mario Golf combines all of basic elements of golf and makes them fun.  Despite not being a simulator, there is still quite a bit of depth here.  I knew very little about golf going into this game, but I did know that you couldn't just use one club for every shot.  However, I assumed that to make things easier Nintendo would do away with such a complex element.  I was wrong.  There are more than a dozen clubs in this game, ranging from woods (1W, 3W and 4W) to wedges (AW and SW) and irons (3I through 9I).

This wide range of clubs is one of the most important factors of the game.  Mario Golf will automatically select one for you to use, but more often than not it is the wrong one for that particular shot.  Or if it's not the wrong one, it'll be aimed too far ahead or too far back.  You must learn to predict where the ball will land based on the easy-to-read simulation line and make assumptions as to what will happen if you screw up.

Your swing power depends on how good you are at timing your button taps.  A bar at the bottom of the screen shows your power (the left side being the strongest, making the right side the weakest).  You press the A button once to start the power and press it again to set it.  Your golfer will then take his or her swing.  For better results, you may want to try and hit the ball manually.  To do that, you start the power meter by pressing A but this time press B to set the power.  As the meter returns to what the booklet refers to as the "sweet spot" (the point on the far right where your spin is determined), press the indicated button combination.  This doesn't increase your performance high enough to make it worth doing while learning, but after you've mastered the automatic swings, switching to manual could give you an edge.

If Mario Golf sounds difficult, you're not alone.  This seemingly complex gameplay was killing me.  The computer-controlled characters always had a four-point or more lead!  The training mode alleviated this problem.  In it, you have the option to practice on every unlocked course over and over again.  If your first swing is great, but the second one sends the ball flying into the water, just re-do the second one until you get it right.  Less than 60 minutes of training turned me into a good enough player to beat the first two tournaments without breaking a sweat.

Beyond the main single-player mode there are a few mini- and side-games.  Two of the more impressive ones are Coin Attack and Ring Attack, the former of which requires you to collect the most amount of coins in two swings.  Contrary to popular belief, Ring Attack has nothing to do with Peter Jackson's phenomenal film adaption of The Lord of the Rings.  In that mini-game, you must hit the ball through however many rings are on the course and then sink it.  Both are fun diversions and give you something else to do when the tournament mode is complete.

Mario Golf is another must-play release from Nintendo.  For most it's a must-buy, but I'm sure there are at least a few gamers out there who just won't get it (mainly ones who don't have any patience).  Not that this game requires you to be patient, but there is a learning curve involved and that takes time.  Buyers of this game will be quickly rewarded with a great single- and multi-player experience.

Gameplay: 9
People who don't own a GameCube would be green with envy if they knew how good this game is.  Believe me when I say I never thought the day would come when I'd say this about a golf game, but Mario Golf is exciting.  The anticipation of each swing really helps to build the excitement.  Everything is so well crafted that you'll wish Nintendo would take their talents and apply them to other sports, like football and hockey.

Graphics: 8
This isn't the most realistic game, but the graphics are very colorful and rarely disappoint.  The character designs are the best yet -- although Mario's design was supposedly taken directly from Mario Sunshine, to me it looks better.  Seeing a Birdo and a Koopa Troopa in 3D made me think of the good old days when those characters were actually used in Mario games.  It's great to see the cast back together again.

The course designs, both physically and visually, are great.  Just wait to you see all of the little Mario nuances.  Should I spoil them for you?  Well, I guess I can reveal what's shown on the box -- an awesome course with warp pipes and giant mushrooms!  Talk about a nostalgic moment.

Sound: 7.9
This game has a really good soundtrack, but none of the songs appear to be new (as far as I can tell they're all classic tunes that have appeared in at least one Mario game), and you hear them repeatedly.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5
As if the gameplay wasn't enough, check out those Mushroom Kingdom courses!  It's like golfing in a 3D version of the original Super Mario Bros.

Multiplayer: 9
This is a grand occasion.  Rarely do gamers get the chance to play a game that has a multiplayer mode that is as good as its solo gameplay.  You'll have fun, sleepless nights unlocking all of the courses (and other secrets I probably shouldn't tell you about), and then have a multiplayer marathon with family and friends.  This is also a great game for tournaments, whether done at a local game event for prizes, or among you and your friends just for fun.

Overall: 9
Mario Golf is on par with some of Nintendo's best titles.  It's the best multiplayer game I've played in months, and might just have more replay value inside it than the super-addictive Super Monkey Ball.  GameCube owners have an exclusive title on their hands that is so good, it actually made me think about playing other golf games!  Prior to Mario Golf, this genre sparked no interest in me whatsoever.  But it only takes one great game to turn things around and Nintendo has done just that.  Buy it.