Links 2004

The Links franchise has been hugely successful on PC for many years now. How will this Xbox Live enabled game fair when moving over to a console and can it compete with the all conquering EA Sports Tiger Woods?

Golf. It's a niche genre within video gaming for sure. There is no high-speed action, which is the hallmark of most video games. (Unless you count Ninja Golf on the Atari 7800.) When played multiplayer, gamers are actually playing the course and not each other directly. This has caused many video gamers to eschew golf video games and look askance at anyone who says they really like golf video games. Well, after playing Links 2004 by Microsoft's XSN Sports, I have to say I actually like this golf video game a lot.

This is the Links franchise's first outing on the Xbox, though it has enjoyed over a decade of success on the PC. Microsoft really pulled out all the stops to make its inaugural Xbox incarnation fully featured. Live, Link and custom soundtracks are all supported.

Control is outstanding. Golf video games are about precise control of all aspects of striking the ball so it will travel where you want it to under any terrain or wind conditions. Links 2004 could not be much better at delivering that precise control. Often these games fail because they tie control to hitting a button at a precise moment while watching a rapidly moving power meter. Way too arcade-like for golf. In Links 2004, the basic swing is performed by pulling back on the left analog stick until the desired power is reached and then pushing the stick forward to swing and follow through. The right analog stick imparts spin through what the game calls the Spin Control Gizmo. Basic pre-swing controls include a combination of the B button with the left analog stick that allows the player to select the type of shot he wishes to make (straight, putt, blast, flop, punch or chip) and the A button which displays the aiming marker while the D-pad moves it. The remainder of the buttons handles such tasks as club selection, taking a drop, camera control, etc. A good hour with the controls is all you'll need to be playing like a pro.

Modes of play include: Single Session, just a quick round of golf; Career, golf tours at the rookie, pro, champion, medal and legend levels; Challenges, a series of challenges that allow the player to hone his golf skills; and Multiplayer, which includes a full complement of Live and System Link options. Modes support several of the various rules of golf. These include Stroke, Match, Skins, Nassau and Stableford as well as the Bestball and Alt Shot team-play variations of these rule sets.

Players may use licensed golfers in their games or build their own character and then use money earned in play to upgrade skills and acquire equipment as new items are unlocked.

I reviewed this game on a rainy, cold winter day. The trip the game took me on to sunny deserts and lush countryside lands was a welcome break. The graphics put you in the game well and do a good job of immersing the player. Golfer animation is very smooth and lifelike. The courses, of which there are four initially available and five more to unlock, are all quite detailed. Once the ball is hit, a very nice animation of the ball's flight takes over and follows the ball to its landing spot. If you get impatient, holding the A button puts the flight into fast-forward.

Sound adds immensely to the enjoyment of this game. The commentary is entertaining and usually very helpful. Now and again, you get the obvious stated as if it was great wisdom, but overall the commentary team does a really good call. Crowd noises and other ambient sounds, such as birdcalls, are spot on and add greatly to the feel of being there.

For me, watching golf is an activity that might best be used as a punishment in one of the lower circles of hell. Actually whacking a small white ball and then running after it only to whack it away again may be one of the dumbest activities I could possibly engage in on a nice, sunny day. But Links 2004 on the Xbox is pure relaxation for the video gamer. No high-pressure, adrenaline-soaked gaming here, just the pure satisfaction of a perfectly executed swing and the resulting well-placed plop of the ball on the green. It was a major surprise to like this game so much. (I must be getting old.). A definite 10 on the Will Hill grin-o-meter. Pick it up, lose the burn and feel the Zen-like calm.