I approached this game with little seriousness, remembering how I was the champion at [i]Mario Golf[/i] for Game Boy Color back in the day. This game had nothing on me, or so I thought. I expected a calm relaxing game of golf.
The game begins by asking whether you’re right handed or left handed, as you’ll be using the stylus as your virtual club. You then have to select an attitude (cool or wild), which seems to have no considerable impact on the game, although if you miss a long put a wild character will act a bit more passionate.
The modes of game play are in itself limited, even though I wasn’t expecting much from a golf game. There’s four modes altogether, including Stroke Play, Match Play, Free Round, and Championship. In stroke play, you play alone. In Match Play, you play against a computer. Free Round is simply a training mode where you can play the same course over and over again to sharpen whatever skills you feel you are lacking in. Championship mode is a tournament, in which you can win money to buy golf goods at the Club House. By the by, Match Play and Championship mode feel EXACTLY the same, with the exception of earning money. Unfortunately, each game play mode feels exactly like the other one, devoid of any emotion or feeling whatsoever. The only time I felt slightly exhilarated was when I scored an eagle in Championship mode.
[i]True Swing Golf[/i]’s unique feature is the ability to swing the golf club with the touch screen. Simply take the stylus and ride it up the touch screen to the golf ball, and you got yourself a swing. I also noticed that it measured how fast and powerful I hit the ball through how fast I whizzed across the touch screen, which is a nice addition. This also led to many, many, many anger outbursts, as I would totally whiff the ball on several occasions. In addition, while putting, there is a nice red tracking line, which at first seems very convenient. But I noticed that sometimes it would simply stop between the hole and my golfer. This added to the frustration, as I would have to “guesstimate” while putting.
Furthermore, since the DS is a portable system, I brought this game with me on the road for an hour drive to my grandparent’s house. Let’s just say, I highly do not recommend this game to be taken on the road. It requires a very high level of concentration along with a steady hand. I cannot imagine playing this game during a bus ride, as the controls require you to be very specific.
To be honest, the game does bring a novel idea to the table, but it ultimately doesn’t deliver. It is devoid of any real entertainment, even on those rainy days. However, if you are a golfer, and own a DS, this game may be for you. The 20 dollar price tag is a good bargain for this game, if you’re the type that watches golf on TV. The controls rely on you to have an understanding of golf before you play it. To the average gamer, this game scores a double bogey.
