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Jarrod's Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Review
From the moment you turn on this game you know its good. Just watch the
opening. It is so hilarious you'll be laughing as hard as you did when
you played Conker's Bad Fur Day. It mainly features all the games
characters coming together for a round of golf with the Wario brothers
hilarious attempts to beat them. The visuals of this game are fantastic.
Each character looks terrific as do the courses. The characters are
detailed, move with fluid animation and have his or her own animation for
birdies, pars, and bogies which represent them nicely. DK looks great and
finally....Diddy in a cameo game! DK is no longer the oddball out as
Diddy looks fantastic and fits right in with the well known Mario cast.
DK and Diddy's character models would be perfect for a future platform
game. The characters also have a characterized effect for their max power
shots off of the tee, such as Yoshi's rainbow, Mario's fire, and Wario's
lightning. Mario and Friends have never looked better. The courses are
also a marvel to look at. DK's course is only a 9 Hole Par 3 course but
it is a start and a good sign that Nintendo will treat the DK franchise
well. It features DK barrels and his Jungle Tree House. Great effects are
abound in this game such as detailed individual blades of grass,
reflections on the water, and realistic wind. It all adds to the realism
of this golf sim. The water effects for the game are some of the best yet
seen on the Gamecube. The graphics are truly great.
9.0
The music is very charming. Each specific course has its own music and
its very catchy ranging from normal golfing tunes to Mario 64 remixes in
the later courses. However, where the games sound really shines is in the
sound effects department. The golfing sound effects, such as clubs
swinging and balls hitting the ground sound just as they do in real life.
The character voices are superb. Each character sounds unique and has 8
specific phrases that they can taunt or support there opponents with.
They all sound nicely. Its also a BIG plus to finally have DK with his
DK64 voice instead of the usual generic monkey chatter voice used in all
other previous cameo games. Same goes for Diddy. As for the other
characters voices, well Daisy sounds the best. She has a teenage dunce
blonde voice which just sounds great. Characters such as Koopa Troopa,
Yoshi, and Birdo sound like the weird little animals they are and Wario
and Walugi's phrases will get you smiling every time.
8.5
It takes a bit of practice to figure out what all the buttons do but by
your 5th whole or so you'll be putting errr..... puting even Tiger Woods
to shame thanks to Camelot's great control scheme. For beginners you can
have the game automatically finish your swing for you. For other gamers
who want more control of their shot, whether it be slicing, hooking, or
adding a spin to the ball, you can do a manual swing. The manual swing
mode is very easily mastered by tapping the B button then by entering a
specific A or B button press to add a spin to the ball. For more help on
the controls and general gist of the game there is an in game tutorial
that is very thorough and helpful for those that need it. The games
multiplayer is awesome. Grab a bunch of friends and go for a round of
golf and you'll have a heck of a time. Have four friends but only one
controller? No problem. A four player game is still playable with one
controller while taking turns. Almost all of the games play modes are
playable multiplayer. Mario and Friends never fail on the multiplayer
aspect. The game does however have some slight camera control problems
when trying to see where your ball will land and also when putting. This
problem though does not detract from the overall game.
9.0
Sequel to the N64 Mario Golf, Toadstool Tour adds some new features and
then some to the game. The game features many play modes including
Training, Tournament, Character Match, Stroke Play, Doubles, Ring Attack,
Club Slots, Coin Attack, Speed Golf, Near Pin, and various Side Games.
Some of those new, some return from the first game. Sadly a miniature
golf mode is missing from this game but lets hope it returns in Mario's
next golf outing. Unlike the 64 version which featured only realistic
courses, Toadstool Tour features Mario themed fantasy courses. These
levels feature warp pipes (hit the ball into them and they come out of
another one), Mario type obstacles (lava, thwomps, bombs, chomps, and
others) and nice touches from past Mario games (hills from Super Mario
World and Peach's Castle from Mario 64). Also new to this game is the
chance to get a "star" character. These star characters are obtained by
challenging a character to a match and if defeated you unlock a more
powerful version of that character. As for the characters, all of the
main guys are playable at the start unlike in Mario Golf 64 in which you
had to unlock them. Also the new characters, such as Diddy, help add to
this marvelous game.
8.5
Overall this game gives the goods that you would expect from a cameo game
and then some. It is a great, great addition to the DKU and is one of the
best cameo games if not the best around. Graphics, Sound, and Play
Control all deliver to add for one satisfying experience. Camelot has
done a superb job with this game. Wondering if you should buy or rent
first? Well if you have money, or your parents buy you games just
whenever, then definitely go out and buy this game. I cannot stress how
much you wont be disappointed. If money is tight then this is a definite
must rent game. With that said, "Four!!!"
9.5
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