Super Swing Golf (Wii) Review

Despite sharing the same anime-inspired visuals, Super Swing Golf actually has very little in common with its spiritual predecessor, PangYa - an online-focused golf sim from Korea. The two titles primarily diverge in one key area: online play. The lack of online multiplayer in Golf With Style was mostly accepted as a by-product of the game being developed for release during the Wii's launch window, but the same cannot be said for its sequel. The omission of online functionality is certainly an odd design choice given the series' roots, and it's a kick in the teeth for owners of the first game looking for a more complete follow-up, but it doesn't cripple the game enough to write it off completely.

We're getting ahead of ourselves, though. Let's step back and take a look at the game's core gameplay mechanics. Swinging and putting, the heart of any golf game, are handled in much the same way they are in Wii Sports and later Wii titles. By default, players can use the Wii Remote to imitate a real-life golf swing and control power, tilt and accuracy by carefully manipulating the speed and rotation at which they swing, and whether or not they follow through properly. Doing this is generally a rewarding process, but it's not without its shortcomings. First up is the entirely unintuitive putting system, which decorates the green with a series of dots to represent the slope of that particular area. Even with the manual's help it's a confusing system and we can't imagine it will aid most players. Beyond the game's inability to accurately recognise player's movements one hundred percent of the time, there is also a rather steep learning curve to overcome before anyone can truly master the controls.

Thankfully, Tecmo provides a solution for this problem: the Lucky Club. Available from the get-go, this club allows players to achieve a perfectly accurate shot without having to worry about their technique. It's a smart idea for a game with so much casual potential, and it's completely optional for more advanced players who prefer the advantages (such as increased power) of other clubs. Arguably Tecmo's smartest move, however, was its decision to include a functional button-only control scheme for those that simply don't have the desire (or living space) to stand around swinging their arms about. While one might argue that not doing such things entirely removes the point of playing a golf game on the Wii, at least the option is there for those that want it.

On the single-player side of things Super Swing offers the usual Vs. CPU and Practise modes as well as an extensive Tour Mode in which players must navigate an overworld consisting of numerous golf encounters with other characters. It's a surprisingly satisfying experience, even if the 'plot' that supposedly ties it together is little more than a series of uninteresting character interactions and nonsensical occurrences. Multiplayer options are also quite robust. In addition to the standard Stroke Play and Match Play options, players can choose from a selection of mini-game-esque modes that put a unique spin on the golfing concepts described earlier. Darts, for example, challenges players to hit the ball onto a certain position on an over-sized dart board. It's all good fun, and most of the modes allow multiple players to share the same Wii Remote, which can come in handy.

While working through Super Swing Golf, players are awarded Pang Points, the game's currency, for impressive demonstrations of skill. These can then be used in the Clubhouse to purchase new costumes, golf (or 'Mystical Phoenix') balls to use in-game, caddies to assist on the course, items that offer special bonuses, and a variety of clubs with their own Power, Control and Spin ratings. Amusingly, a number of these clubs are actually household objects - baseball bats, and the like - rather than golf clubs. Additional characters, including Ryu Hayabusa of the Ninja Gaiden series and Mocchi of the Monster Rancher series, can also be unlocked by attaining a certain number of coins or by completing certain objectives. Chuck in the ability to upgrade equipment and you've got a veritable boatload of unlockable content to provide an incentive for continued play.