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International Golf Pro

Score: 6.8 / 10

Governments all over the world are attributing causes of obesity to fast food, smoking and lack of exercise.  One solution to this problem is to stop turning outside activities into computer games – is it really any wonder no-one goes out to play golf if they can switch on their PS2 and have a game?   However, if someone came to snatch my PS2 they may require surgery to remove several blunt objects.

The latest joint offering from Oxygen Interactive and Aqua Pacific, International Golf Pro, has a lot to achieve in a tired and over-rated genre.  The sporting games of late have been thin on the ground and largely of poor quality – which made this addition to the clan fresh, creative and innovative.  I I must confess that I am not a golfing fan, but this game makes a dullish and relatively uninviting sport attractive.

The first note worthy aspect of the game is the graphics; the landscapes are beautifully formed, meticulous attention has been paid to the grass and the trees and how they appear in different lighting.  The sky is an impeccable and exemplary example of how rendered graphics and animations should be on platforms this powerful; smooth, accurate and at times dramatic.  I personally haven’t encountered sky rendered animation this impressive since the grandeur of the sky seen in Grand Theft Auto.  The weather affects the terrain, as you would expect it to, and produces realistic reactions and effects.

 

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There is a wide choice of characters who are photorealistic, and although the faces of the contestants could use a little bit more modeling, the people you play are amazingly realistic (though no where near as impressive as Resident Evil Zero).  An amazing amount of attention has been paid to every aspect the characters at every stage of the design process, down to the smoothness of their bodies and the idea that you would play real golfing professionals.  

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Instead of playing a creature that consists of 5 squares and a circle, you play the closest thing to a person a sporting game has offered for a while. 

The animation and real motion capture is hardly breathtaking but far from appalling.  The camera angles can occasionally be frustrating, but the “Unique Caddie Camera” feature introduced into this game helps you to see where you’re aiming. Another beneficial feature of this game is the multi-player option, which is always competitive. Although it lacks the fun and intense game play of the single player option, it’s still worth a game with your friends on a Sunday lunchtime.  All of which make for a pleasurable gaming experience.  Add to this mixture realistic sound and various shot selections and you have a recipe for a metaphoric tasty gaming pie.

The game play is impressive and has avoided the repetition factor that tends to make sporting games tiresome, one key ingredient in game development is variation, and Aqua has certainly taken note.  Hitting the ball isn’t as simple as the good old Genesis classic hold “A” and let go control, those days are far gone.  You have various options including drive, pitch, chip, punch and putt to help you converse the events and courses.  The levels vary massively, and you have the option of amateur and professional skill levels.  This selection of varying skill levels and physical levels helps the game to be 100 times more playable then its nearest counterpart.  International Golf Pro has been clearly planned, developed and executed; resulting in a pleasurable gaming experience. 

However, one must remember that at the end of the day, all this game involves is hitting a ball towards the hole in middle of the grass.  Remember that after your initial pleasure of absorbing yourself into the game, the novelty does in fact wear off and its only sheer determination and old-fashioned curiosity that keeps your interest going.

In bringing a seemingly boring sport into your living room and transforming it with agreeable game play and picturesque graphics; Aqua Pacific and Oxygen Interactive have debunked the myth that sporting games are tedious, repetitive, lacking in variety and visually uninviting.  Through observing key rules about game play, International Golf Pro will earn itself a place in history as one of the best sporting games of all time. (Now quick!  Go look up sarcasm in the dictionary!)

- Chase Scott

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