A new game called Total Pro Golf 2 has entered the golf video game scene, and judging from the title, it’s in the second iteration (we’re pretty sharp around here).
The game surprised me because I never even heard of the first one, and I’ve played my share of all sorts of golf video games from Fred Couples Golf for the Sega 32X all the way to Tiger Woods and lots of everything else in-between. (I’ve also worked on some myself.)
So I was pretty interested in seeing how this game was going to play. When I loaded up the title and looked at the main menu, I saw some pretty standard fare as far as golf games go — a new career mode, a quickplay mode and a replay mode.
I went right to the quick play but was stopped dead in my tracks because I first had to equip my guy.
After I took care of all the necessary accouterments such as clubs, balls, hiring a coach and caddy, I was ready to go. I fired up a game and thought I somehow missed a step in configuring it. All I saw before me was an overhead view of a golf course, a swing meter and some status icons. I searched for the "full view" mode so I could see my golfer take his swings, look at the terrain, and enjoy the scenery…but it wasn’t to be.
I sort of did a double take and upon vigorously searching the game manual, I was surprised to find out that this is all there is to the game’s graphics. Hmmm… Ok, lets see how the game plays.
If you have ever tried any of the golf flash games online, that is essentially how this game plays. You "swing" the golf club through a three click power meter, the ball takes off and lands, you hit it again and so on until you sink the putt. You can play an 18 hole game in less than 10 minutes.
Your golfer "improves" by upgrading his stats through schedules which help him hone his skills in the short and long game. But if you don’t have time for that, you can sim your way through each phase and merely watch your stats and abilities grow. You don’t even have to play a single round if you don’t want to — just let the computer sim all of the games.
The point of this game is to improve your golfer. Basically, if you are a statistician or someone who enjoys the idea of managing a golfer’s career, this game might be just for you. But with the lack of serious graphics, a lack of adequate sound and a gameplay system that is laughably simple — you might as well download a flash game instead for free.
Interestingly enough, fans of Total Pro Golf are heavily addicted to this game and are fervent in their praise of this golf sim. However, speaking from a normal gamer’s point of view, the game offers little entertainment value outside of using it as a quick distraction from your work or school duties.
