We Love Golf Nintendo Wii

Paul Govan's guide of We Love Golf. Subscribe to this column via RSS or Newsletter.

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Column:
Family Gamer

Format:
Nintendo Wii

Genre:
Sporting

Written on:
11/08/2008

Second opinion:
Family Gamer (Wii)

Further reading:
Family Gaming Awards

Wii-Sports Golf was quite possible the most played game at launch. The direct correlation between the Wii's remote-like controller and a golf club was an instantly understandable. Since then a number of golf games have been developed, none more keenly anticipated than We Love Golf from Camelot, who were previously responsible for the hugely successful Mario golf games.

It's one of those type of game genres...

Sports games recreate a wide variety of real life competitive games. Depending on the sport, these will either have an action or strategy focus. Popular sports games are often released on an annual basis, each year the game receives new player rosters and game improvements.

But why is it any better than the others...

As with other golf games on the Wii, it is the swing mechanic that gets the most attention. Rather than pressing buttons to hit the ball down the fairway, you can use a gesture with the Wii-mote. We Love Golf continues this tradition, but tries to take the guess work out of these swing controls by focusing on timing rather than motion. Hell Boy 360 Rather than the player replicating a real world golf swing, here they are tasked with making specific (golf-like) motions in time with an on screen indicator. This approach makes the results of each swing more predictable, but at the cost of the realism found in other games such as Tiger Woods 09 All Play Wii and Super Swing Golf Wii.

We Love Golf again draws on Camelot's history with the genre to provide the player with all the necessary information about wind, lie and predicted trajectory of the ball. It simply does the best job of any Wii golf game of communicating what will happen when they hit the ball with their current settings. The game's cartoony graphics shouldn't be allowed to hide the fact that this is one of the most detailed golf games available on the Wii. It is also the only golf game (apart from Wii-Sports) that lets you take your Mii on the fairway.

So what experience should I play this game for...

We Love Golf delivers an experience that enables players to get on with the tactics and overarching mechanics of Golf without worrying about the sometimes fussy Wii-mote. Sparing use of the control means that the game can provide a convincing well rounded rendering of the sport.

And when can I take a break...

As with other golf games, a full round of 18 holes can take a good hour (more if you are playing in a larger group. Because of this it is best played when you have an evening to devote to it. We Love Golf (reflecting the real world sport) doesn't lend itself to rushing through.

The control method means you can play the game stood up or seated. Those who do prefer a standing motion will require a good amount of overhead space so as not to impede their progress (or damage the soft furnishings).

This is a great game for who...

Very young or novice players may find We Love Golf's more technical swing a little harder to get used to than other golf games on the Wii. You have to follow the three motion structure to the tee if you hope to hit the ball. This can be a little frustrating to those who want to get going quickly.

Even intermediate players may also find the sheer amount of information on the screen a little overwhelming at first. But given a little practice (and turning off the overly keen talking Wii-mote advisor) should enable most players to acclimatise.

Expert players are likely to rise to the challenge of mastering the swing and gameplay. They should also find the incentive of unlocking some characters from other video games keeps them playing longer. And in general We Love Golf seems to be an experience that is tailored to those with a history of playing Camelot's previous golf games.

Thanks for reading the reivew, visit our Family Gaming Awards - the best games for the different people in your family.

Written by Paul Govan

Paul Govan writes the Family Gamer column. "I write family video game reviews. I want to play games with friends and family in the same place, as well as enjoy sharing the experience with my wife and kids. But as well as these there are precious late night gaming moments to fill. Throughout, time is of the essence."

Paul Govan's recent reviews:

• Fossil Fighters
• Wii-Sports Resort Tips
• Transformers: War for Cybertron
• Crackdown 2

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