Links 2004 : Web Wombat : Games

To me, it's an old man's sport, and calling it a serious sport is kind of insulting to those to who play footy, who rock climb, and who chase the legendary giant squid to the ends of the Earth, pushing their bodies to within inches of certain peril.

I agree that it takes an amazing amount of skill and practised technique to play golf, and when my back is hunched maybe I'll play too, but ultimately it's too slow for my liking.

I'm more of "strap a NASA-grade sub-orbital rocket to your back and see how fast you go" kind of sports fan.

So when the best selling PC golf franchise of all time landed on my immaculately pristine desk, complete with potpourri, bamboo garden and miniature water feature, I slumped my shoulders and took a fifteen-minute power nap.

When I awoke, Links 2004 was going through its demonstration phase and I was handcuffed to the workstation with the Xbox. Life is cruel…

The first thing that struck me about Links on the Xbox was the visual quality - it's a very nice looking game. That's not to say it couldn't look better, because it could, but everything's where it should be and the motion capture combines with some really interesting - even dynamic - camera angles to create what is a very visually entertaining golf game. Never thought I'd say that.

By now I had managed to unshackle one of the handcuffs (by gnawing off my left hand, reattaching it with staples and minty gum), and so I proceeded on.

The game plays rather well in the single player mode and is compelling enough to keep you coming back in the long term. The main thrust behind that idea is that as your player increases in rank, you can spend money on stats, similar to EA's Tiger Woods golf game, adding a little RPG spice to the proceedings.

The create-a-character feature pales in
comparison to the Tiger Woods golf game,
with only a set number of faces to choose from

From the outset you'll have to compete in fairly easy, rather dull courses, which gets kind of tedious.

But as you rise in prowess you can unlock new clubs and increase your power to drive the ball further and eventually apply spin, which helps greatly in fades, draws and approach shots.

At this stage my cobbled-together hand fell off again, so I ate it. It grew back in precisely 8.6 seconds - exactly the time it takes to load a new course in Links 2004. Lucky me…

Actually hitting the ball is quite a lot of fun and is intuitive enough for even the lamest of lame-wads to achieve.

You simply pull the analogue stick slowly back for the back swing, and then push it forward with a bit more force to execute the forward swing, and before you know it, Auntie Mavis is bumping uglies with Uncle Bob, so to speak.

It's easy to pick up from the get-go, but when the competition starts to heat up as you progress through the single player game - and particularly if you're deciding to play online - you'll need excellent club control, and naturally this comes with practice and boosted stats.

Having a good single player aspect is one thing, but in today's age of social gaming - where gaming en masse is the new black - a title needs substance. And Links has it by the bucket load.

At this stage I'd managed to break free of both handcuffs thanks to Davo the blind janitor and his trusty hacksaw, but he slipped somewhat while working with the tiny saw, lacerating my jugular (and clefting my ear in twain), so I had to use a flunky to operate my character in the multiplayer games.

Playing links like a party game, where each player takes it in turns, comes naturally to golf, and it works well when you're fresh out of canapés entertaining guests at the penthouse. There's nothing worse than friends showing up and you've got Counter-Strike in the machine. Perish the thought!

The extended shadows suggest that
dawn is upon our intrepid golfer "Bob"

Online play is also highly rewarding, with a number of novel modes making for a fresh and very competitive cyber-golfing experience. You can go for a quick match against another player, but these games don't count towards your rank.

The OptiMatch is the same as a quick match, but sets you up against a similarly skilled (and ranked) player where the result counts towards your online rank, plus you can also create matches and tournaments with specific settings for that customised feel. A nice set of online features all told, plus downloadable content including new courses to boot.

While Links 2004 isn't quite as pretty or as polished and with as many extras as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, it rivals it in terms of gameplay, and the online features help increase it's appeal somewhat.

If anything, the game needed a bit more to differentiate itself from the crowd, with wilder course designs and rocket-powered 3-Woods. Then again, the now-famous Links franchise has always been about realism, and though slightly more arcadey than the PC iterations, the Xbox port is still a very playable sports title.

In closing, I probably should have mentioned the fact that the game has lots of endorsements too, from golfing equipment makers to real life professionals, such as Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik. But these are just perfunctory features for economic gain, rather than user satisfaction.

At the end of the day, this golf game is pretty good. The gameplay mechanics are enjoyable and not too complex to alienate the lower spectrum of gamers, while being plenty deep for those who *cough* love golf. The online community aspect is also a great idea, and with nine full courses on the CD-ROM, there's literally tens of kilometres of fairway to explore.

And after being handcuffed to the game for three weeks straight - with no more than lawn clippings, recycled paper cuttings and mud for sustenance - I guess I'm finally a golf convert (Albeit a convert bleeding profusely from the neck, with a motley hand and a flunky to wipe up after him).

Game: Links 2004
System: Xbox
Players: 1-4
Online: Yes
Developer: Microsoft Game Studios
Distributor: Microsoft

Rating: 75%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Links 2004 is on the shelves now.

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