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 When
Rick asked me if I wished to review the latest Links LS golf game from
Microsoft, I wasn’t quite sure if I understood the question. A golf
game? The last time I actually played golf, going outside and wielding
clubs like Fijian warrior, I accidentally put a ball into somebody else’s
cart and had to run away from a guy in red polyester pants shaking a five
iron. The recent death of Payne Stewart--a more well dressed man has never
existed-- convinced me to put aside my aversion to simulated sports and
dig into what turned out to be a fantastic game.
I assumed the heart of the Links 2K would be multiplayer action, but Microsoft has included a large variety of single’s events. You can play in a scramble, virtual tournament, a skins game, stroke play, etc. There are so many methods of play that I was never bored. Arnold Palmer beat the socks of me and took all my money in cash rounds, but I was never bored.
Links LS 2000 is a great sports simulation. If you're an avid golfer who has a long winter ahead, get this game. Even if the actual game of golf horrifies you, but you want an entertaining way to spend afternoons, get this game. Or, if the last time you played golf the beer-a-hole rule was in effect, and you ended up streaking the seventh hole, got into a wrestling match with the flag on eleven and have subsequently been blacklisted from every course in a three-state area, this could be your last chance to smell the grass and wear canary-yellow plaid. All in the privacy of your own home. Get this game. |
Ups:
Super graphics, deep and intuitive gameplay, all the features you
want, loads of fun.
I
can remember when Microsoft put out its first in the series of Links golf
games. They hit on a winning formula then and haven’t deviated from it.
Gameplay is elementary and intuitive. You have three swing choices (one
that has been around for so long as to now earn the appellation Classic),
that differ only in the number of mouse clicks necessary to make the magic
happen (except for the "Power Swing," which depends on the speed
and distance you move your mouse. They had to get the body moving
somehow). Club selection, camera rotation, and the score card are
available in a convenient menu system at the bottom of the screen. Want to
change the club selected by the computer, put a little fade on it, or give
it a punch rather than chipping? Can do. Microsoft has outdone itself,
creating a game complex enough for the hardcore and easy enough for anyone
interested in casual play.
But
it’s a golf game. I knew I’d be playing golf and so kept my eyes open
for anything out of the usual, anything that might tickle my fancy. Once
again, Links 2K delivered. First, while having excellent landscapes and
the choice of several courses, the golfer graphics really impressed me.
You can choose from a series of male/female golfers or stick yourself in
the persona of Arnold Palmer or Fuzzy Zoeller. (Bring on Payne. I want to
be immortalized in knickers.) Make a good shot and your golfer does a
little dance. Put the ball in the rough, they look abashed. Coupled with
these nifty animations is an intriguing series of ambient sounds. Stick a
large crowd around the course, and the intensity of their applause is
directly proportional to the skill of your shot. They also boo and cringe
when you screw up. Unfortunately they don’t dodge when you put a ball
into their midst. Planes fly over and if you are in tournament play you
can hear cheers when a player on another hole does well.
There
is literally nothing bad about this game. It doesn’t even crash or take
up too much space on your machine. Links 2K is a game that has a short
learning curve but requires time and experience to become skilled. It has
enough variety to ensure long hours of game play. The only thing I could
locate as a minus was that you are unable to bludgeon your opponents with
your putter after you beat them.