NES Open Tournament Golf

Just catching up on Adventure Time. God, I love that show.
(PBxMarcie forevah!)

Now to review a freebie:

Can't find just the logo again. Old games, right?

I called NES Open Tournament Golf a freebie because it's one of twenty free Ambassador Games us early adopters of the 3DS got as compensation for the early price drop the system had, which was awfully nice of them, I have to say. The price of these games alone makes it worthwhile, but how do the games themselves stack up? Well, that's what I'm doing, I guess.

Anyway, NES Open Tournament Golf (I'm just gonna call it NES Golf from now on, alright?) is a more enhanced sequel to the earlier game known simply as Golf. It has a lot of the basics in any golf game before the advent of motion controls (which I've yet to see a 'perfect' version of, but I'll get there in due time).

Your Power Meter's there, though I found it super wonky to control. Not sure why, it just seems that I can't ever get an accurate shot off after I set the power, for the hit seems faster than the swing. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but other golf games I've played seem to have a slightly-slower approach to it. There's a lot of modes to play (Stroke, Match, Tournament modes, going for 18 or 36 holes, three courses to pick from), even though I always default to basic Tournament Play in most golf games unless they have crazy modes (a la the Mario Golf Series, in which this is a precursor to) because I'm competitive and those virtual victories is all I have going for me, haha.

It's pretty detailed for an NES game. Look at the greenness!

Since I have only played and owned this on my 3DS Virtual Console as an Ambassador title, I'm getting a retroactive review on a game I'd previously never played. Though we used to own the Game Boy version of Golf back when I was a kid, NES Golf has more features and looks nicer than the original Golf did, so thus I picked the better-known and more widely-available golf game.

As an old game, NES Golf still holds up incredibly well, though not without its minor quirks. For instance, there's no assistance when it comes to the finesse when adjusting for power using the various clubs. I'm not sure if this makes me a whiner, but that completely throws off my game when I can't tell how far my clubs reach as I look at the course! I chalk that up to growing up mostly with Mario Golf games, as they list the ballpark where you'll be landing. I miss this feature from the future! The game's also BRUTAL if you miss the small white window of opportunity for a 'perfect' shot. This may be me just sucking at the timing on this game, though, but since this is me giving my impressions, I felt I had to note my frustrations on an otherwise really decent golf game from '91 on the NES.

So yeah, it's a good game if you're curious. Would I have bought this if it wasn't given to me for free? No, I would've waited to buy any of the Mario Golf titles instead. Does that mean this is a bad game? Not at all, it just takes a bit of mental acuity I don't possess when I go for a golf game, haha.

Daisy in her only NES game! Dig those digs.

In this case I wouldn't be too off the mark with including both Golf and NES Open Tournament Golf as part of the Mario Golf series, albeit by being their spiritual prequels. I'll also rank both here, even though I won't review Golf, as NES Open Tournament Golf has everything Golf has and more, plus I saved time.

Golf Series
1. NES Open Tournament Golf
2. Golf

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This and regular Golf are good games, don't get me wrong.
I just really, REALLY love the Mario Golf games, as they're better in every possible way due to presentation and evolution of the concept, as would be expected in video games for the most part. Can't wait until I get to those childhood favorites of mine.

Ciao!