ZIOGolf

.: By: Seth Bilodeau :: Device used: E-100 :: June 4, 2000 :.

So, you've finished working, now you're ready to have some fun. What do you do? Well, I can think of quite a few things actually, but for the sake of this review, let's say, "play golf!" However, you look out the window, and it's raining. What do you do? Well, as you have probably already figured out, you decide to play a game of ZIOGolf instead! But, how good is this game, you ask? Very good.

Story:

It's golf.


Sound:

Quite nice, actually. When you hit the ball, you hear a nice recreation of the sound of a swinging club, followed by the sound of the ball being hit. If it hits a tree, you hear it hit the tree. If it hits water, you hear a splash. If it hits a bunker, you hear.....something that sounds absolutely nothing like a ball going into a bunker. However, the sound is nice overall, and is not intrusive, which, being that this is a golf game, is probably for the best.


Graphics:

The graphics are very nice, with detailed courses and very detailed backgrounds. When you hit the ball, you often get to see it come down from a separate camera angle, which is usually stunning. Also, you can view the course from four angles, three of which are playable, and they all look fabulous.

However, there are a few problems with the amazing graphics. First, the course looks very pixelated up close. This can be forgiven, however, because it would be ridiculous to expect it to have mip-mapping (if you don't know what these terms mean, then you won't notice the difference). The other thing that is upsetting is the fact that the golfer looks very crude, and has about three frames of animation. However, I was willing to give it up for SOME memory on my Cassiopeia (this game is a memory hog).


Gameplay:

Very nice. It has a standard swing meter, on which you tap once to determine the strength of the swing, and once more to determine is you get a hook or a slice. You can select what club you want (although it is usually a good idea to use the club that the game recommends) from a menu on the side of the screen.

You can also select how you want the ball to roll when it hits the ground. Overall, the gameplay is quite simplistic, but for a good reason: it doesn't need to be any more complex. But, the game does have one frill that I absolutely love: you can add new courses! Although they cost extra, most of them are worth the extra price (I have yet to try them all, so I can't say which ones are better than others). The only downside is that they overwrite previous course data, so you can't access the default course (Bay Club) until you uninstall the ZIOCourse. Not a big deal, but something that has to be addressed.


Summary:

This is a fine game, and is worthy of your time. However, until some of the kinks I mentioned above are worked out, I can't say that it is perfect for the price it's going for. However, it's very close, and it is still the best PPC golf game yet.

.: Game category: Sports Games :: Reviews Index :.