Super Swing Golf

Golf is an interesting sport. Some call it a thinking game. Others call it a boring activity meant for retired folk. Super Swing Golf, a game based on the original PC title Albatross 18, embraces the sport's best features and infuses it with the superfluous style and charm that will have you shouting "Pangya!" instead of "Fore!" in every future golf outing.

Pangya, baby!

For people looking for a more 'realistic' golf experience, note now that Super Swing Golf may not be for you. Tiger Woods is nowhere to be found and the game cares little for breaking golf's more sterilized norms. In no traditional game of golf will you use an umbrella as a club or have your ball emit sparks, and that's only the beginning.

Super Swing Golf is wholly controlled with the Wii Remote. You'll need the sensor bar to browse through the menus, which are clean and easy to navigate, not to mention set upon a pretty backdrop of some of the courses you'll play. The music is catchy, too. Load times between choices vary from three to six seconds.

You have a number of options immediately at your disposal: a single-player mode that includes Pangya Festa, the game's story mode where you face various rivals; Stroke Play, which has you playing 18 holes with the computer; and Match Play, which features various tournaments to complete. A Versus mode is also available, where one to four players can compete in Stroke Play, Match Play, or a Balloon Pop mini-game. There's a shop for purchasing an entourage of outfits, accessories, clubs and more for each character, but you can't purchase anything without Pang, the game's currency acquired through playing.

Before beginning, players may wish to utilize Super Swing Golf's optional tutorial mode in order to learn the basic controls. Personally, I went straight into the story mode and grasped the controls within mere minutes. The Wii Remote acts as a golf club and then some. Press left or right on the D-pad to aim your shot, up or down to choose a club (otherwise it's automatically chosen for you), then click 'Shot' on-screen with the pointer (B trigger works, too, and is preferable in my opinion). From there, swing up to build power in your swing bar, and when the gauge fills to the distance mark you're aiming for, hold the A button to lock the bar in place and complete your swing. If there's something about the shot you don't like, let go of A before finishing the swing and try again, or click the minus button to revert to a previous menu and alter shot settings.

Don't worry if this looks complicated because it's absolutely not.

In practice, it's a highly intuitive mechanic that produces a really satisfying experience, especially being coupled with rumble. Of course, you don't have to stand up and mimic a golf swing. You can sit back and use less exaggerated motions or switch to button-only play. Even though the game is very flexible in letting players find their preferred play method, the most engaging experience comes from fully involving yourself in the motions. Just make sure your strap is on tight; you don't earn any Pang for sending the controller flying.

It's clear the developers wanted a game that can hold the interest of seasoned golfers and newcomers alike. If you're looking for it, there's a good deal of depth, such as the ability to gauge wind, determine the ball's point of impact, analyze the topographic effects and ground property, and manipulate the camera (though free roam mode takes some practice). For casual gamers not attuned to golf's intricacies, the game automatically determines enough settings that you only need to worry about where the ball will go and hitting it.

In order to maintain continual interest, matches are made as competitive as possible, moving along at a pleasantly quick pace, except for sporadic moments when some slowdown occurs while your opponent is preparing a shot. Speaking of opponents, the AI behaves realistically, meaning it's no pushover, but computer characters do make poor shots occasionally, which players need to take advantage of in order to win.

Not only is Super Swing Golf fun to play, but it's one of the best looking games in Wii's launch window. The art style is vibrant and cute, with some anime undertones. The character models are clean, colorful and a bit more detailed than what you'll find in most Wii launch titles. There's some nice ambient lighting effects, and although the water effects aren't stellar, the way butterflies frolic around and your character's hair and outfit animate with the wind makes the world feel alive. The only graphical glitch encountered so far occurred when the camera switched to behind my caddy while he was sprinting to the ball and passed right through a lighthouse.

Lovely and serene.

The courses are lush in colorful scenery and inventively constructed. Natural obstacles like lakes, sand traps, and trees are present, but so are rotating windmills, giant mushrooms and bungalow homes, all of which can help or hinder you. The music is upbeat and happy, underlined by a lighthearted jazz rhythm and fitting of the game's pace - this is nice because you'll find yourself visiting certain courses more than once, at least throughout story mode.

Super Swing Golf may crush Wii Sports Golf under its colorful heel, but does it have the longevity to keep players interested past the first nine holes? Is it worth playing with friends? And how long can a person go swinging the controller like a golf club before fatigue sets in? Stay tuned to Stage 2 to find out.