Fun! Fun! Minigolf is perhaps the most convincing argument yet for a Wii storage solution and an upping of the size limit of WiiWare games. In its current state it’s more of a playable demo than a complete game, and at 900 points is really not worth the bother.

I’ll give developer Shin’en - creator of DS shooter Nanostray - its dues; this is one of WiiWare’s most technically-accomplished titles to date. Its courses are bright and lively, with little background animations adding to the visual appeal - indeed its presentation is superior to many of the cheap minigame compendiums you’ll find for around £20 or less at retail.

Press A at the title screen and you’ll simply be given the option of selecting the number of players between one and four. Thereafter you can select from one of four avatars for each player - two male, two female - and thereafter you pick your course - America is easy, Asia intermediate and Europe hard. The first course is a nice, simple introduction to the game, and allows you to get accustomed to the swing mechanic, which is simple and effective - flick the controller forward to meet the ball as a circle passes across it - middle it and you’ll get a straight shot, or you can curve it to either side. You can have practice swings, too - just hold A and swing forward as soon as you’re ready and once you think you’ve determined the force of swing to get the power you want.

While the courses look nice, the design is unfortunately left wanting. After the gentle introduction of the American stage, Asia has a couple of one-shot deals - get it wrong and you have to start again. Europe is even worse for this, with one hole which is incredibly difficult unless you hit it at a very specific point. What makes this even more annoying is that you can’t play the percentages - a soft shot which remains in the course will often be classed as ‘out of bounds’, even if it’s still possible to hole from the next putt - there’s a relatively small area around most holes where you have to putt into - anywhere else and you’re screwed and have to start again. What’s particularly odd about the European course is that it offers several holes in a row where each shot is either perfect or out of bounds, and then finishes off with two very simple holes that are nigh-on impossible not to par.

It’s true to life to a certain extent - I’ve played crazy golf enough times to know there are plenty of courses as irritating as this - but that repeated ’out of bounds’ announcement when your shot rolls down the ramp after falling agonisingly short of the perfect length once again is a remote-chucking moment like little else on Wii. And while the ball physics aren’t bad, it’s most perturbing when your seemingly ideal set-up shot winds up out of bounds thanks to the ball actually gaining speed from rolling around the edge of the supposedly flat course. Oh, and ‘albatross’ doesn’t just have one ’s’, does it?

It’s a pity, as with a little more content - a few minigames here, a couple of extra unlockable courses there - this could have been one of WiiWare’s strongest titles. As it is, Shin’en has focused on presentational polish over content, and when the few courses that feature aren’t exactly perfect, 900 points suddenly looks a little steep.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm by Chris Schilling
Reviews, WiiWare.