Even when you cast all these humorous and novel touches aside, the basic engine itself is pretty impressive. The controls are so intuitive that it is instantly accessible to most. The forward-backward motion of the analogue stick defines the length and power of the shot, and any slanting to the left or right will cause a hook or a slice. It’s that simple and it work as precisely as it needs to. Indeed, OG2 could happily stand next to the latest Tiger Woods game and still be considered as a serious contender for the throne (or the ashes, or the yellow jersey, or whatever it is that golfers are striving for).
It’s not just the unusual mix of friendly controls and unfriendly gameplay that make OG 2 worthy of praise though. The course themselves stand out from the norm. Serious golf enthusiasts may prefer the real life courses offered by Tiger Woods or MS Links, but those who take this at its face value may prefer the more creative designs of OG2’s eight different courses. The original had only featured three courses: and those have all made a comeback in a slightly revised form. Then, on top of that, there’s another four main courses and a rather wonderful Mini-Golf course. This isn’t quite the crazy golf we were expecting, in that it’s a full size version of the silly courses seen at your typical British seaside resort. So when you have to ping a shot off that castle wall to bounce it round the corner, it is actually a full size castle you’re dealing with, not just a rubbish bit of papier-mache nonsense.
It’s pretty clear that we like Outlaw Golf 2 lots, but it’s important to remember that if you don’t like golf games, even the most ridiculous touches of novelty found here won’t change that. For the most part, you will be ambling around long stretches of lawn repeatedly taking shots. Hit the ball, hit the ball, hit the ball, putt the ball. That’s all there is to it, so if you don’t like the bit where you hit the ball, you won’t like this. However, it’s an unreasonable criticism to emphasise too much. With a name like Outlaw Golf 2 you’d have to be a total cretin to buy it without anticipating golf's involvement. And if you do like Scotland’s favourite lazy-person sport, you’re almost certain to find something in the package that appeals.
