One of the longest running series' of golf sims, Links dates back to the good old days of the Amiga. Over ten years on, this latest incarnation has made the leap to console - a first for the series if you ignore the brief stint on Sega's Mega CD. Rebuilt from the ground up for Xbox, Links 2004 delivers a serious and realistic take on the sport, offering players the chance to play through a wealth of top championships on world famous courses against some leading golf pros.

One of the main ... more >>

One of the longest running series' of golf sims, Links dates back to the good old days of the Amiga. Over ten years on, this latest incarnation has made the leap to console - a first for the series if you ignore the brief stint on Sega's Mega CD. Rebuilt from the ground up for Xbox, Links 2004 delivers a serious and realistic take on the sport, offering players the chance to play through a wealth of top championships on world famous courses against some leading golf pros.

One of the main features of the game is the inclusion of Xbox Live support, which enables you to take your game online and enter one of the most comprehensive golfing arenas yet to grace the Internet. Once you're hooked up, you can take on top players from around the globe on five tour levels, track your stats, or simply enjoy a relaxing social round with friends. Whether on not there's an option that enables corporate fat cats to close six-figure deals at the same time is yet to be seen.

Pivotal to the actual gameplay is a Real-Time Swing feature that provides you with the control over each shot. The left thumb stick acts as the club, with ball physics factoring in speed, tempo, direction and course conditions in real time. Once you've mastered its mechanics, you'll possess the ability to draw, fade, punch, chip or flop your way around the courses with relative ease.

A wide range of golfing pros feature throughout the game, including the video game-loving Sergio Garcia in the starring role (whose favourite game, incidentally, was Tiger Woods - possibly not any more!). Alternatively, the game also provides you with the option to create your own golfer, with unique physical characteristics, skills and apparel. You're also given discretion over their personality - be it aggressive, conservative, etc. - which subsequently shines through in their celebrations and audio commentary.

Visually, Links 2004 is pretty impressive - each of the game's courses is brought to life with such effects as animated water, ocean surf, 3D trees, divots, galleries of golf fans that react to players' shots, and wildlife, including birds, ducks, squirrels and gophers. Time is accounted for, with sun-cast shadows changing throughout the day, and there are also a few further nice touches, such as birds flying out of a tree you've just smacked and ducks legging it when your ball lands in the pond.

Maintaining the series' tradition for being the serious man's golf game (note: there are no fat Italian plumbers to be found here), Links 2004, erm, does exactly that. The game is a solid, comprehensive simulation that, with the inclusion of online support, will keep you immersed for quite some time.
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