The problem with real world crazy golf courses – particularly those seeming-to-never-end eighteen holers – is that after around six or seven holes they lose their ‘crazy’ appeal and just become a bit of a chore. This could easily be the case with a videogame version of the sport, so the guys at Oxygen have done everything they can to make each of the new holes a fresh and challenging experience, to ensure that the game has a little bit longer in the playability department than you would perhaps at first imagine.
The way to progress through the game is by making or beating par on each course; or beating the course record, to win hard cash, with which you can then purchase extra clubs and balls. Different clubs offer different options as to how you can tackle each kerr-azy hole – some will provide extra accuracy, some will chip the ball, others will wang it for miles and so on.
The same with the various balls on offer – with the rubber balls tending to roll as you would expect, while sticky balls just stop where they land and others never seem to want to stop rolling. Unlocking all of these makes for a greater number of options as to how you tackle each hole and the possibilities are seemingly endless. Indeed, the developers themselves informed me that they are still finding better ways of playing each hole each time they play test the game.
If these guys who have been playing this game day-in-day-out can still find new tricks to improve their scores, it certainly bodes well for a casual Wii golfer such as myself! It also suggests that this game is really going to come into its own when played with a bunch of mates after a beer or two, as it’s both tactical and strategic, with the extra added bonus of continually making you giggle.
All-in King of Clubs is looking pretty solid. One of the nicest touches, on the Wii version at least, was the thought that has gone into the control of the club and the swing. You use the Wii Remote in a traditional golf-swing style to adjust the power of the desired shot and then press the A button when you are at the level of power you want. You then simply swing the Wii Remote to take the shot selected – the speed or arc of your actual swing does not effect the speed or arc of the resultant shot. You get to enjoy the feeling of swinging a golf club, with all the accuracy of a tradition golfing videogame. It is a small thing, but one that makes for a hugely enjoyable control mechanic.
King of Clubs is not going to set the gaming world alight when it releases this August, nor does it set out to. It is however, a very well designed game (particularly for Wii) and is sure to be a very enjoyable post-pub amusement for part-time or wannabe golfers such as myself and my mates, who secretly don’t give a toss about Tiger Woods and derive far more pleasure from pinging a rubber ball into a mystery hole and wondering where it might pop up next!