Publisher - Sony
Platform - PSP
It all began in 1997 with the below-the-radar release of the original Everybody's Golf on the Playstation. Through word of mouth it slowly became a minor classic among golfers and non-golfers alike. Traditionally Sony has concentrated on more adult orientated games aiming for realism whereas Nintendo has favoured cute, sunny and cheerful. Everybody's Golf was sweet and charming and resolutely not a golf sim - a game that would probably have felt more at home at Nintendo. However what began as a trickle is now a stream as the seventh game in the Sony series (the second on the PSP) is released.
Everybody's Golf has become a gentle and low-key phenomenon over the last 11 years. The first release on the PSP in 2004 was one of the launch titles for the budding handheld and was the launch title I was still playing long after the others had lost their lustre. Its' charming innocence and infectious feel good factor kept you smiling during game play but what kept you coming back for more and more (and more) were the precise and realistic physics.
Everybody's Golf 2 continues in the same vein with that perfect game engine purring away beneath the even more luscious and colourful visuals. What separates this from the other sims around is that there seems to be nothing at all to learn, everything is absolutely instinctive and intuitive. Within minutes of playing your first round you will find yourself changing clubs, adjusting your approach to counteract the wind and applying some backspin to make sure the ball sits nicely on the green. Everything just makes sense and unlike other golf sims the instruction book is practically redundant.
This time around there are more courses, more players and more costumes to unlock. The cartoonish characters are animated as flawlessly as usual and the intelligent camera follows the ball with its usual panache as it arcs across the course. The just-one-more-game feeling is palpable; in fact even writing this review is an annoying interruption in my quest to increase my characters' power and technique! There are so many things to keep you coming back for more, unlocking more courses and more characters to play versus matches against, to try and beat your best drive, longest putt and best score. Even seeing your character's loyalty rating increase each time you choose them is strangely addictive. Landing on concrete paths or railway tracks gives your drive an extra 20 yards and the resulting pleasure in hitting these is probably a little sad for a 32 year old.
All the usual multiplayer modes are there and the minigolf game appears once again. A nine-hole tournament can be completed in about 20 minutes but even if you have only a minute to spare you can play a sneaky hole or two. Suffice to say I was a big fan of the series already and Everybody's Golf 2 has only reinforced my affection further. A cornier man than I would probably say that Everybody's Golf 2 is a hole in one but I will just say that this is good, this is really good.
Platform - PSP
It all began in 1997 with the below-the-radar release of the original Everybody's Golf on the Playstation. Through word of mouth it slowly became a minor classic among golfers and non-golfers alike. Traditionally Sony has concentrated on more adult orientated games aiming for realism whereas Nintendo has favoured cute, sunny and cheerful. Everybody's Golf was sweet and charming and resolutely not a golf sim - a game that would probably have felt more at home at Nintendo. However what began as a trickle is now a stream as the seventh game in the Sony series (the second on the PSP) is released.
Everybody's Golf has become a gentle and low-key phenomenon over the last 11 years. The first release on the PSP in 2004 was one of the launch titles for the budding handheld and was the launch title I was still playing long after the others had lost their lustre. Its' charming innocence and infectious feel good factor kept you smiling during game play but what kept you coming back for more and more (and more) were the precise and realistic physics.
Everybody's Golf 2 continues in the same vein with that perfect game engine purring away beneath the even more luscious and colourful visuals. What separates this from the other sims around is that there seems to be nothing at all to learn, everything is absolutely instinctive and intuitive. Within minutes of playing your first round you will find yourself changing clubs, adjusting your approach to counteract the wind and applying some backspin to make sure the ball sits nicely on the green. Everything just makes sense and unlike other golf sims the instruction book is practically redundant.
This time around there are more courses, more players and more costumes to unlock. The cartoonish characters are animated as flawlessly as usual and the intelligent camera follows the ball with its usual panache as it arcs across the course. The just-one-more-game feeling is palpable; in fact even writing this review is an annoying interruption in my quest to increase my characters' power and technique! There are so many things to keep you coming back for more, unlocking more courses and more characters to play versus matches against, to try and beat your best drive, longest putt and best score. Even seeing your character's loyalty rating increase each time you choose them is strangely addictive. Landing on concrete paths or railway tracks gives your drive an extra 20 yards and the resulting pleasure in hitting these is probably a little sad for a 32 year old.
All the usual multiplayer modes are there and the minigolf game appears once again. A nine-hole tournament can be completed in about 20 minutes but even if you have only a minute to spare you can play a sneaky hole or two. Suffice to say I was a big fan of the series already and Everybody's Golf 2 has only reinforced my affection further. A cornier man than I would probably say that Everybody's Golf 2 is a hole in one but I will just say that this is good, this is really good.
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