Christian Girl Gaming Vol. 2

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Rating: 3.8/4
Okay, readers, lately I have been borderline-addicted to this game. After standing for around two and a half to three hours in my dress shoes at work, my favorite way to unwind is to pull out my iPod, turn the Music setting off the game, and hit the links. The great thing about Mario sports games is that you don’t have to be an expert or even intermediate at the sport itself; they are fun for all people. Some gamers become a little annoyed with that, saying (and truthfully so, I must admit, for the still-very-enjoyable later issues like the Mario soccer and baseball games) that they hardly pay any attention to the actual game’s rules.
People who have played at least a couple of Nintendo games can pretty easily figure out the controls for new ones: the A button is probably important, and the B button like it but for a little different function. Additionally, the GameCube controller is smaller and with less buttons than other system controllers, though those ones are also good. My favorite character to play with is Daisy: annoying in the Mario Party games when one is not entirely in good humor, but in this game a cute sassy tomboy. You can taunt and cheer on other real players when it’s not your turn, and one thing you can have her say is, “Are you just gonna let me win?!” All of the characters are cartoony and thoroughly thought out for funny unique characteristics, in terms of swing and attitude. When I was new to the game, I picked Yoshi because he shoots straight and is a well-balanced but a little lighter and speedier character in every game he graces.
One slight hiccup in my other favorite sports game, Mario Power Tennis (GameCube) was in the difficulty curve. Until the very last match, everything is really easy for someone who’s played it a few times to beat; and then the last match is suddenly almost impossible. Such is happily not the case for Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour; the transition from patsy to challenging is very smooth. Maybe this would not be as relevant to most people who wisely pick up this game, as they would be facing other people rather than the computer.
There are many golf games out there, but some of the goofier ones have a little subject matter, from what I have read from old reviews. Everything from skimpy outfits to dirty-mouthed caddies ruins those games. It is so good to have a clean, funny way to play golf that is attractive to everyone from novices to played-since-the-arcade-ages older people.