In spite of letting you play as your X-Box Live Avatar during gameplay, Barkers Crest studios’ “Avatar Golf†is as simple as it gets. This works both for and against this indie game in the long run, but in the end, it’s hard to fight the urge to spend the measly 160 Microsoft points, or two bucks it costs to own this title this holiday season.
As far as value for your buck goes, you can’t do much better than “Avatar Golf.â€
On the gameplay side, “Avatar Golf†is solid, as it does everything a decent golf game should. The courses are all well-designed and you never get the feeling that you are playing something completely cookie cutter. There are times when the swing mechanics feel a bit off, but after a little bit of practice, everything works fine. Overall, the game controls quite fluidly and it’s never a problem to put the ball where you want on the course. At times as well, you’ll feel like your ball is going through trees, rather than getting clipped by them, but this doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience the game offers.
However, the lack of bells and whistles make this a game that lacks the appeal of a golf title such as “Hot Shots Golf,†which ironically, is what this game ends up feeling like, without the personality. The sound effects feel like they are out of an SNES game and the lack of animations overall hurt its overall appeal. Regardless of whether you get an eagle or a bogey, your avatar essentially makes the same motion, effectively robbing you of any excitement you could have had from your excellent play.
For someone looking for a quick distraction between rounds of “Tekken 6,†this isn’t a bad choice, as it’s straight forward and unobtrusive. At the same time though, it lacks the appeal to keep you coming back for repeated plays. This hurts the game in the end, but not enough to stop you from spending 200 cents for a quick gaming fix.
If you go into the game, expecting nothing more than a solid gameplay experience and easy pick up and play mechanics, you’ll end up pleasantly surprised. If you expect the same amount of detail and polish that you’d likely see in other 360 arcade titles, you’ll be sadly disappointed.
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