For those of you that dream of playing on courses from around the
country, here is your chance to without spending a fortune in cash
and a month travelling. The few holes included in this game are
very well done, and provide an extremly diverse test of golfing
skills.
Graphics - 15 / 20
America's Toughest Eighteen starts with an extremely clear picture
of one of its eighteen holes. This is a good start for the game in
itself. It continually flows through actual pictures of the holes
which are incorported into the game. There were a total of zero
graphic options which could be changed. This is an unwelcome
change to those of us used to cranking up the resolution to at least
800 X 600. I'm not really sure what resolution the game runs in,
but pixels are definitely noticeable when the ball gets close to
objects on the course such as rocks or trees. The images become
very blurred, however the background and further down the
course still looks pretty clean. From the tee box, the layout of the
course hole is nicely done. After hitting the ball and moving down
the course, it is immediately noticeable that nothing in the
background has any motion whatsoever. The waterfalls are one
very evident feature which could have used some tuning.
Sound - 12 / 15
The game does incorporate some great sound effects. It has
become pretty standard in golf games to include such noises as
birds chipping and bullfrogs croaking. This game does a good job
of using these effects to add to the outdoor feeling. The sound
effects are realistic and seem to be right on time. When you swing
the club you hear it, not ten seconds after the swing is over, but
right as you're swinging. The one commentator in this game
becomes very annoying with his British accent and repetitive
one-liners.
Gameplay - 23 / 30
Nothing special here, just like any other golf game. Comes with a
variety of gaming modes: Stroke Play, Tournament, Match Play,
Skins and Stableford. Personally I enjoyed Stableford mode the
most because once you go over bogey you have to pickup. It's
based on the more points the better and you get points for eagles,
birdies, pars...etc. The game controls are pretty easy to get the
hang of. You can choose to click, release, click or click, click,
click. There are three different difficulty levels. On beginner it
aligns you to where you need to hit the ball and shows you how
hard to hit it. There is very little slicing or hooking when playing
in beginner mode. There are eight different players to choose from
and all can be customized in such areas as swing type, clothing,
level of play...etc.
Fun Factor - 15 / 20
Game was fairly fun for the first couple of times I played all 18
holes, but I became burnt out on it quickly. Only 18 holes sort of
puts a limit on gaming time, but for the hardcore golf gamers the
variety of game modes will keep you busy. It is very easy to learn
to play the game which made it more enjoyable. After couple of
times playing the game you get the hang of it fairly well.
Multiplayer - 3 / 5
No internet multiplayer is included in the game. It does support
hot seat gaming for several players. Supports multiplayer in a
variety of gaming modes. All modes support multiplayer (the skins
mode is multiplayer only). Keeps track of loads of statistics, and at
the end you have options to review these. Several are a little to
finicky for me, but if you're an avid golfer they might mean
something to you.
Overall Impression - 7 / 10
Not a bad game overall. Gets a little boring after a couple of times
playing the course. Was a pretty cool idea to make a game of the
toughest 18 holes in the country, but the fact that there are only 18
playable holes really sucks. Unless you are a huge fan of golf
games, leave this one on the shelves.