Pros: Fun graphics and special effects, large variety of characters, nicely developed story mode, excellent controls.
Cons: No online multiplayer support.
The Bottom Line: Super Swing Golf is a great choice for both veteran golfers and people with no previous interest in golf who want to have fun while playing the game.
billy159401's Full Review: Super Swing Golf for Nintendo Wii
I was never really into golf. Ive neither the time nor the skill to play the game. Recently, I heard that Super Swing Golf was coming to the Wii, I was quite excited. What better way to learn a bit more about golf without spending too much time than to play it on the Wii, complete with motion sensory! Even though I was a little doubtful of the controls of the Wii based on previous experience, I decided to give Super Swing Golf a try.
Super Swing Golf is a golf simulator based on the popular Korean game Pangya, which literally means bang in Korean. Pangya has officially been in the United States for quite a while. Renamed as Albatross 18, the game is a popular free MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) with a sports theme.
Storyline
A long time ago, in a parallel universe, there was a magical land known as Pangya. Everything was peaceful until the Demon King summoned an evil force upon the land. All traces of life were being drained from Pangya. However, one day, some locals discovered that all the life energy was being absorbed through a hole in a force field that fed the energy to the Demon King.
The locals came up with an ingenious plan! They would pack all the life energy they could find into a small ball and plug up the hole. But after the ball was created, it became so powerful that it could not be touched by human hands. So, the inhabitants of Pangya created the Air Lance, a tool in the shape of a stick, to hit the ball into the hole in the force field. Finally, one warrior was able to accomplish this amazing feat and save all of Pangya from the evil Demon King.
In honor of this hero, the game of Pangya is played to celebrate the bringing of peace to the land of Pangya. Choose your character and defeat all others to become as famous as the warrior who saved the land!
Gameplay
Super Swing Golf is at once realistic and unrealistic. Featuring colorful animations and tons of special effects, it deviates from classical golf as most people know it. However, the essence of the game of golf is captured quite well allowing both amateurs and veterans to enjoy this video game golf simulation.
Super Swing Golf offers an abundance of modes. The story mode is only available as a single player, while the balloon pop mode remains only multiplayer. Both the stroke play mode and the match mode are available for single player and multiplayer. The objective of the story mode is ultimately to defeat all the other characters in match play.
Speaking of characters, Super Swing Golf offers an abundance of characters to choose from. Each character has his or her unique storyline, so players will be able to replay the game from different perspectives. By defeating other characters, players will gain Pang (which is the in game money). Pang may be used to purchase new caddies and buy items. Furthermore, additional characters may be unlocked by progressing through the game.
Typical matches contain a choice between 3, 6, 9, or 18 holes. I found this feature quite useful. Sometimes, the quick 3 hole match may be just right for a ten minute gaming period. Before and after each match, there is a cut-scene that shows a brief exchange between the characters and their caddies. This feature was interesting in the first few matches. However, the conservations became repetitive after an extended amount of playing time.
There are a total of 11 courses to choose from. They are Blue Lagoon, Blue Moon, Blue Water, Ice Cannon, White Wiz, Sepia Wind, Shining Sand, Silvia Cannon, West Wiz, Wind Hill, and Wiz Wiz. The courses are quite well designed. With floating pyramids and snow covered fairways, they will be sure to offer players with a unique golfing experience.
Controls
I was very surprised with the controls of Super Swing Golf. Unlike the stroke system in Wii Sports Golf, Super Swing Golf attempts to accurately capture the stroke method and position. With this enhanced system, shots are much more realistic. Long time golf players will have a chance to practice their stroke on a rainy day and non-golfers will get to experience playing golf.
The controls are quite intuitive. Players will have to stand up and hold the controller back. On the screen, a bar will move to show the distance the shot will go depending on your arm high and position. When you finish choosing a distance, pressing A will lock the distance and then you can continue with the stroke. Unlike Wii Sports Golf, the actual stroke is very important. If you bend your arm or wrist, the shot will hook or slice. If you can accurately follow through, then the word Pangya will greet you on the screen, welcoming you to the world of accurate golf playing.
Super Swing Golf is one of the few titles on the Wii platform that actually has enjoyable controls. Although my first few matches were utter failures, often with every hole ending with a triple bogey (+3), it was fun to learn how to take a golf stroke somewhat accurately. Furthermore, with practice, I was able to achieve Pangya shots. Super Swing Golf for the Wii does require quite a large period of time to gain complete mastery of the stroke system, but comes across as fun and intuitive in the end.
Graphics
Super Swing Golf improves upon its PC cousin in a number of ways. The texture is noticeably improved. There are many special effects, such as coin popping out of random places to award good shots. Snow and leaves are also a frequent sight on certain courses. Characters are quite cartoonish, in a good way.
Coming across with many Mario-like animations, Super Swing Golf is both simple and attractive graphically.
Sound
The audio was quite fun to listen to. Although each course only has a couple of tunes and putting has its own special theme, the music is catchy and blends very well with the game. Even with a small variety of tracks, the game music didnt feel at all repetitive.
Online Multiplayer
Like all Wii titles, Super Swing Golf does not support online multiplayer at this time. However, it is rumored that there might be additional pay-to-play services that feature downloadable content (like costumes and characters) in the future. As of right now, this is not official.
Final Thoughts
Super Swing Golf for Wii is a great golf simulator. I was captured by its simplistic, cartoonish graphics and catchy audio. The controls are surprisingly accurate for a Wii video game. Although golf is somewhat of a love it or hate it game, Super Swing Golf succeeds in capturing the realism of golf strokes and yet at the same time, adds onto the game with special effects that make the game quite impossible by real life standards.
Super Swing Golf 2 includes even more courses and costumes than its first installment, including those of Ryu Hayabusa and Rachel from Ninja Gaiden. N...More at Buy.com
Tee it up as you challenge friends and family in a golf game! Choose from fun courses as you keep your golf experience fresh and exciting. Compete wit...More at QVC
Video Games. Wii duffers get another chance to spoil a good walk in Super Swing Golf: Season 2. The cartoonish take on golf, similar to Sony's Hot Sho...More at DeepDiscount.com
SUPER SWING GOLF YOU ARE PURCHASING A BRAND NEW, NINTENDO Wii VIDEO GAME. NEVER BEEN OPENED. Visit My eBay Store: ROSEALI95 VIDEO GAMES At All America...More at eBay
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.