Touch Golf (Nintendo DS)

My fears , however , have been entirely misplaced , as this golf game has realised the potential of the touch screen , much more so than the other golf effort for the DS . Sure , there are no big name sponsors , but the feel of the game , and the enjoyment to be had playing either by yourself , or with wifi link up , is immense .

The swing system is much more natural , and the range of courses available ( albeit some have to be unlocked ) allows for everyone to face a challenge if they so wish .

I have not put it down since I bought it .


Good golf game with a nice touch (literally)   December 9, 2005
Bryan A. (England, UK)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

Why would anyone want to play golf in a video game may be a question in its own right, but provided that you like golf games like I do, then you will likely find this a good buy on the DS.

At the heart of it this is a standard golf game that you would find in today's market, in terms of presentation, sound and physics. At first the golf courses are fairly flat and easy, but as you begin to unlock more big courses, you will find that you need to be aware of your destination's geometry (which is easy to do with the touchpad) otherwise the ball may bounce about the way you didn't plan.

There are several themes to courses, such as tropical, desert, winter and so on. Each theme contains 4 or so golf courses, each of which contain 18 holes as expected. Most are unavailable at first and are unlocked through the main Campaign mode, where you start off as an amateur golfer moving up the ranks eventually to a pro.

Every shot is driven by your stylus. You would swing back and strike forth through (hopefully) the centre of the ball to create the drive. The quality of the shots depend on your ability to do this, so naturally your nerves will come into play a big time. Items you can buy (with crash prizes you can buy various upgrades such as golf clubs, grip gloves, better golf shoes, technical golf balls etc) can help you to an extent, but generally I takes some nerves to make a great shot particularly when you land on a dodgy ground. It is fantastically satisfying when you manage it and it's worth getting used to this.

Overall, Touch Golf is a fairly generic golf game, which is very playable due to its size and gameplay. I find myself getting thrilled by trying to get myself out of trouble by some ambitious technical shots, and this makes me come back to it from time to time. It may not be for everyone and probably not for an intensive play, but the nature of the content is such that it has great endurance.


A long walk re-invented   November 13, 2006
Conrad Hart (England)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

This games creeps up on you and before you know it you're no longer able to travel anywhere without its relaxing selection of teasing fairways tucked away inside your jacket pocket. At first it seems like golf by the numbers with a pleasantly realised touch screen element to the ball thwacking. Slide your stylus up and down the screen. Do it in a straight line and your ball sails into the distance and bounces satisfyingly down the fairway. Get a bit over excited and not only will your stylus skew across the screen like you've just been nudged by the school bully but your ball will fly off into the undergrowth for a real battle to make par.

Every whole is a genuine challenge. Where other golf games seem too easy and degenerate into a succession of unconsidered, robotic button presses, every shot in this game requires forethought, planning and then some skilful execution. Fade, draw, backspin; every type of shot is possible with the intuitive controls and all of the feedback you require is presented in game. Ball lie, elevation, wind speed; it's all there and it's up to you to think like a golfer and master the conditions.

It's one of the unique and very small band of golf games that gets the balance between a relaxing stroll down 18 fairways and a genuinely satisfying challenge spot on. The difficulty curve is excellently paced and the single player career mode is rewarding if not exactly groundbreaking or jam packed with features. This is golf for people who want to earn that birdie, who don't want fireball trails following every swing, and want to be unable to contain that big cheesy grin when that 10 footer trickles in.



golf evolution?   January 28, 2006
jesse davies (Liverpool)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

i love golf games .
here we at last have a new twist on the most crucial aspect of golf games : the swing .
fully utilising the DS's touch screen this game is like no other in the genre. here you have to use the sylus to "swing" your club in a straight line and at max speed . it takes a while to get used to ,but once comfortable it truely feels like you are more involved in the whole golf thing.
hours of fun .


Rather dull...   September 12, 2006
G. Winward (MK, UK)
5 out of 13 found this review helpful

Perhaps the dullest game of virtual golf I've ever played. The characters are bland, the courses are bland, the graphics are poor. The only good thing about this game is hitting the ball with the stylus using the touch screen - a great idea. But the game is so boring, you'll be snoring before you finish 18 holes.