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Everybody's Golf Vita

Everybody's Golf Vita

The usual suspects are there for the PS Vita launch. Ridge Racer, Wipeout... and Japanese phenomenon Everybody's Golf.

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Everybody's Golf for PS Vita is what Everybody's Golf has always been - an accessible round of golf in cosy surroundings with sweet yet somehow creepy manga style golfers. That's what it is, with a few minor Vita-exclusive additions.

Much like Wipeout and Ridge Racer, Everybody's Golf has made it a tradition to come out at or around the launch of a new Playstation product, and at least in Japan it must be considered a cornerstone of the launch line up. At first glance it may look like a simplified take on the sport, as opposed to the more simulation-based Tiger Woods offerings, but if you look a bit closer there is surprising depth.

Everybody's Golf Vita

I'm faced with lots of colourful menus and a design that screams Toys 'R' Us and Japanese stereotypes. The golfers are boys who crack cheerful one liners, and little girls who make strange poses and seem awfully giggly out on the course. The caddy is somewhat unnerving with his strange accent and the environments are spruced up with windmills, trains and animals. If you're allergic to this kind of thing Everybody's Golf is bound to send you straight to bed, but I find it fairly charming. The colours really come alive on the Vita's screen.

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It is also to be expected that much of the motivation to play lies in unlocking various items of clothing to dress the players with. But also with new courses, clubs, balls and characters to unlock, there is an abundance of items to spend your hard earned cash on.

Everybody's Golf Vita

Collecting is a nice motivator. There is something immensely satisfying about unlocking new socks for my favourite character. But it would hardly have been worth anything if the main game would have been boring. As luck would have it, Everybody's Golf is a lot of fun.

There is a bunch of different game modes to tackle, where "Challenge" must be considered the main mode. It contains tournaments played over 9 or 18 holes with various rules and weather conditions. The holes vary from quick par threes, and more challenging courses that offer alternative routes. Wind strength and direction must be considered alongside water hazards, bunkers, and brushes.

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The mechanics are rather conventional and can be recognised from previous instalments in the series. There are a few different kinds of stroke meters to choose from, and more are unlockable, but the standard meter is basically a three step timing exercise.

Everybody's Golf Vita

Once you have picked a club and a direction the player initiates the swing by pressing circle. A meter starts filling up, and normally you want it to fill all the way up at tee to hit the ball as far as possible. The second press of the button decides how hard you swing, and the third decides where on the club head you hit the ball.

At the second press of the button the meter fills up in the opposite direction, and the optimal thing is to time your final press in the middle of the meter. That makes for a straight trajectory. If you mistime the final press you may be force to yell out "Fore!". You also have a number of "power" shots each round, where the ball is transformed into a burning comet that travels a few extra valuable yards.

Everybody's Golf Vita

Once you've made it onto the green, a grid presents itself that lets you gage the inclination of the green. This along with verbal tips from on course characters give you hints as to the firmness and angle you should go for. The putting is my favourite part of the game: challenging, exciting, and ultimately very rewarding.

So far everything is as we've come to expect. But I did mention a few Vita exclusive additions. One of these features allow you to measure the distance from your position to any other with the aid of the touch pad on the back. You can also replace the background of the course with a bit of augmented reality, thanks to the camera on the rear of the console.

Everybody's Golf Vita

You can also freely move the camera to your liking or explore the courses from a first person perspective thanks to the Sixaxis feature. Nothing essential, but nice features nonetheless.

The good news is that the basic concept of Everybody's Golf still manages to entertain. There is just something relaxing about taking a club to a small helpless little ball and watch it fly off. It's suitable for both shorter and longer breaks from reality.

There are also a number of online features, such as daily tournaments and international leaderboards. The Ad hoc mode can be used to compete with nearby Vita owners and there is a cosy lobby you can hang out in with players from all over the world. One feature that the game lacks is a local "pass and play" mode where two players can take turns using the same hardware.

Everybody's Golf Vita

Apart from a few annoying tunes there isn't much else to complain about. Simply put, this is Everybody's Golf. Accessible, colourful, and entertaining, but not really innovative. It fills a place in most everyone's library of games as a quiet oasis of relaxation. Everybody's Golf for PS Vita is digital relaxation in your pocket... now that sounds borderline dirty, doesn't it?

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07 Gamereactor UK
7 / 10
+
+ Accessible. + Charming graphics. + Lots to unlock.
-
- Two people can't compete on the same PS Vita. - Some annoying music.
overall score
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Everybody's Golf VitaScore

Everybody's Golf Vita

REVIEW. Written by Daniel Steinholtz

"It's accessible, colourful, and entertaining, but not really innovative. It fills a place in most everyone's library of games as a quiet oasis of relaxation."



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