Mario and
friends hit the fairways for some golfing fun.
Maybe. Well, golf isn’t the most interesting of sports but Mario always brings
some fun and charm to it. In this latest installment, they tee up on the 3DS.
The game as a whole
introduces some new features, as well as reusing some. One in particular is the
Castle Club story, where you take your Mii and aim to be the best golfer in all
of Mario-land. This was last used on the GBA Mario Golf game, which was incredibly
popular. This gives some more depth to the gameplay, as well as the freedom to
explore the club. There could however me more to do, since there are rooms that
look very interesting but they’re pointless as you can’t do anything in them.
Also, as you talk to characters in the area, they just give golf tips rather
than anything unique. Another grumble is that when you play as your Mii, they
make really unnecessary noises, and very annoying ones at that. 
The controls are incredibly
simple to use, which mainly incorporates touch screen controls with the stylus.
It’s just a case of touching the screen at the right times to get the perfect
shot, which makes it easy to get the hang of. There are also a bunch of new
features such as power ups that enhance your game depending on which one you
get. It does help mix up the gameplay a bit. One niggle with the gameplay is
the fiddly putting system. Basically making it a bitch to actually get the ball
in the hole (phrasing). Other than that, it has, overall, quite smooth controls
to match the gameplay. 
Graphics wise, it’s pretty
standard for a Mario game. What is a bit questionable is the fact that the 3D
effects that could be used very effectively for a golf game, has not been done.
Since Nintendo aims for replay value rather than making the game look pretty,
it’s job done. There are over a hundred mini games to test your golf skills at
so there’s plenty of chance to replay right here.
Generally, it’s a very
solid game to add to your 3DS collection, since there’s probably not much there
to start with. Hopefully the next Mario sports game will include the RPG
element with a bit more character to improve on this. Get ready to tee up!
+ Great RPG element
+ Smooth, simple Controls
+ Standard Graphics
- Needs more character in
the free roam mode
- Fiddly
Putting System
- Poor use
of 3D effect
8/10
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