Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Is this what video-game characters do when they retire? Play cartoon golf instead of grabbing stars and mushrooms?

Most celebrities tend to save the golfing for after they retire from their ?real? job. Not Mario. Whenever Mr. Miyamoto and his crew aren?t having the pudgy guy hop on turtles and abuse mushrooms, it seems like Camelot is running right behind with the golf bag and the mess of nutty subgames. The latest Mario Golf?this one on the GameCube?is a fine expansion on the original N64 title, even though you can count the real gameplay enhancements on one hand.

"Nice Shot" My Butt
Anyone who played the first Mario Golf will have no problem whacking away with the new game in short time. The three-tap swing system is back, sort of?you press A to start, B at the top of the backswing, and either button at the point of contact, tapping a button again to put extra spin on the ball. If the Grandpa Elwood or Li?l Joey in your family isn?t up to this control scheme, then they can use the auto swing instead?just press A to start and A to define power, and you?ll hit the ball automatically without hooking or slicing?much. While you can?t hit any fancy spin shots with the auto swing, the option helps make Mario far less stressful for beginners than Swingerz Golf (the main ?Cube competition) and its thumb-breaking shot system.

Otherwise, however, the differences from the N64 game amount to mere evolution. The ?Mario? part of Mario Golf has been greatly expanded?lots more Nintendo characters are available from the start, and the courses you unlock become less real and more Mushroom Kingdom?like in very short order. Most of the mini-games from before are now multiplayer-ready, and a new Doubles mode lets two players alternate turns on the same ball?an oddly fun mix of competition and cooperation.

Straight Down the Middle
Nintendo probably realizes by now that people buy Mario Golf precisely because they know what they're getting. As such, Toadstool Tour will disappoint nobody?the audio and visuals are pristine (gotta love that water), the core gameplay?s solid as ever, and as a party game, there are few equals. If you wanted a revolution, you probably wouldn't be buying this anyway, so...

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