Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
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This new Jack swings. Activision's Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear Challenge is as good as--and even superior to--the superb 1999 Edition of Links LS. Rather than pumping out yet another sequel with minor updates, developer Hypnos Entertainment has offered welcome gameplay and aesthetic improvements over the game's predecessors and its competition.
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Jack 6 is home to six courses designed by Nicklaus himself: Shoul Creek, Muirfield Village, Montecastillo Golf Resort, Sherwood Country Club, Cochise at Desert Mountain and Nicklaus North in British Columbia, Canada. And, as in Jack 5, gamers can use the bundled (and robust) course and hole editor or download literally hundreds of custom-made courses off the Internet. You can play Tournament, Skins, Stroke, and Match Play, to name just a few of the 11 single-player game modes.
Gamers can now play as the Golden Bear himself (as well as against him), and, unlike any game on the market to date, you have the option to fully customize each character's skill level with an RPG-like resource/attribute system for power, accuracy, sand play, chipping and putting.
The 3D polygonal animations are life-like, with an authentic stance, swing and even post-shot reactions to accompany the crowd cheers and applause. The course scenery is equally stunning. Following in the footsteps of Links '99 is animated water, blowing flags and crisp, detailed, pixel-free trees add to the realism. To catch all of the action, a customizable picture-in-picture window can display up to sixteen views.
Desktop golfers should be somewhat familiar with the traditional two- or three-click swing meters, and in this respect Jack 6 is no different. A new Mouse Meter option is available for players who'd prefer to push the mouse to simulate the swing, but, unfortunately, it's not in real-time and consequently feels a little awkward (as it does in EA Sports' Tiger Woods 99 and Access' Links '99).
Funny, though: Since the golfer isn't presented in full-motion video, why couldn't Hypnos have implemented a real-time mouse swing as in Sierra Sports' PGA Championship Golf?
A few other minor shortcomings do crop up. The AI was iffy when I played against the master himself. (Jack hit two balls in a row into the trees and then landed in the sand trap.) Narration by CBS sportscasters Jim Nantz and Gary McCord is a nice touch, but repetition gets a bit annoying after playing a few rounds.
Overall, Jack 6 is an incredible golf game at an incredible price tag of $20, and Links enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised by its tight gameplay, varied courses, inspiring graphics and the course designer. Furthermore, the wide-ranging solo and multiplayer game modes (free over Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone), high player customizability and the option to download and trade new holes mean this is the only golf game you'll need this year-and maybe next.
