The Links line of golf games goes a way back, first appearing on the PC in
the days when the 386 represented the cutting edge of PC technology. The Links
games were well regarded for their ease of play, great graphics, and
meticulously recreated golf courses. Now this storied franchise makes the leap
to the world of console gaming, giving Xbox gamers the chance to hit the links.
The resulting game is a good-looking and easy to learn golf game that straddles
the line between sim and arcade play and that will be appealing to most gamers.
It also has a huge plus for Xbox Live subscribers – the ability to go online and
compete in tournaments against other gamers.
Links 2004 uses a thumbstick swing mechanic that is easy to learn. Pushing
the stick back starts your backswing. The farther back you bring your club, the
harder you will hit the ball and the farther it will go. When you reach the
desired backswing, you move the stick forward to make contact with the ball and
follow through on the swing. You can also add a fade or draw to the ball by
moving the stick right or left during the follow-through. You can also make
adjustments to your shot before the swing by specifying the spin to place on the
ball and the type of shot that you want to take. The game will automatically
align your shot for the best approach to the hole, but you can move the ball
marker to a new target location to change the direction of your shot.
Putting is made easy by a line drawn from your ball to the hole that shows
the break of the green. To aim your putt all you need to do is align the line
with the hole and your putt will head for the cup no matter how nasty the break.
This makes for some of the easiest putting ever to appear in a video game, so
don't be surprised if you birdie or eagle a lot of holes even when faced with 30
foot putts.
Links 2004 can be played at three different skill levels. The lowest level
makes the game easy to play for just about everybody. A swing indicator will
show you when to stop your backswing and you get a longer and thinner putt
alignment line which makes it easy to drop the ball in the hole like clockwork.
The higher skill levels take away some of the indicators and other on-screen
swing helpers. You still get a putt indicator line though, albeit a shorter and
wider one. In spite of this, even on the top skill level the game is easy
to play for veteran gamers and it is hard to truly muff a shot. While this makes
the game more accessible, gamers looking for a challenging golfing sim may be
put off by Links 2004's ease of play.
The game comes with nine different courses, but you won't be able to play all
of them until you unlock them in the game's career mode. This is an annoyance to
those looking to play the game right out of the box against friends. Until one
of you sits down and plays through the game's five golf tours you'll only be
able to play on three of the courses. While it can be thrilling to unlock new
courses by winning tournaments against computer opponents, people who pay $50
for a game and want to play it with their friends should be allowed to select
from any course in the game.
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