Parents' Guide to Birdie Crush: Fantasy Golf

Thanks to its mix of silliness, anime/manga-esque visuals, and serious golf mechanics, this golf game is a bit too scattered and unfocused. In Birdie Crush: Fantasy Golf, you play as a teenage golfer who plays tournaments at a prestigious golf school. When you do, this uses the same kind of mechanics that are similar to (but not the same as) realistic golf video games. While it's not as detailed as a PGA game, you still have to use split-second timing to hit the shot just right, and have to also read the greens correctly to get the ball in the hole.

The problem is that the rest of the game isn't so serious. The visuals and characters are decidedly influenced by anime and manga, and befitting these comics and cartoons, this not only has cutesy characters but also has you getting into some rather long conversations when you'd rather be out on the greens. There are also some power-ups and other special items that can help your shot. These aren't enough to make this like super silly golf games that feature Mario and Donkey Kong, though it's certainly more than enough to turn off people who play golf games with real golf pros, and would rather not play on courses that have wormholes helping get their shots on the greens in one. Thanks to this indecision — this inability to be truly serious or totally silly — Birdie Crush: Fantasy Golf is ultimately as much fun as slicing into a sand trap.