Everybody's Golf

Don't let its cartoonish appearance fool you; this is a surprisingly deep and authentic simulation of real golf. Everybody's Golf accurately captures many of the sport's more nuanced details, including the effects of lie angle and wind, while providing players with realistic options such as the ability to declare their ball unplayable whenever they like in exchange for a penalty stroke and a drop in a new area. What's more, the fictional courses are splendidly designed and presented on a single map rather than hole by hole, which means in some modes you can actually walk (or drive) your golfer from the last green to the next tee, which makes for a much more immersive experience. The three-tap swing system may feel a bit dated compared to the more authentic joystick swings of other golf games, but it ought to prove easier for beginner players to learn and master.

But Everybody's Golf isn't perfect. For example, it takes too long to unlock new courses in the story mode. Players are stuck playing the first course over and over again for several hours before the second comes available. It's also surprisingly easy, given the trouble that the developers went through to achieve authenticity. Thanks to frequent use of oversized holes and forward tee boxes, experienced players will likely find themselves scoring 15 or even 20 under par before they can hit drives much past 250 yards, making even the so-called "serious" difficulty mode rather less than challenging. Still, there's plenty to recommend Everybody's Golf, especially if your primary interest is to test your skills against other human players online, where winning scores are consistently competitive.