Mario Golf initially seems to offer a golfing experience that seems oddly out of place in today's golf game market. It hasn't picked up on the analogue swing mechanism employed by titles such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour or Links 2004, and it's undeniably cute but for the most part it's not a 'crazy' golf game either. What it is, however, is a great game that almost anyone can pick up and play, but that masters will still truly dominate, and that makes for an enjoyable experience for just about everybody.
As you'd expect from a Mario game, the fat and cheery plumber (who doesn't seem to have done any actual plumbing for well on twenty years now) and his compatriots make up your choice of golfers, and as with other Mario games, each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to golfing. Bowser and Donkey Kong, for example, are distance hitting machines with only a tiny tolerance for missed shots, while Daisy and Princess Peach are more petite hitters that give a wider margin for error in any shot. Character models for all of these should be instantly familiar to anyone's who has played the excellent Mario Kart: Double Dash!, and indeed the visual presentation could have been clipped straight from that game, so if you don't in fact like bright colours -- being golf, green has a premium place -- then this might not be the title for you.
Toadstool tour uses a double-headed approach to the actual timing of your swing, although both approaches use a gameplay mechanic that's as old as sand; you press buttons against a timed meter to represent shot accuracy and power. Novices can use a simple two-click approach that starts and stops the swing meter, while those who fancy a bit of top or backspin can try a riskier three to five click approach. The simple method is to simply hit A to start the meter and then A to stop it, but if you hit B instead, the meter swings backwards, and where you hit it determines the slice. Additionally, double pressing either A or B will result in a top or backspin on the ball, which can help you onto the green or away from bunkers if you're careful enough. The beauty of this system is that allows almost anyone to play Toadstool Tour at a competent level almost immediately while letting the true masters of the game shine when it comes time to add up the final scores.
Toadstool Tour also takes a typically Mario-esque approach to the game modes on offer. While you'll start off with only one course, careful play will unlock others, each slightly more unusual than the last. It never quite gets to the level of crazy golf that you'd expect from a putt-putt course, but then again, we've never seen chain chomps or warp pipes on regular golf courses, either. There's also an assortment of modes on offer for multiple players, from simple tournament games to birdie competitions and even games where you have to hit the ball through a selected ring to succeed.
Some of these aren't, of course, serious golf, but they're not so stupid as to lack an engaging kind of charm, and if you've played out the tournament mode, being thrust into a game where your choice of clubs is governed by a random slot machine adds a whole new layer of strategy and challenge.
If you take your golf very, very seriously, then this isn't the title for you -- EA's Tiger Woods is still our current pick of the golf games, for what that's worth. If you've only got a passing interest in golf, and want a game with the usual level of Nintendo polish that tends to make their games interesting, then it's worth hitting out with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
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