MiniGolf Mania PC Game Review

MiniGolf Mania is a gem. It's just tremendous fun. It is the only game I have played in the last 24 hours (which says a lot trust me) and I only took breaks to take notes, sleep, eat and the like. During one of my breaks, I headed over to Gametunnel.com and realized that MiniGolf Mania is #2 best sports game of the year...so I'm not the only one. This game is very deserving of not only a demo download, but a purchase.


Gameplay: 8.5/10
Pros: Tons of zany power-ups, outlandish holes, obstacles, etc. My favorite feature has to be the special ability balls, which add a touch of twitch gameplay. Basically, after hitting one of these balls you can click to activate it's ability...my favorite is the nudge backwards...this basically reverses the ball in real time. Once I got this ball, my scores drastically improved along with the fun I was having.
Cons: I wish there was a camera more like Hot Shots Golf, where you could see the contours and easily rotate the camera and look around. The Fly-by is sufficient, but I wanted more control with the arrow keys or something. I also would have preferred that the putting interface was a hold (to draw the putter back) and release (to hit) interface rather than a double click. It is hard to measure power and distance at first and the cup can be unforgiving.

Graphics: 9/10
Pros: Love the cartoon / handdrawn looking backgrounds. The 3-D engine is very attractive despite its simplicity...Torque consistently pops up in games that impress me visually (see Marble Blast). The crazy boost blasters and bounce pads look great and add to the zany feel. Playing the game sort of feels like you are in some crazy, zany world with wacky & fun physics.
Cons: Some of the polygons and backgrounds outside the hole (monochrome sand) detract from the feel. Safari animals do not fit the visual feel of the game and seem out of place...I was expecting more cartoonish and free-roaming animals.

Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: Music is good, subdued, and well-suited to golf. Noises of the clinking ball are spot on.
Cons: Nothing really stands out as bad, there's just nothing exceptional to warrant above the solid-good range.

Lasting Appeal: 8.5/10
Pros: Game is FUN to play. 3 Courses and a 9-hole tutorial can entertain you for awhile with their multiple modes, wacky design, and ability balls definitely warrant the price of admission. The worldwide rankings and ability to enter a name/password and then collect points really motivates you to keep playing.
Cons: Could definitely have used another course especially since the gameplay is rather quick and you can breeze through one fairly quickly. I would have also liked to see some online matchmaking or head to head.

Average: 85.00%
Tilt: +3.00%

The game is instantly accessible and very enjoyable and when a game is really fun, you always want more of it and really can't hold it against the game. The game delivers in the fun department and that's what's important. TopMeadow definitely deserved the #2 spot for best Sports game of '06. You can learn more about MiniGolf Mania over on their website. Definitely check it out.

Verdict: 88%