NES Open 1991 By: Nintendo

Overview:

NES Open is a pretty fun golf game. The graphics look very good for one of the early eight-bit systems. The sounds are pleasant and there isn't a whole lot of distracting background music. The controls were easy to learn, but they seemed a little slow. It's very hard to get the swing meter to stop where you want it to. The gameplay has several variations that give it good variety. There are also a lot of little details that made the gameplay feel like playing golf for real. If you like golf games, this is good for killing a few hours.

Directions:

Choose one or two players. The first player will always be Mario, and if there is a second player, he will be Luigi. You can play golf in stroke play, match play, or tournament play. Stroke play just counts your strokes and you try to get the least amount you can, and can be played in two player mode. Match play can be played against Luigi or a few others, or in two player mode. Match play is played hole-by-hole, either someone wins the hole and is awarded a point, or it's a tie and you move on to the next hole. The person with the most points at the end wins. Tournament play is played against several golfers in stroke play, and is only available to one player mode. At the end of 18 or 36 holes, the person with the fewest strokes wins. While playing, you first must decide where you want your golfer to aim. Decide this based on the direction of the wind, and where you want the ball to land on the fairway. Then, you must decide which club to use. Use the club that has a max distance close to the distance you want to hit the ball. Next you will have to decide where you want to make contact with the ball. If you make contact with the bottom of the ball, the ball will have a higher trajectory and have backspin on it when it lands. If you make contact with the top of the ball, it will have a lower trajectory and have topspin on it. After that, it will be time to actually swing. Push the button to start the meter, again to stop it for power, and again to stop it for accuracy. Stopping it all the way on the left will ensure maximum power. Stopping the meter right back on the line where it started will ensure accuracy. Stopping it early off the line will cause a slice, while late will cause a hooked shot. While putting, you will not have to stop the meter the second time, you just have to stop it once for power. There are three courses to choose from, but none of them are based on real courses, they were just made up for the game.