Swing Away Golf

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004W4VH
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 18, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,077 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #14 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Sports > Golf

Product Description

GameSpot Review

"It's only a golf game. It's only a golf game." Keep chanting that, because prolonged exposure to T&E Soft's Swing Away Golf (called Golf Paradise in Japan) will make your friends think you have gone off the deep end. With a development team populated by the same folks who created Hot Shots Golf, the game features more of what golf fans have come to expect: more courses, more clubs, more match types, more upgrades, and more secrets than you can shake a club at.

Seconds after powering up the game, you have access to your choice of seven golfers and a few basic play options: tutorial, one on one stroke play, and tournament play. You can view your trophies, clubs, and prize winnings also, but without earning a few accoutrements, these menu items are better left for future perusal. With the depth of gameplay in Swing Away Golf, sitting through the tutorial is a good idea. You'll have to master club choice, stance, aiming, putting, pitching, wind resistance, slice, and a litany of other golf nuances. The most important of these facets has to do with the swing meter, a curvy dial of devastation that replaces Hot Shots' stripe indicator. Links and PGA players will know it well. For power, press the button to increase the meter along the dial and press again to stop on the desired distance level. For accuracy, let the meter fall and press the button when it's in one of the curve's three zones. If you're too early, the shot will land a few yards short. If you're too late, the shot will overshoot the suggested mark or die mere yards from where you stand. Though the prospect of gaining such knowledge is daunting, the developers of Swing Away Golf have encased the game with plenty of quirky characters and interwoven plot points. It is the unspoken successor to Hot Shots 2 after all, so it has to be somewhat entertaining.

Initially, the difficulty level seems high, but after an hour or so, the learning curve drops greatly - especially due to your ability to power-up your player. A few minor qualms exist with the difficulty of driving the ball, but the importance of this will vary from person to person. Deepening the game's replay value, success in competition modes can unlock a variety of secrets, such as new clubs, hidden players, more courses, skill points, and extra game modes. Furthermore, since all ten of the game's characters vary in innate skills and personalities, there's even an incentive to try out every golfer. Combine this with four-player capability, a random course generator, and comprehensive month-by-month stat tracking, and Swing Away Golf might be the best semisimulation of golf ever executed.Visually, Swing Away Golf makes ample use of the PS2's graphical capabilities. Ponds and water hazards undulate and ripple as if the wind were really affecting them. Leaves and trees blow softly, while the flag on the pin sways ever so slightly in the breeze. Though the cut of the grass and location of tree hazards are present on the course map, the game's sheer graphical crispness makes them visible from the play screen as well. For a closer look, the dual shock analog sticks allow real-time panning and zooming across the course. The game's visuals even enhance the gameplay, as the putting graph adds a high level of control vs. Hot Shots 2's lackluster putting experience. Wrapping it up, the superdeformed character models are well drawn and amusingly animated, and they flow as freely as 60 frames per second allows. While no single graphical nuance is strikingly impressive, the game's overall production values are exceptional.

Truthfully, it almost feels traitorous to find a drawback to any aspect of Swing Away Golf, but if there is a complaint to be found, it's in the sound. Background music is fittingly serene, but there's just not enough variety to it. Sure, each mode has a couple background tunes, but considering that your average golf match takes around 30 minutes, any single song gets old quickly. On the other hand, sound effects are plentiful, crisp, and dripping with quality. From the unmistakable sound of graphite clubs striking a golf ball to the ball rattling in the tin cup, Swing Away Golf is a foley lover's treat. Additionally, the game also features a good hour or two of digitized speech, mainly from a play-by-play commentator and the various opponents you'll encounter. Indeed, few moments go by when you're not either being complimented or razzed by someone.

All totaled, Swing Away Golf is a game whose features and execution could barely be explained by a book, let alone by a review. T&E Soft has delivered a winner of a game for both golf fanatics and casual gamers alike. Though it couldn't hurt, becoming a pro isn't required in Swing Away Golf, and, as such, access to the game's quirky cast and various play modes is available to most audiences. For many, golf is boring and lacking in entertainment value. Swing Away Golf, though, is both exciting and entertaining, while at the same time it doesn't rob gamers of a decent simulation experience.--Frank Provo--Copyright © 2000 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A better-than-average game, November 30, 2000

By 

Clifford Simpkins (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swing Away Golf (Video Game)

To be honest, I bought the game because I was getting tired of playing Tekken and all the other games I'm interested in are not being released until January. I was a big fan of Hot Shot golf and thought it might be nice to get a golf game for the PS2.

The game is fun - very fun, I think. It was extremely difficult getting used to at first; there is a very sharp learning curve initially because the documentation on simply "how to play" just isn't in the game - neither in the books nor during the "lessons". However, once you get the hang of the controls the game becomes quite enjoyable and mildly addicting. After about a week of recreational play (I typically play for about 45 mins until my wife tells me it's time to eat/clean/"do something constructive"), the learning curve completely disappears and it becomes almost overly easy. However, the 'Gran Turismo'-esque simulation mode is quite addictive...I would definitely recommend it.

Pros: Fun interface without being cute, lots of replay value, a LOT of different multi-player capabilities (typical stroke and match play, but also skins, sudden-death, long-drive, and betting capability), the course generator builds completely new courses ON THE FLY (adds TONS to replay value), and the weather pattern will actually change during course play (not just between holes, but between strokes on a hole...adds some new challenge). Scenery, weather, water...awesome!

Cons: The game does not explain itself well (I still don't know what "H/S" means on one of the 'rating' charts) at all and the in-game characters can get really annoying when you're not doing well. The caddies kinda stink (but the only game with caddies I liked was 'Hot Shots (1)') and the bgm music is vry limited (read as beat your head against the wall repetative).

All in all, a much better than average golf game for a console. Fun for friends and wives, and for people who aren't golf fanatics IRL (I'm not and many of my friends aren't, but the ones who are really enjoy the game as well). And even though the interface is clunky at first, it's quite enjoyable after you beat the learning curve out. IMHO, three things keep it from being a five-star: bgm music, ingame character attitude, and explanation of what-the-heck some of the stuff in the game means. I hope you enjoy, I did...well worth the [price].

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enough Already!!, January 27, 2001

By 

"byff2" (Plains, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing Away Golf (Video Game)

Enough already! Yes, the caddies are annoying, but only if you ...! Seriously, there's an awful lot of chatter and the load times (especially when generating a course) seem slow for all of the vaunted speed of the PS2. Those things aside (and they truly are minor given the overall quality of the game) This is a great golf game! Lot's of depth of play, so many different types of tournaments and contests to play in story mode that it's fun for one person to develop their own character or invite over some buddies, drink some beer and PLAY GOLF! If you've played a video golf game in the last 10 years you'll be able to pick up on the swing system inside of 18 holes, not to mention some great tutorials that allow not-so-experienced players to get up to speed quickly. A great addition to your PS2 library. FORE!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Horribly slow loading actually a good thing..., January 2, 2001

By 

C. Bijalba "rouge on azgalor" (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swing Away Golf (Video Game)

I loved Hot Shots 1, Hot Shots 2 was not by the same company and the putting in it was rather awful... so now T&E Soft is back (after working on mario golf?) and here is what they have to offer.

First off, the loading time is horrible. The "slow motion of all the shots" and etc. can be abated by holding down X on the gamepad... it just makes me wonder why this isn't the default mode. The only other nauseating thing about the game is the timing of the swings. It is illogical that the speeds of the swings change depending on your club... the timing should all be rather similar as in the other games, this in my mind is not an improvement.

That being said: the horrible 30-45 min game you are forced to sit through when playing with a computer opponent is actually a good thing, it makes you pace your games. Each stroke is important, as you are making a time investment: approximately 1-2 minutes between your own hits if you are taking turns with the cpu. This, and, the replayability by sitting there, vegging out and playing forever is nil. You are forced to play the game over weeks and months... There are many stats (hooray!) as well as items to unlock like gloves, bags, etc.

As far as the sound issue, be real about it! There has never been any sports game with an announcer, coach, caddie, etc. that didn't get nauseating after a few plays... just turn the sound off or down if you don't like it.

The physics seem phony at times, too. The drives actually bounce and roll quite nicely, but short range chip shots are a pain...

Also, be aware that everything in the game *is* possible after getting the right gear by winning or purchasing.

There are still the problems with goofy putting physics and par 5 holes which are just eagle fodder even at the lowest gear/skill rating, but this is simply the best golfing game in terms of stats, options, skills, and "story" that there is.