Tag: Golf »

Let's Golf 3 isn't so much a game as much as it is a business model. Playing it, it is quite clear that this was meant to be a way to turn a golf game into a freemium game.

What is there to say about golf games that hasn't been said before? Let's Golf 3's golf gameplay isn't anything out of the ordinary; courses take place on some outlandish and nontraditional courses, such as the moon, but otherwise this is standard golfing fare. What makes Let's Golf 3 different is that it is a freemium golf game. Players get money and experience for completing holes, which they can use to enhance their golfer's stats and to buy new accessories that are both cosmetic and performance-enhancing.

The game is a decent round at the links; the tried-and-true three click system that has been in golf games since time immemorial is here and it works well, with the ability to apply to spin to the ball in midair. The game also has live online multiplayer where players can earn money and experience against other players. Interestingly, all players play the same hole simultaneously instead of taking turns like in traditional golf games, with a reasonable time limit that pops up when the first player finishes the hole. This way, players can take their time, but those looking to troll by doing nothing just simply cannot.

The freemium elements of Let's Golf 3 are the problem, because of how blatant they are. The best free-to-play games make the player feel like paying is truly optional. Let's Golf 3 never pretends that it isn't anything but trying to make money. From anywhere in the menu, options to buy more coins, bucks (the game's in-app credits), and experience are easily accessible. While bucks are occasionally given out in-game, there are plenty of items that are only available with massive amounts of bucks - in this case, I mean both kinds.

The most noxious element of Let's Golf freemium hooks is the energy meter. Players can only play holes as long as they have energy charged up, which is slowly restored over time, or can be conveniently bought with the in-app credits. Without it, the game can't be played at all. Even multiplayer matches require a certain amount of energy to play, depending on the setup of the game. The problem with this whole energy element is that it actively discourages playing the game! I can understand limiting a player's progress without some kind of energy, but blocking off the ability to play at all? That is just foul. Eliminate Pro, one of the first games to use this kind of energy system handled it very well, as it allowed players to play without energy, just not to get any experience or money without having it. Why can't this game do the same? I understand the reason for going free-to-play, and I understand that Gameloft is a business and they need to make money, but surely all the other enticements to pay are enough?

In short, if Let's Golf 3 doesn't want me to play it, why should I? I'd rather play a golf game that's there for me whenever I want to. I'd recommend one of the previous Let's Golf games to play instead of this, but it appears as if Gameloft has pulled them from the App Store so golf fans would have to play this. It's a shame, because the RPG elements and online multiplayer have incredible potential. I just can't play it. So I won't.

There's one disadvantage to real golf as compared to video game golf, besides the latter being a thousand times easier. Virtual golf makes it easy to know how far a shot went. Why, if we wanted to do that in real life, we'd all have to carry around pocket-sized screens with chips that could tell us our current location by connecting to satellites. Then, the device would have to be programmed with an application that could determine the distance between where the shot was taken from and where it landed. As far as I know, no such technology and no such application exist. Such a shame.

Wait a second. What about these new-fangled iPhones people have? Surely they could be capable of something like this. But what about the application? Well, there's now an application called Caddy Track Pro that allows users to tap when they take a shot, and tap when they reach its landing point to determine how far it went. It can track data for a golfer's individual club, track stats for average distance and longest drives, and send a spreadsheet of that data via email. This app is apparently available on the App Store right now!

What a world!

Golf is one of those wonderfully frustrating sports that can take you from glee to tears - or elation to frustration - in a matter of a single stroke.  Though I am a crummy golfer at best, I have seen many a man become victim to the course and eventually their own psyche.  That is the beauty of the sport; many would say it is just as much mental as it is physical, because it is based on perfecting a set of motions and duplicating them consistently, time after time.  This is why I am such a mediocre golfer, my complete and total lack of consistency and a level of focus that rivals a chipmunk.

So what can you do to improve bad form or lack of training?  While some would sink immense amounts of time and absurd volumes of money on lessons with a golf pro, I don't make enough money for that to seem even remotely feasible.  Fortunately, the new app iSlice will help you perfect your form either on and off the links, no down payment required.  The software is so effective that it has even landed a pseudo-celebrity endorsement!

“Duncan is one of the best young coaches in Australia, he has had great success teaching golfers of all abilities and now brings this expertise to the iPhone to help fix your slice. The most critical component for teaching success is for the student to be able to feel the correct moves, by practicing with your iPhone you will finally know what the Pros feel like” -- Neil Simpson, Head Professional and Coach to US PGA Tour Player Nick O’Hern

Combining both the instructional videos included with the app and the tools that the software provides, you will be making a dramatic step towards improving your game exponentially.  I must say that a product like this might make me consider going out for a few rounds in the spring, well as long as I can practice with iSlice until then.  Unfortunately there isn't an automatic mulligan app, because it would take something ridiculously expensive to undo the massive amount of suck that my game possess.

I'll leave you with a sample of one of the video tutorials.  Do you think something like this could work for you?

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With Tiger Woods fresh off his 7 over par, first round performance at the J.P. McManus Invitational Pro-Am in Ireland, it's about time to start thinking about The Open Championship. St. Andrews, the Home of Golf and Cobra Mobile are releasing today the first golf game on the iPhone based on the famed St. Andrews golf course, where you can go out and relentlessly beat Tiger Woods score... over and over again.

The Old Course is complete with a "unique top down touch-and-swipe controls, beautiful graphics and addictive game-play" as well as a bluetooth multiplayer system for you to take on your friends. As you'll see from the screenshots, it's not exactly on the same "you are the player" level as Tiger Woods for the iPhone, but with some standout gameplay, it could be an entertaining experience.

The game went live today for 99 cents. Check out some more screenshots after the break.