Image via Wikipedia

There haven’t been many golf games that have really tested the boundaries of what someone expects of a golf game. The most realistic offering is of course the Tiger Woods series golf game that has dominated the golfing genre way back since 1999.

But other than that, where is a competitor to EA’s offering, where is the Pro Evolution Soccer equivalent? Or to aim slightly higher, where is the Call of Duty to EA’s Battlefield series? There hasn’t been many golf games, perhaps due to a fading interest or an experience that is not easily replicable on the home console.

There may be many reasons as to why the popularity is so small compared to other sports games, but with each instalment of Tiger Woods, the sales are increased. This is going to be due to the better control, graphics and overall experience of the game capturing many more people that are either golf enthusiasts or have a fleeting interest in the game.

With a shift to a more accessible format but without falling short on the gameplay technicalities there is an opportunity for the major developers to make a fun golfing game that offers more than the one stroke at a time, turn taking bore-fest that golf games can feel like.

The Wii has obviously gone some way to making the whole experience more enjoyable, as you have much more of an interaction with the game itself.

Alternative Golfing Games

There have been other golfing games, none of real note to be able to truly compete on a gameplay level with Tiger woods, especially when you look at the cringe worthy Outlaw Golf and Everybody’s Golf (a game where golf is as good as the grammar “Everybody’s Golf”, really?!?).

On the horizon there are games that are choosing to challenge the traditional aspect of golfing games, none more so than “Ghetto Golf” a mixture of gun crime and golf that is perfect for those players that have always wanted to wield an Uzi with their 9 iron, ever since it was a weapon on GTA: San Andreas.

The golf game is pretty accurate of the activity itself in my opinion, but I do quite like a game of ‘skins’ around a virtual course, especially when there are bragging rights available. Just creating a game that is bit more fun for the party atmosphere. The Wii does do well at this but there are some gameplay elements that just make it annoying to play.

We need the Guitar Hero version of Golfing, Golf Hero, you heard it here first!

Andy is a golf enthusiast working for PureDrive Batteries, a leading retailer of 12v AGM Batteries, he is also particularly interest in video games and would like the industry to be a little more competitive with some more games.