Mecarobot Golf (SNES)

Prediction

In real life, I hate sports. I don’t play them, I don’t even watch them on TV. I simply have no interest in them. Sports videogames on the other hand I generally like. And for some reason, my favorite sports games are always the golf games. I’ve never been quite sure why. The only thing I can think of is that I’m a bit of a math nerd, and golf games are about 90% math. The angle and power of the swing, the range of the clubs, the direction of the wind, everything is just a complex math problem.

With that in mind, I couldn’t help but be intrigued when I saw the title Mecarobot Golf while browsing the discount bins. Looking closer at the game, and I see that it was made by Toho, the same Toho that brought the world Godzilla. In my mind, this is going to be a crazy version of golf with Godzilla and giant robots playing golf in the ruined remains of a city after some giant monster fight. I’m sure I’m going to be sadly disappointed, because such a game is just too awesome to actually exist.

Gameplay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not mentioned in game, but I can’t help but relay this game’s back story. Or at least what the wiki page says the story is. In the near future, humanoid robots are being discriminated against as second class citizens. This brings us to Eagle, a robot specifically built to play golf better than any human, who is being discriminated against and blocked from playing professional golf. After a rich benefactor purchases Eagle, and builds him his own golf course to practice on, he is finally given a chance to prove himself. That’s where you come in, as the representative of the human race, you need to play against and beat Eagle to prove the superiority of humans. Spoiler Alert It doesn’t end well for the human race!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After registering your name, and picking your clubs, the game plays out just like any other golf game. There are a couple modes of play, as well as lessons, but for the sake of this review I’m just going to dive right in a play as much of a competition as I can against Eagle in 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as gameplay goes, everything is pretty typical for a golf game, with the exception that your opponent is a robot. You pick your club, aim your shot, and swing. Like with most golf games, the swing mechanic is a power gauge with a sliding bar on it. You need to stop the bar at the desired power, and then stop it again to make contact with the ball. The speed varies depending on the club, but I felt the longest driving club was just a little too fast. Also it seemed unresponsive when I tried to make contact with the ball, though maybe my controller is just dying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hazards on the course are also the typical things you would expect. There are trees everywhere that you have to avoid hitting. Sand pits positioned right around the green. Even the water hazards with their satisfying splash when you knock a ball into them. Once again, if your opponent wasn’t a robot, you’d just be playing a regular game of golf at some country club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In all truth, this might even be considered a stripped down version of a golf game. During play, I didn’t even notice the wind indicator. I didn’t see it until I started gathering pictures for the article. So clearly the wind has little to no actual impact on the balls trajectory. The aiming of the ball is also limited, allowing you to rotate in increments rather than a full sliding scale. Then the final challenge of putting seems to lack any sort of variation in elevation. Perhaps the shading of the ground is some subtle hint to elevation, but it didn’t seem to actually effect how the ball rolled.

Verdict

From what I played, there isn’t anything particularly bad about this game, but it doesn’t excel at anything either. With a title like Mecarobot Golf, I was expecting at least SOMETHING beyond the usual country club golf course. Sadly that isn’t the case. In the end it’s just another generic golf game.

Price – $4.50

For the price, it’s not that bad of a deal.

Fun Rating – 6 / 10

I like golf games, but this one just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was my controller, but the 2nd input for the swing missed more often than I would have liked, resulting in a terrible score for me. Then nothing about the game was particularly special or innovative. At best it was forgettable, but at worst it was frustrating and leaning towards broken.

Play Again? – Maybe

There are a few other modes of play, maybe one of them will bring something interesting to the mix.

Total Deaths – 0 Deaths. (17 strokes over par by the 6th hole)

As I’ve mentioned, I missed the ball more often than I would have liked. Had I hit the ball every time, I would have only been about 3 over par.

I’m not sure what this scene adds to the game.

 

I hope you enjoyed this 30 Minute Review of Mecarobot Golf. If you did, like and follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Also leave your comments, suggestions, and recommendations. If you’re feeling real generous, you can even Donate to help me keep the site going. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time.