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Links 2001 Review
Gary King
00/12/0000
Links 2001
Tested on: Athlon 650
Windows 2000
128MB RAM
Full Install
32MB GeForce, 6.18 drivers
Minimum Req.
System: Pentium II 266
Windows 95/98/ME/2000
48MB RAM (95/98/ME), 64MB (2000)
250MB Hard Drive space
4MB video card
Links 2001 is here, and offers the best portrayal of golf available for PCs. Microsoft calls it the "most comprehensive upgrade to the series" ever, offering an entirely new 3D graphics engine, 6 extremely accurately designed courses (with centimeter-correct greens), superb ball physics, 35 modes of play, online tournaments, stat tracking, highly customizable players and AI, and even a course designer.
Gameplay is identical to almost all recent golf simulations - set up your shot, choose a club, and swing. Links offers 3 different swing types, include the 2 or 3-click "Classic" meter, and a "Pro-Swing" meter that models your golfer's swing after your own mouse movements. Despite some cosmetic adjustments to the golf meter, there are very few differences between Links 2001 and any other golf simulation on the market.
Graphically, Links 2001 is a mixed bag. The courses themselves are impeccably designed, and the background scenery on many holes is just beautiful - the Chateau Whistler's first hole looked more like a post card than a video game. Thanks to the power of the new graphics engine, the designers were really able to capture each and every tree, shrub, and rock with stunning detail. If you can't afford to fly around the world to play the courses for yourself, Links 2001 is the best representation of them available for PC. Unfortunately, not all is well with the new engine. Because the course is rendered as a still image, the game is very lifeless - the trees don't sway in the wind, there are no waves in the water, and very few animated elements populate the screen at all... occasionally a few birds will fly by, but it always seems that the only person on the course is you. Additionally, there are quite a few visible jaggies on the course, which are particularly visible at the borders between turf types. Also, some of the textures (especially the rough) seem muddy and undefined. For a game that prerenders the background image, it would be nice if there were no flaws in it. Finally, when I was playing this game with 3D acceleration, the game crashed on me several times. By disabling 3D acceleration, the game was not only completely stable, but also seemed to redraw faster. I have no idea why the courses would redraw faster with 3D acceleration disabled; however, for those of you with 3D cards, try running the game both ways, rather than simply enabling 3D acceleration immediately.
Sound wise, Links 2001 does away with the announcer in Links 2000, which hurts more than it helps. The sounds are extremely clear; however, the golfers all speak with monotone voices, which contributes to the overall feeling of lifelessness. I have never been to a golf course where I was the only person playing - it would be nice if future installments in the series would work on fixing this sensation, as opposed to incrementally improving ball physics.
However, where Links really does shine is its replayability. In addition to numerous player customizations (you can create a virtual golfer with abilities similar to your own, change the computer's AI, change the voices and vocabulary, etc.), there are 35 different ways to play, including Stroke, Match, Skins, and many team-based variations on traditional games. If the included games aren't enough, Links allows you to create your own modes of play. Up to 8 human or computer-controlled players can compete on the same system or you can compete against other people on-line. Each player has independently tracked stats, so you can monitor your own progress in the game. Finally, Links includes the best addition ever to a golf game: the Arnold Palmer Course Designer. This is the same tool that the developers used to create the included courses, making it extremely powerful and versatile. It does have a bit of a learning curve; however, for those of you with a bit of spare time and a fantasy golf course in mind, Links 2001 will let you realize your dream for less than the cost of a round at Pebble Beach.
Comments
Personally, I tend to prefer exaggerated golf games such as Hot Shots Golf to the more methodical simulations such as Links; however, if you are an avid golf aficionado, the included course designer makes Links worth more than its $55 retail price. For such a largely changed game, Links weathers the transition fairly well, and many of the changes are for the better.
