We Love Golf! (Wii, 2008)

Golf is definitely an addiction of mine. I've played the real thing for 20 years and have owned just about every single golf game ever made for Nintendo since then. I can say that what this game has in graphics and variety, it lacks in challenge...

POSITIVES:
+ BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS - almost like playing an arcade game. Colorful backgrounds and effects with fun, exciting voices. Characters are Capcom-ish in nature and very likeable.

+ ONLINE PLAY - while the holes you play are randomized, you can take on anyone around the world in a 9 hole match play. It keeps track of you wins-losses for a nice replay incentive. Never-ending fun!

+ LOTS TO UNLOCK - You only start off with 4 players and two courses. But, with some easy wins, you can unlock more characters, upgrades, and nearly a dozen different courses to play.

+ UNIQUE MECHANICS - You could see this as a negative or positive. The way that you swing the club is a strange backswing-wait-forwardswing-kind of action. It's a bit tricky to comprehend at first, but is very forgiving (at least at first).

+ VARIETY - If tournaments aren't your thing, you can also play Ring Shot, Closest to the Pin, even a 18-hole putting contest. There's plenty to do to keep you from getting bored - hours and hours of enjoyment.

NEGATIVES:

- VERY EASY - My main beef with We Love Golf is that it's unbelievably easy! I won the first 5 tournaments the first time I competed (some, by as much as 20 strokes). Now granted, I'm a video golf junkie, but a lot of the thinking (mental aspect) of the game is done for you. Leading to very low scores and a lot of leeway for arrogant shots. Also, the greens are surprisingly flat, leaving few 3-putts, even from 100+ feet. And, the weaker characters have a VERY forgiving swing (meaning you could be well off-center and still keep the ball near the green/fairway).

- TEPID COURSES - A very minor problem is that even though there are lots of courses to play, few of them are very memorable. Each has its own theme, but few stick in my memory as very unique. But again, there's so much variety that this won't be a big problem.

CONCLUSION:
This is the perfect golf game for you or your friends if you are new to the video golf regime or just want to have a lot of fun. It's easy to learn and takes a lot of the excessive mathematics (thinking) out of real golf. For those hardcore golfers who are looking for a challenge or a more true-to-life feel for golf, you can stick with Tiger Woods '08/'09.