Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour [GC]

Still, for arcadists and Nintendo fans alike, it doesn't get much better than Toadstool Tour and this point seems to be pounded home all the more thanks to the game's fun multiplayer modes, in which up to four players can compete against each other in an alternating fashion. The end result is highly enjoyable, particularly once the fantasy locales are available for competition.

Graphics
Early versions of Mario Golf didn't look promising from a visual standpoint, but believe it or not Camelot has come through: the end product is a pretty, stylized Mario-esque take on the game of golf. From the untraditional stunning FMV sequences, crisp and beautifully animated, to the wide assortment of varied courses, fantasy locales, detailed character models and animation, not to mention solid particle effects, the game is overall a looker. Camelot has even gone the extra mile in some cases. For example, some of the courses are littered in grass with individual blades (we're not talking shader quality, but not bad either) and environments even feature transparent, reflective water. The selection of some 16 characters including everybody from Mario to Waluigi, Donkey Kong and Wario is almost impressive as the models themselves, which all feature distinct, compelling animations. Some of the textures in the game are highly detailed while others come off on the blurry side. On the downside, the camera system occasionally gets in the way and the framerate ever so often hiccups, especially when players attempt to look around the environments. All in all, a stylized golfing experience. Of course, the game runs in progressive scan mode for those with high-definition television sets.

Sound
The audio side of Mario Golf is well done. The game's selection of music is perfectly suited to the environments, a blend of tropical themes and all-around cheery tunes (and one might even recognize a song or two). Meanwhile, every single character in the game comes complete with humorous voice work, including our favorite, the muttering, complaining Waluigi, who never fails to bring a smile to our faces. Players can even taunt their computer-controller or human competition in the game, at which point their selected character will deliver one-liners as their opponent tries to swing in hopes that it throws them off. Gamers with the right stereo setup will also be happy to know that Mario Golf runs in Dolby Pro Logic II, always a plus.

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