Real World Golf review

So much for that "if this were real golf, I'd stomp you" excuse...

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Incredibly easy to learn

  • +

    Realistic ball and club action

  • +

    Great for groups

Cons

  • -

    Looks terrible

  • -

    sounds bare

  • -

    Putting is rough

  • -

    Few game modes

  • -

    no online

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The first time you get a look at this golf game's controller, you just have to snicker. It's not the main unit, which sits unassumingly on the floor like a box of Oreos or the amp from a car stereo, and it's not the single, giant button that plugs into the main unit, so you can tap it with your foot. No, it's the gloves - those crazy, fingerless Velcro gloves, each of which is tethered to the main unit by a long, retractable string that clips onto the glove's underside, leaving your hands free to swing a foot-long plastic golf club toward the screen every time you want to tee off. It's the video gamer's equivalent of clown shoes.

The thing is, it also works remarkably well. No matter how good other, competing golf games are (and there are indeed several great ones), they never really do a good job of simulating the actual act of swinging the golf club. That's not a problem with Real World Golf. You simply put on the gloves, grab a "club" - basically anything you can grip, from the little fake club that comes in the package to a real 8-iron (if you've got the space) or even a bottle of bourbon - and start golfing.

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionThis incredibly user-friendly golf game may be the most fun you can have at a bachelor party without endangering the groom's marriage.
PlatformPS2, Xbox, PC
US censor ratingEveryone
Release date11 April 2006 (US), 11 April 2006 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.
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