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Gaming Pathology

Gaming Pathology

Piles Of Games, Copious Free Time, No Standards

Category: Golf Games

Golf Curse

Posted on October 5, 2007 by Multimedia Mike

Another batch of budget bilge ordered from eBay arrived today. My customary first title of the group is Minigolf: The Game … maybe. It might be Minigolf 2003. Or perhaps just Golf 2003. It depends on which of the 5 companies involved with this game that you ask. This is the kind of game that really causes headaches when it comes to logging its data into MobyGames. As stated, the game mentions no fewer than 5 companies between the packaging and the in-game screens. Further, it contains 3 copyright dates depending on where you look as well as 3 different titles. Which takes precedent?

I am guessing that this game was developed by a non-English-speaking development house, as evidenced by the instructions screen. A portion is shown below and illustrates how the title for the post is derived:


Minigolf -- Poorly spelled instructions

Right off the bat, it’s fair to say that I prefer those 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures games from Taco Bell. This Macromedia Director-based game left me with the impression that the developers had never actually played minigolf, or just don’t grasp what the appeal of the game is. I refer of course to goofy courses. This overhead perspective take on the game is a bit sterile, to say the least:


Minigolf -- gameplay

You can place the ball anywhere in the circle to start. Then you use the mouse to determine the ball’s vector; the force that the ball is hit with is implicitly determined by the length of the line.

You don’t actually play against anyone. You merely play against yourself and must sink the ball in a certain number of strokes. A hole in one is worth 10 points. Each stroke beyond that is worth progressively fewer points: 5, 3, 2, 1 then 0. After the 0-pointer, you are given one more opportunity where the game warns you that you must play for your, ahem, “live”:


Minigolf -- Play or die

Play or die. The game’s final question was not difficult to answer:


Minigolf -- Do you really want to quit?

Posted in Golf Games Windows Games | Leave a comment

Catch-Up

Posted on July 14, 2007 by Multimedia Mike

I spent the day playing catch-up by finally entering into MobyGames a bunch of the games that I reviewed in the past few months (all the way back to April). Have fun, MG approvers!

It was pretty straightforward in some cases, particularly for the 4 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures promotional discs from Taco Bell. The only tricky part is doing the first entry; the remaining 3 are patterned after the first. Here’s a screenshot of the Prairie Dogs course in the wild west theme CD-ROM. There is also an exceptionally large scorpion right at your feet. You would think that would be cause for concern:


3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures -- Prairie dogs and scorpions in the old west

And for completeness, here’s a screenshot for the Carnival adventure, the Loop da Loop course. It took me quite a few strokes to get the ball through that thing the first time I encountered it:


3d-ultra-minigolf-loop.jpg

At MobyGames:

  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Carnival
  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Wild West

See Also:

  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Carnival Archived at Internet Archive
  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Wild West Archived at Internet Archive
Posted in Golf Games The Big Picture | Leave a comment

Taco Bell Minigolf

Posted on June 22, 2007 by Multimedia Mike

Some of the top search terms driving traffic to this little blog deal with games revolving around a certain Mexican delicacy. (I am loathe to name specific search terms as that often has the effect of hijacking traffic from the more relevant page on my blog.) Of course, this is due to this series of games. Googling for the same terms to see what else could possibly be out there, I learned that Taco Bell is involved in another game distribution deal.


3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures -- Title Screen

Included free in Taco Bell kids meals right now is 1 of 4 courses for 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures, a Sierra title that was released in April for the PC and Xbox 360. So, naturally, I was down at my local Taco Bell restaurant to procure all 4 discs, which can be purchased separately from a kids meal for a dollar apiece. I read that the promotion is scheduled to run through June 27 if, for whatever reason, you are motivated to gain possession of your own copies, which come with a number of kids puzzles including a simplified Sudoku puzzle. (Hint: I learned that these types of promotions tend to run at Taco Bell-only establishments vs. the increasingly common combo restaurant; e.g., Taco Bell/KFC combo restaurants are unlikely to feature these games).

This is the first time I have ever played a computer simulation of mini golf. I must say that I am impressed with this particular concept. I appreciate this game in the same way I appreciate outlandish pinball boards in computer pinball sims. Check out the Sly Serpent course:


3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures -- Sly Serpent

The above is the second of 4 holes available on the Lost Island disc. The other 3 discs are named Carnival, Space, and Wild West. The full version of the game claims to feature a full 36 holes. Each of these Taco Bell-distributed CD-ROMs appears to have 4 holes each while the scorecard in each has columns for 9 holes. That would qualify each of these as demo discs. The reason I am hashing this over is that I am trying to understand whether each disc warrants entry into MobyGames.

While I’m trying to figure that out, here’s a screenshot from the Space disc which features the “Two Planets” hole where the hole is on a separate asteroid from the one where you are standing. Creative.


3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures -- Two Planets

Regrettably, these games have no notable Taco Bell tie-in other than the branding on the CD-ROM promotional sleeves. No chalupa or burrito-themed courses.

At MobyGames:

  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Lost Island
  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Space

See Also:

  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Lost Island Archived at Internet Archive
  • 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures: Space Archived at Internet Archive
Posted in Golf Games Sports Games Windows Games | 3 Comments

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