Nerdicus NES Review #58 : Bandai Golf - Challenge Pebble Beach

Title : Bandai Golf Challenge Pebble Beach

Publisher : Bandai

Genre : Golf

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $3-$5

Let's get this fact perfectly clear. I am bad at golf. Sure, I go to the driving but I'm also a self taught hack. I slice with a driver a good 100 yards to the right. If you think about it, if you take into the slice compensation, I'd probably be driving a consistent 300 yards with a decent driver. But, nope. My stance is wrong. My swing is awful. And I'd much rather be playing at a mini golf course. Unless of course you're talking about stress relief, then a driving range is the way to go.

Anyway, this is a video game about golf. I've always hated golf games. They just bore the hell out of me. All of them except MARIO GOLF. What can I say, Nintendo makes things more enjoyable by adding kiddy elements. So lets get this over with and play some Pebble Beach Golf. Bring on the surf, sun, and sand traps.

So I popped this game in, and uh....yeah. This is one of those golf games that confuses the hell out of me with the layout. I'm not too familiar with the rules in general, so I already knew this was going to be a bad idea. I know the basics. Par. Bogey. Eagle. Irons. Wedges...all those good golf terms, ha. But this game takes a LOT of that into account. You really need to know your golf if you want to do well in this game.

The confusing aspect is learning how to just go through the motions. Examining the course, checking the wind speeds, switching your club, correcting your swing. It's pretty damn complicated for an NES golf game. I know they were trying to make it true to life, but damn. I bet your more knowledgeable golfer would appreciate it more, but me. I'm just confused. Let me smack the ball around and be done with it.

So after around 80 strokes on a par 3, I finally make it to the hole. You might as well give me another 80 strokes, because that's how long it's going to take for me to get it in. Cue the Happy Gilmore quotes. GO TO YOUR HOME. ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME!?

For some reason though, I kept on playing the game after the first hole and ironically enough, I got better. A lot better. I was understanding the basics, figuring out what club to use, how to angle my shots. Holy crap, I was actually close to making par. THE GAME WAS BECOMING ADDICTIVE.

And honestly, it's not that bad once you play more and more of it. Sure it's not pretty and it's no modern Tiger Woods game, but it has its shining moments. Still, confusing as hell if you don't know golf terminology lol.

That's right. You don't get much better than a triple bogey. I am a golf legend.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!