Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights Erik's
Favorite Disney Things Week:
Disney Golf
Developed by:
T&E SOFT Inc.
System:
PlayStation 2

This week, we
are celebrating everything that
Who's Who Wednesday writer Erik
Anderson loves in the Disney
universe! It is a week that
already showed us the joys of a
bountiful Hawaiian feast and
Hidden Mickey's in an exotic
bazaar in Adventureland! Now, we
are digesting the feast and
taking a break from all the
adventure for a nice, relaxing
game of golf... Disney style!
Today we are taking a look at
Erik's favorite Disney game, the
appropriately titled Disney
Golf, originally released for
the PlayStation 2 on October 17,
2002!
In developing a
Disney game, video game
companies often take ideas done
by other companies, and create
the Disney version of it,
slightly altering to fit the
needs and expectations of the
Disney fan. While that may sound
like a cynical thing to do, it
is a very common practice in the
video game industry. Such is the
case with Nintendo. They have
perfected the art of taking a
game idea and creating the Super
Mario Bros version of it. Out of
that practice we have received
some of the best sports games
ever released, like Mario Golf
and Mario Tennis. The key
element is to utilize the
franchise's appeal and ideas to
further enhance the gameplay
concepts, and also make it
appealing towards families as
well as players who may not be
interested in sports, yet still
make it deep enough for fans of
the genre to invest time on.

Disney Golf sets
out to do the same thing, but
under the Disney name. The game
was developed by a Japanese
company named T&E SOFT Inc, who
have had previous experiences in
the video golf genre with the
Everyone's Golf series. Gameplay
wise, the rules of golf still
apply to the Disney version. The
objective of the game is to
complete the course in as less
swings as possible, avoiding
sand traps, making note of the
speed and direction of the wind,
and applying the right amount of
strength onto your swing. You'll
partake in various tournaments
that take place around various
fictional courses, each with
their own obstacles and layouts
that affect where the ball lands
after being hit. Completion of
these tournaments nets
unlockables such as new courses
to play in as well as
characters.
And speaking of
characters, it wouldn't be a
Disney game without the
appearance of Disney characters!
Characters from the Mickey and
friends universe take over the
playable character roster. Much
like in Nintendo's Mario sports
series, each character is ranked
under a different category, such
as Normal (the character's
skills are average), Power (the
character has great strength),
Skill (the character can pull
off great shots) and even a Kids
mode where younger players can
understand the game better. This
is important as their
performance can affect the
outcome of the game, and when
the courses become trickier, you
will need to use the characters
to the best of your abilities.
As simple as this may seem, it
adds some depth to the gameplay
while still retaining the
appealing Disney charm. Donald
Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pete,
and even Morty (Mickey's nephew)
and Professor Ludwig Von Drake
make appearances in the game!

Disney Golf,
however, has one peculiar
element that makes it stand out
from other Disney sports games,
and that is the absence of
Mickey Mouse as a playable
character! That's right, Disney
Golf is one of the few Disney
games in which Mickey is not a
playable character. Instead, he
is the narrator for the game,
offering advice on bettering
your golf game. The decision is
an odd one, but it does feel
nice to have Mickey be the one
to guide you through the game.
Presentation is
something Disney Golf excels at.
It being a Disney property, the
quality of the animation is top
notch. The characters are nicely
modeled in 3D, and express a
wide range of emotions depending
on how they are performing on
the course. So expect Donald to
get angry when he gets a double
bogey, or for Minnie to cheer
when she lands a hole in one.
This is also thanks to the
performances brought by the
official voice actors, including
the late Wayne Allwine serving
as our narrator for the game.
The courses themselves also look
nice and feature really nice
touches such as castles off in
the distance. Needless to say,
Disney Golf is a game brimming
with a ton of charming
personality.
Disney Golf is a
very fun golf game that has the
depth of the actual sport, but
with the Disney charm everyone
loves. Young and adult alike can
get a lot out of the game, and
even if Mickey is just a
narrator in this game, the usage
of the classic Disney characters
is great. If you love golf and
Disney, don't hesitate to pick
up a copy!