Review: Everybody's Golf 5 (PS3)

Five years into the so-called "next gen", there still remains an important question to be answered- just what exactly is a "next gen" title? How is it defined? By being delivered via modern web-distribution models, by featuring advanced physics technology, even by inventive control methods, such as those found on the Nintendo Wii? Only on that most superficial, fanboy favourite of levels, "awesome graphics", should Everybody's Golf 5 qualify, being closer to previous Everybodys Golf games than any of the latest Tiger Woods titles on paper. Such idle theorising is to miss the point- EG5 is an immaculately created and brilliant game, worthy in the PS3 line-up alongside the likes of Warhawk and Resistance.

Naturally this will be written off as utter madness- with neither guns, cars nor explosions, there's little place for individually modelled parts whizzing off the buggy or particulate explosions when your ball lands in the rough. The real advances are less superficial. Hard-drive supported loading cuts down waiting (once the gigantic 5GB install completes that is); enhanced online play makes competition a breeze; and the crisp, beautifully-rendered graphics are far more than eye-candy. While the ubiquitous terrain-displaying grids remain to give a clearer lie of the land, the fidelity of the visuals undoubtedly make getting a grip on where your ball will roll to easier.

Such as the technological improvements are, the most fundamental change is again apparently insignificant. The power-bar based club-swinging system- in use in every golf game of note bar recent Tiger Woods outings- has been replaced with hitting buttons to control your golfer's swing. While functionally identical to the power bar, with three button presses starting, powering up and completing the swing, the new system injects a degree of uncertainty into proceedings, with the correct point at which to stop the upswing varying from club to club. Far from proving an irritating vagueness, the inability to precisely judge shots makes learning your club-bag more rewarding and encourages players to hedge their bets, rather than belt the ball onto the green in one hit.

The putting game, too, is also greatly improved by the alternative swing system, but perhaps not as successfully. A beeping cue informs when the swing hits 25, 50 and 75%, and a "ghost ball" slides up the green to indicate how far the ball would potentially travel. Both aids are admittedly crutches. Without them, it's hard to see how anyone could judge the appropriate power without length trial and error or reverting to ye olde hit barre, and it is a testament to the appeal of the new swing system that the visual and audio cues don't feel like an unfair trade-off. Accessibility is, quite literally, the name of the game.

Whether or not much of the title's charm will transfer over to the inevitable US and European localisation jobs is open to debate; as it stands what's on show has little in common with Western golf titles, and is perhaps the more refreshing for it. The moderately fantastic setting allows for some creative liberties to be taken, from isolated island courses to the occasional piece of wildlife merrily tottering about the course. Left to its own devices while the player thinks through a shot, the game will merrily pan around the course, trees blowing in the wind, your suitably stylised caddy's skirt billowing merrily about her legs. It's incredibly relaxing to watch.

Conversely, EG5's biggest addition, online multiplayer, is rather frantic, though continues the theme of being a singularly Japanese piece of design. A suitablely cute avatar has to be made from the options available- a number of selections are unlocked to begin with, though substantially more are release by playing the single-player Stroke Play mode- and then the player is dropped, having selected a server and lobby, into a bathhouse, hotel or similar. While it's certainly not the easiest way to get into a match- there's no option to quick-select tournament types, for instance- it is a substantially more charming way of getting together with friends for a game. Chatting and joining tournaments and matches are a given, but the environments provide plenty of fun in themselves, with hidden areas to find, slides and banisters to race down, and beds to nap in.

The absence of voice chat and the limited text input make banter a challenge, but finding a match is relatively straightforward- and once a tournament or versus game has been arranged and entered (substantial patching since release having widened the play modes somewhat), it's all business. Relatively strict limits prevent dallying when taking shots, combined with the obscene amount of competition online keeps the pressure up. Course and club knowledge must be instinctive to stand any chance of challenging the kind of players who regularly end a nine-hole warm-up fifteen under par. Still, at any level of playing ability, it's very likely that there will be a player on the same level as you, and fighting to get one place up the leader board in a match is often encouragement enough. It's undoubtedly the most successful attempt at an online golf game Sony has ever done.

There will be those who doubt that a mere golf game could, in all honesty, help justify Sony's pricy machine. Given the quality on show here, and the subtle ways the PS3's extra functionality genuinely improves the series, it's a pleasure to say they're wrong. There's no grand, bullet-on-the-box next-gennery here, but in its considered pace and less bombastic presentation make it a window into a gaming future that manages to advance without resorting to epic storylines and blustering million-dollar budgets. This is simply one of the most entertainingly laid-back titles of the year.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Colin Whiteside