Super FamiComplete #10: Hal's Hole in One Golf (Redux)

 

Title: "Jumbo no Ozaki Hole in One" (JP) Hal's Hole in One Golf (US)

Release Date: 2/23/91 (JP)/8/13/91 (US)

Developer: Hal

Publisher: Hal

Here we are folks, the first game for the SNES/Super Famicom for 1991. Looking at the dates, it had been two months since a SNES game was released. Many games were still being developed for the original Famicom at the time, and the Super Famicom was still a fairly new system. It was no surprise, therefore, that it wasn't until February that a new game was released (January is, historically, a slow month for video games and movies)

Background
This is also the first of many sports games for the Super Famicom/SNES (in fact, we will have another golf game within the next ten games for the Super Famicom), and this one, at least in Japan, sports the visage of Japan's famous golfer, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki.

This game was actually the latest in a long series of "Jumbo" Ozaki games, the previous one being Jumbo no Ozaki Hole in One Professional for the original Famicom in 1988. So who is "Jumbo" Ozaki? Well he was a famous golfer in Japan known for his relatively large size and stance off the tee, standing at only 5'11" but weighing 200 lbs. Apparently he started as a professional baseball player, but moved to the Japanese professional golf circuit in 1970. Since that he has become wildly popular in Japan, and still plays in the Japanese league today.

Priceless

In the US, where "Jumbo" Ozaki is sadly not a celebrity, this game is known as Hal's Hole in One Golf. Hal is a company that has incredibly close ties with Nintendo. They are the developers of the Kirby series, the original Smash Bros. for the N64, and the Earthbound/Mother series as well. They often co-develop games for Nintendo, and they even used to be housed in one of Nintendo's office buildings before they secured their own headquarters. Their logo is pretty recognizable, because it is a dog nursing eggs in a bird's nest (!?!).

Story

It's a sports game. This isn't Mario Golf or Golf Story; just a golf simulator (you silly billy). 

Gameplay

Players can choose from either a straight stroke play, playing against another player (up to four), playing against the computer, or entering the "Hal" tournament.

Really, though, each of these modes play out the same way. Each match consists of 18 holes, and the goal, like any golf game, is to try to complete as many holes under par as you can.

One thing that is interesting about this game is that it is played completely from a top-down perspective, once again using Mode 7 to rotate the course and move the ball alongside it.

Playing the game from this position really changes the gameplay, but it does make some aspects of the game more challenging. For one, it is tough to tell how slanted a piece of terrain can be, especially in bunkers. This means you will aim some shots, feel like your ball landed correctly, and it will just start rolling down a hill you didn't know was there. A lot of reviewers, at the time, praised the game for this top-down perspective, but I don't really care for it. It is hard to see, on the main screen, where you will be hitting your ball and how far it will really carry down the field. Maybe I just suck at the game, but my ball was always going into hazards and bunkers.

The game also assumes that you will really know your stuff, such as your "wood" clubs hitting a farther distance than irons, but not gaining as much in elevation. This means that if you hit anywhere near a tree with a wood, it will most likely just smack against a tree and stop dead. In fact, the game sticks to the "rules" of golf almost too well, as it is impossible (like actually programmed to be impossible) to drive or chip out of a bunker without using a Pitch or Sand wedge. Kind of annoying.
 
But overall the gameplay is pretty fun. It is quick and easy to pick up, and the game remains challenging but entertaining. My one last gripe is that when your avatar swings the club, the "meter" for the backswing and the follow-through moves way to quickly. It especially makes finessing the ball very difficult, with putting in particular.

The presentation is quite well done, with decent visuals and some nifty effects (especially when the ball gets close to the hole). I really like how when the game goes for a birdie or eagle putt, the music shuts off completely, as if the crowd was hushing for an intense putt.

How about that classic golf game music?

Golf games, around these generations of video games, had some surprisingly good music. This game is no exception. I am including the entire OST so you can see for yourself. 

Ads and Commercial

I found a single, solitary advertisement.

But I also found this amazing commercial.

Priceless.

Final Verdict
In the end it is a dirt cheap game to find (it only costs about $5 with shipping), and I would recommend it for the retro sports game fans.