Super FamiComplete #92- True Golf Classics: Pebble Beach Golf Links

 

Title: True Golf Classics: Pebble Beach Golf Links (NA)

Release Date: 04/10/1992

Developer: T&E Soft

Publisher: T&E Soft

Here we have our sixth golf game for the SNES/Super Famicom, and our first golf sequel, or at least another entrant in the True Golf Classics series. This is the series that focuses on a "classic" course that is from the PGA tournament series. First we had Waialae Country Club in Hawaii being showcased, and here we have Pebble Beach Golf Links in California on display. 

Background

T&E Soft, if you recall or for the uninitiated, was the C Tier developer during the 90's who churned out sports games (this series being one of their heavy hitters) as well as the RPG Hydlide series, of which we will have to eventually cover the execrable Super Hydlide. One thing of note is that they did manage to develop for most of the major consoles and portable consoles from this period, which I always find need. It seems like this is one of those workhorse developers who focused more on quantity over quality in their products. It certainly will not be the last we see of them on this blog. 

As far as the country club in which this game is set, the Pebble Beach Golf Links is a course in Pebble Beach, California (on the Monterey Peninsula just south of San Francisco by a couple hours). It is considered an incredibly scenic golf course, several times winning the #1 golf course in the United States by such publications that care about such things. There are three other courses in the Pebble Beach area, of which this is the most prominent (though all four are owned by the same "Golf Links" company). This course has been the key course in many a PGA, Majors, and U.S. Open tournaments, and is also regularly featured in many other video games too. 

One neat fact is that in the 1990s, a group of Japanese investors purchased and owned the club, but had to sell due to it coming to light that one of the investors had heavy ties to the Yakuza. 

I can dream...

It really is a beautiful stretch of land, as much of the Pacific Coast is worthy of a scenic drive. I really like the fact that the course is right up against the water, but in a series of cliffs versus beaches. Here are some of the highlights. 

Gameplay

It's another golf game to be certain. It plays incredibly similarly to Waialae with some marginal chances to the UI and gameplay. Unlike the other golf simulators of the time, this one is a bit more demanding in the things that you have to consider before you swing. There is shot placement, power, backswing, club, etc; these are things which nowadays are pretty part and parcel of the golf genre but much rarer back in the 1990s. 

Sports games are, again, really hard to come back to after enjoying modern sports titles which do a pretty bang-up job of replicating the sport. This game is just too slow, the environments can't be replicated with much fidelity, and your eyes get tired after a while looking at the faux-3D and the chunky character model. 

Music

Remember the best kept secret in video games is that old golf music is usually pretty good. This game is no exception. Give it a listen...

Final Verdict

Yeah go ahead and skip this one. My "I got it" button was pressed pretty quickly with this game. It's a SNES golf game. Not a bad one, but again these have been pretty much relegated to their place in history by modern sports titles.