|
Selto Beach CE
by K. Selberg / R. McMinn
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1155 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-11-09 |
93,225,155 bytes |
70 |
6519 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
TROPICAL |
selto BeachChamp_2k3.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 4a087a616a264a09865eeb768f3eb5d0 |
7fdb81947794552cb741867654cab93d |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Joe Turner `Loner'
November 2002
We can see the swelling of the course size because of the new textures with this 2003 design, an 85mb download and your going to build the shadows (about 9mb) when you load the course into the game. My feeling, the shadows add realism to the course and the textures make it look more natural. The tee box has rough texture surrounded by heavy rough, the mowed fairways have the new texture, there isn't a first cut but light rough and heavy rough follow the fairway. If your course reads 'none' between the fairway and the light rough you still have the old course and need to download version # 2, you'll enjoy the 'look' much more. The greens are flat in texture with a nice fringe. The ocean breaks on the large rocks in the water as the foam hits the shore, truly a beautiful sight. The assortment of tropical plants and palms heavily planted with rocks of different shapes and colors are mixed into an undergrowth that he calls 'jungle' and it is, don't lose your ball in there you'll never find it. The holes with their humorous names (see the larger of the two read-me's) twist, turn and do their best to 'befuddle' you with their complex shapes, even though they are lacking in bunkers they do their job. This truly is a fictional course that can be played. The rocks, plants and other assorted objects both in and around the water hazards make them quite attractive and at times effective.
The odd sometimes just narrow bunkerless fairways, I found the bunkers on hole # 11 in a rough bisecting the fairway. Unless you want to overswing and try to make the left corner you had better lay-up on this hole. The narrow fairways were without bunkers and just let their shape do the job, the others, wider and with bunkers that were nicely made did at times act as a deterrent. The greens were slightly small and some had bunkers but they were fairly flat, some were sloped but it was the interesting and challenging breaks that made the putting a challenge. They weren't quite medium in difficulty but they were enjoyable to try and navigate in as few putts as possible. 'Love Canal', the # 6 hole, par 4, 415, with a 43y drop had a slice of 'jungle' down the center. Go for it in a big way and see what distance you can achieve, it'll be one of your longest. The elevations were interesting and fun, the caddie did hand me the wrong club a few times so watch him.
This is a fantasy course; it's also a beautiful course and one that can be fun to play. It's also a 2003 course, which makes it a huge download. If you are a player on dial-up and love fantasy courses by all means get it. If you're not a fan of fantasy, pass. Broadband users will enjoy the course for the same reason except it will take less than 5 minutes for them versus hours for the dial-up players. It is worth the download.
With the added attractions from Kristoffer and the new textures from Randy it is worthwhile.
Reviewer Note
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: read-me (2), cameo, splash, hole previews, custom flag, custom tees, wildlife and other objects.
Not Included: recorded round, hole signs or numbers, ball washers.
Statistical Information: par 70, 6519y, An 'F' for fantasy type tropical course, 4 sets of tees, 4-3 pars, 12-4 pars, 2-5 pars, played pro, clicker, bck/nw/m/m/e and a 85mb download. |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, tropical course |
Location
Could be any of a range of tropical islands, but there are few clues this might
be Caribbean rather than Pacific. |
Conditions
You might risk M*/M* - the greens on the whole are quite forgiving. |
Concept 4/10
There's less a theme to this course than a set of extravagant hole designs wrapped up in some jungle, with the occasional Easter Egg
visual. It's strictly love-it or hate-it stuff, and I'm afraid the tiny fairways and dense jungle marked as hazard incline me towards the
latter. The fact that some of it has to be seen to be believed is a rare point in its favour. |
Appearance 5/10
Despite the fact that this is an updated course, there is too little to enjoy visually. The textures grate and tile really badly, and - beyond the
sumptuous central 'Batman' feature - there is little to be impressed by in the elevations. One tee actually has a blocked view, which
shows up the lack of beta testing. There are a couple of spectacular moments, which have been carefully crafted and planted, but
you've really got to look for them. |
Playability 3/10
Despite some real showcase holes, I actually found this course a huge drag to play, mostly thanks to overkill on avoiding the omnipresent
jungle and insistence on hitting some narrow fairways. There isn't enough beyond that to fire the imagination and you get the impression
you are riding on the designer's fantasy. |
Challenge 5/10
You'd be pushed to get around here without Mulligans. OB areas abound, as do water traps and the whole thing is about hitting tiny target
areas, some of which are miniscule greens surrounded by hazard. It doesn't really help that the ideas seem to run well short towards the
end and the closing holes are much, much too easy when played conservatively. |
Technical 5/10
For a 1.5 course this is exceedingly disappointing. The texture matching is totally inadequate, and the elevation problems should have
been avoided. The main issue I have is with the untapped potential of this course: why not carve some jungle out to make an alternative
fairway, or why not create a more original hazard than the dense jungle planting occasionally? Tropical courses are often prone to lack of
variety: this is no exception. |
| Overall |
Extravagant but over-rated. It's hard to really enjoy Selto Beach thanks to some
depressingly monotonous challenge. |
22/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
|
|
