What the other (free) golf games are doing: WGT
Posted: January 15th, 2023, 2:25 am
I have always been keeping an eye on golf games over the years. Some good games have been made, but they are not free. Some are technically speaking free, but you would need to buy credits or better clubs, or different apparel items may give extra power, extra precision, extra-whatever. I truly dislike those that play on phones and I abhor those that allow unrealistic things. Until recently, it was easy to say that Links was head and shoulder above the competition. despite it is no spring chicken anymore.
About a week ago, I came across World Golf Tour (I installed it on my Windows laptop). The game has many options and I play 18 hole games as a single player, but one can enter tournaments, skins, head to head matches, you name it, the game pretty much allows it. The game can be played free.
This time I am not able to make it go away and discard it like previous games (with a piece of crap, to complete the "selection process"). WGT is truly a good game.
1) The details of the graphics is overall definitely way better than Links, they are not even in the same category, except perhaps for some of the best Mike Jones' works and a few other APCD artists' best works. Playing in WGT really feels like being on the course.
2) Setting up the shot is less pretty than in Links and it is really suitable for those who play in Classic Swing mode.
3) The Physics of the flying ball is, in my opinion, inferior to Links, and by not just a small margin. However, when it lands, the bounces are way more realistic than in Links. Even the distances traveled.
4) On greens, I dislike the shot setup which I believe is superior in Links, but the Physics of putts and the speed of balls, the way they bend and travel is nothing short of amazing. If only they had better view angles or more view angles (maybe they do and I just did not find them).
5) Greens look like the real things. For instance today at St. Andrews hole 18 I reached the green in one (strong tailwind) with some bounces that look like the real things from TV on that hole. For those who play Links, it is easy to know what to do as we know the holes from Links. Greens are not flat at all, but they are not "crazy" like some on Links. Some are really fast, some less so. Overall greens are not easy. There is nothing like "non challenging settings" in Links. Here one starts more or less at the challenging settings in Links. Not sure what level it is exactly though. I would say around 10 as a stimpmeter, but just my guess at this point.
6) Courses. They do not have anything near the number of courses available in Links, but they have quite a few. Pebble Beach being one of my favorites, I had to play... Gee.. as I know this place in real life, it were not that I could not smell the ocean, it was like being there.
7) I play it without spending any money and one can do pretty well like this. It took me some time to understand how to control the distance, evaluate the need of more or less power with wind, etc.
8) I have not learned how to select the tees (they have 4 kinds). Clubs are a bit on the short side (I guess they want people to buy the really good ones), but I checked the best clubs and they seem to achieve lower distances vs. the PGA these days, like Links, very comparable distances indeed.
Definitely a game that is hard to resist. I could not care less for the head to head games, but the single player full rounds on what seems like playing on TV is pretty tough to dismiss. Still, I love the Real Time Swing thing in Links the most, but being forced to play "Classic Swing" is not the end of the world for those beautiful courses. My first score at Pebble Beach after some training was an 82. I have not understood how to get out of some rough yet. Sand I seem to have the jest, rough not yet. Putting as I wrote earlier, while beautiful to see in action, is a bit crappy to set up (it could be me who has not found out all the nuances yet, though).
About a week ago, I came across World Golf Tour (I installed it on my Windows laptop). The game has many options and I play 18 hole games as a single player, but one can enter tournaments, skins, head to head matches, you name it, the game pretty much allows it. The game can be played free.
This time I am not able to make it go away and discard it like previous games (with a piece of crap, to complete the "selection process"). WGT is truly a good game.
1) The details of the graphics is overall definitely way better than Links, they are not even in the same category, except perhaps for some of the best Mike Jones' works and a few other APCD artists' best works. Playing in WGT really feels like being on the course.
2) Setting up the shot is less pretty than in Links and it is really suitable for those who play in Classic Swing mode.
3) The Physics of the flying ball is, in my opinion, inferior to Links, and by not just a small margin. However, when it lands, the bounces are way more realistic than in Links. Even the distances traveled.
4) On greens, I dislike the shot setup which I believe is superior in Links, but the Physics of putts and the speed of balls, the way they bend and travel is nothing short of amazing. If only they had better view angles or more view angles (maybe they do and I just did not find them).
5) Greens look like the real things. For instance today at St. Andrews hole 18 I reached the green in one (strong tailwind) with some bounces that look like the real things from TV on that hole. For those who play Links, it is easy to know what to do as we know the holes from Links. Greens are not flat at all, but they are not "crazy" like some on Links. Some are really fast, some less so. Overall greens are not easy. There is nothing like "non challenging settings" in Links. Here one starts more or less at the challenging settings in Links. Not sure what level it is exactly though. I would say around 10 as a stimpmeter, but just my guess at this point.
6) Courses. They do not have anything near the number of courses available in Links, but they have quite a few. Pebble Beach being one of my favorites, I had to play... Gee.. as I know this place in real life, it were not that I could not smell the ocean, it was like being there.
7) I play it without spending any money and one can do pretty well like this. It took me some time to understand how to control the distance, evaluate the need of more or less power with wind, etc.
8) I have not learned how to select the tees (they have 4 kinds). Clubs are a bit on the short side (I guess they want people to buy the really good ones), but I checked the best clubs and they seem to achieve lower distances vs. the PGA these days, like Links, very comparable distances indeed.
Definitely a game that is hard to resist. I could not care less for the head to head games, but the single player full rounds on what seems like playing on TV is pretty tough to dismiss. Still, I love the Real Time Swing thing in Links the most, but being forced to play "Classic Swing" is not the end of the world for those beautiful courses. My first score at Pebble Beach after some training was an 82. I have not understood how to get out of some rough yet. Sand I seem to have the jest, rough not yet. Putting as I wrote earlier, while beautiful to see in action, is a bit crappy to set up (it could be me who has not found out all the nuances yet, though).