The Things I'm Missing
It's so hard to quantify the things that I don't have in Golfshrine, because
what I most look for are just things that are cheap. I can't exactly filter an eBay search
for "video games, golf simulators, old" - there's a number of things that
definitely belong here, though, that I'm either waiting for a good deal on, or just have
not found yet. That list consists of these, so far.
 | Ninja Golf (Atari 7800). Not in print for very long and released at the
tail end of an unpopular console's lifespan, this one is also well known due to the Angry
Video Game Nerd if I recall. It also recently appeared in the Atari 50 collection
in 2023, which is neat. Sadly, physical copies of it are getting freakishly expensive -
and I don't even own the console to play it with. |
| Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am (PlayStation 2). Video game
adaptation of the Adult Swim animated series, and apparently a spiritual remake of Ninja
Golf. Somehow has never shown up at any of the vendor tables at Portland Retro Game Expo.
I haven't searched exhaustively for it, but maybe it'll turn up for a good deal sometime. |
| Sid Meier's SimGolf (Windows). While not really a golf simulator
so much as a golf tycoon game, this one goes in the wishlist entirely because of
how frequently it gets confused for Maxis' 1996 SimGolf. |
| Ribbit King (PS2 or GameCube). A tiny print run and a high
degree of desirability among collectors makes my ownership of this game very unlikely, but
someday, I will experience the game of Frolf. |
| World Cup Golf: Hyatt Dorado Beach (3DO, CD-i, DOS, PS1, or Saturn).
(Got it!) FMV-based golf intrigues me. I have this one now but I wouldn't mind having it
on 3DO if it showed up in a tall box. Y'know. |
| Links: The Challenge of Golf (Memorex VIS). The only port of Links I'm
missing. Probably exceedingly rare, rarer than the console that's supposed to play it, but
hell, if it ends up in my lap, I'm not going to say no. |
| PGA European Tour (N64). |
| The Golf Pro (Windows). A golf simulator from the makers of System
Shock? Could be interesting to look into. |
| Go Go Golf (PlayStation 2, PAL/JP only). (Got it!) I heard about this one through the excellent Tangopunk zine - a golf sim where you don't have a
swing meter or aim controls, but a series of predetermined shots with strange and
nonsensical names, even in Japanese. It never released in the United States. |
| Vs. Ladies Golf. One of the handful of "VS. Paks" released by
Nintendo for their VS. System arcade boards; it's an alternate set of ROMs for Vs. Golf
(itself an adaptation of Satoru Iwata's NES Golf) that replaces the normal Mario-like
golfer with a female character. Flyers indicate that it sold for the same price as the
normal Golf game ($295 in the 1980s), so it might exist as a VS. Pak in a black suitcase,
but this one might as well be my white whale now. (With hat tip to Frank Cifaldi of the
Video Game History Foundation, for reminding me it exists.) |
| Peter Jacobsen's Golden Tee Golf (PC). One of only two home ports of
the actual Golden Tee arcade game (discounting the plug-and-play and Arcade1UP versions),
uses the mouse to replicate the trackball controls. |
| Neo Turf Masters/Big Tournament Golf (Neo Geo CD). I'll probably never
get an NGCD. But if I had the opportunity to own the legend itself, I might make
that choice at some point. The CD version, specifically, has much more in-depth
stat-saving, tournament mode, and - if my sources are correct - the hidden Scotland course
doesn't exist in the cartridge version. |
| Top Player's Golf (Neo Geo/CD). The only other golf game on the Neo
Geo, and somehow also one of the worst golf sims I've ever tried to play. I had the
opportunity to rank this game for Hardcore Gaming 101's Top 47,858 Games of All Time
podcast (Patreon episode 212), so my opinions on this game are well documented. But even
an awful golf sim belongs in Golfshrine. And so shall it be written. |
| GALF (NES). A Limited Run Games-distributed NES adaptation of the GALF
minigame found in the Nintendo Switch game, Golf Story. Comes in a distinctive
green cartridge. Unfortunately, it's sought after entirely because it's an LRG game, so
it's expensive - even brand new from the manufacturer. Well beyond casual impulse
purchase. |
| Pebble Beach Golf Links (Saturn). I own 3 versions of this game
already, why do I need a fourth one? Because the Saturn version is the only one that
features Craig "The Walrus" Stadler. |
| Skins Game (Arcade). Basically the only game released for Midway's
"Atlantis" arcade board, Skins Game has a unique controller (a spring-loaded
"bat" joystick that you pull back and release). It's basically NBA Jam but for
golf. No home ports, didn't seem to sell very well (but despite that, got a Tournament
Edition upgrade). Also apparently a revision exists that's called... Swingers Tour.com?
[/shrug] |
| Ernie Els Golf (Game Gear). I'd have to import this one from Europe if
I want it. I don't know what it is about it, but this game refuses to load on my Analogue
Pocket via the OpenFPGA Game Gear core. Hard to say if it's an incompatibility or if
there's something unusual about the hardware in the cartridge, but the best way to figure
that out is to just buy a copy. |
