By: David (@friendshipguy_)

I don’t understand the appeal of EA’s monolithic sports franchises. I mean, I get it, but at the same time, I don’t get it. Sports games are typically rehashed every year with a few embellishments and updates to the physics engines, or in some cases a full blown campaign is added to supplement the usual fare that comes with what one might expect with a sports game, but there’s a special place in my heart for games like Everybody’s Golf.

Normally when I get asked if I’m buying the annual Madden or UFC titles, my typical response is usually a flat, short, “No.” I mean, I’m not really asked to give any reasons as to why, but the typical reasoning I usually do have is that I’d rather go out and play football, or learn a martial-arts myself. Of course, I understand this alienates a good chunk of people who might not have the privilege of experiencing such activities, and fulfill other fantasies by taking control of their favorite quarterback or combatant. That being said, there’s something to be said about golf games in general, or more specifically Everybody’s Golf.

The beauty of Everbody’s Golf—previously serialized in the United States as Hot Shot’s Golf—is that it truly is everybody’s golf. There’s so much that Everbody’s Golf does right, I’m not even sure how most people passed it up. I suppose that can be chalked up to people guffawing at golf, and how mundane a spectator sport can be, but there’s a level of fidelity that Everbody’s Golf retains in regard to the sport while still being cartoonish with it’s ubiquitous rainbow text every time you get a “Nice Shot,” or the fanfare and fireworks that signal a birdie. It manages to get perhaps even the most persnicketty individual enthused and energized about golf with complete sensory overload—in a good way. Almost every time you swing, something levels up in your suite of clubs; not only that, there’s a batch of randomized costume items you get for completing any set number of holes.

Of course for those so inclined to partake in the finer workings of the golf, there’s RPG mechanics laiden here and there throughout the game. Each character’s particular overall mechanics can be levelled up accordingly, as well as each club and the set they belong to. The game doesn’t stop players from becoming absolute back-spin monsters, supplementing that playstyle ridiculous maneuvers and trick-shots can be unlocked the more a player levels their golf rank up. Yet, with the flick of a switch, each of those can be turned off in multiplayer, effectively handicapping everybody to level one to enjoy a nice, civil game of golf. 

My experience with Everybody’s Golf has been nothing short of fantastic. I can’t count the number of times on both hands that I’ve gone over to a friend’s place without playing a few holes head to head, or a full four-player session, all locally. Everybody’s Golf has unironically become the primer to our movie nights, or taken the place of Super Smash Brothers and other games we use to play to get ready for some sort of get together. Everybody’s Golf oozes with things to do, and there’s so much heart put behind the series, that even down to the most miniscule of dialogues in the smidgen of story that’s on disc, or the animation cycles and poses you can pick from, you can tell they cared so intrinsically about the players picking this title up.

I effuse so much adoration for this game because I used to play Hot Shots golf with my brother when I was younger, and although he hasn’t picked up the newest entry I’ve been able to share it with friends who all ceremoniously enjoy it as I do. There’s very little to gripe about considering the worst thing anyone is ever forced to do is replay courses to earn more. But even then, each course can be mirrored, reversed, or paired with all number of course hazards and environmental conditions that every time it feels new. 

I mean, there’s microtransactions, but those are so unobtrusive that they hardly count. Coins can be purchased to buy costume items from the shop, but you already get those just by playing the game. You  get about three or four of the roughly thirty to forty new items in the shop each month. The most you can get is a DLC course, and a few others, but there’s no advantage that these things provide. If you really want to master the game, you need to spend time with it.