Neo Turf Masters
| Neo Turf Masters | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Nazca Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Virtual Console, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch |
| Release |
Neo Geo March 1, 1996 Neo Geo Pocket Color
iOS & Android
|
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multi-player |
Neo Turf Masters (Big Tournament Golf in Japan) is a golf video game by Nazca for the Neo Geo, released in 1996. This is also one of the first two titles by Nazca, the other being the popular Metal Slug before & between being acquired by SNK.
The game was released as an arcade cartridge (MVS) and as home cartridge (AES), as well as for the Neo Geo CD console. The Neo Geo version was later re-released as part of the SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 compilation for the PS2, Wii and PSP, as well as for the Wii Virtual Console.[1] The game has also been ported to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch by Hamster as part of their Arcade Archives series.
A version for the Neo Geo Pocket Color was later released in North America in 1999. The NGPC version features cartoonish, less detailed graphics compared to the Neo Geo version which had partially digitized sprites and realistic art.[2]
Gameplay
The game is a fast paced, arcade-style golf game. Players choose from two game modes, stroke play for one or two players, and match play for two players only.[3]
Competing on one of four fictional golf courses located in the United States, Japan, Australia and Germany, players choose from one of six players with different attributes:
- "Young Hero" (George Spinner, United States)
- "Technician" (Thomas Stewart, United Kingdom)
- "Veteran" (Frank Adams, Australia)
- "Shot Maker" (Robert Landolt, Germany)
- "Power Golfer" (Fernando Almeida, Brazil)
- "Putt Master" (Toyoshige Takeno, Japan)
Unlike many golf games of the era which used a two-click swing system to determine the hook or slice of the ball, Neo Turf Masters uses a single click for the power of the shot, and a second for the height of the shot; hook and slice are selected with buttons B and C before making the shot. This makes the game much easier to pick up and play well than its contemporaries, but it compensates for this reduced difficulty with fiendish (if somewhat unrealistic) course layouts and highly variable wind.
Reception
IGN gave the Virtual Console release of the game 7.5 out of 10 stating "If you're the type of gamer who appreciates SNK's arcade style and can jibe with the idea of juiced-up, high-speed golf, Neo Turf might be well worth your 900 Wii Points".[4]