Naxat Open

Since I started this annual marathon of golf games two years ago, I had not been lucky with the golf games I tried on the TurboGrafx-16. Jack Nicklaus' Turbo Golf had lofty ambitions but fell apart due to a clumsy interface and glacial pacing. Power Golf had a nearly impossible course that severely tested my patience coupled with mechanics designed to induce rage. I was about to give up all hope of finding a golf game worth playing on NEC's machine. However, it turns out I just had to look to Japan for the answer, that being Naxat Open.

Don't be scared off by the Japanese text on the main menu; the rest of the game is in English and completely playable. There are some issues with Naxat Open. The first is the lack of real options. There is a Tournament mode to add to the standard stroke and match play options that were commonplace for golf games at the time. However, as progress cannot be saved in any way, it is largely just another single-player stroke play option. It's also disappointing that, like with the other TurboGrafx golf games I've covered, there is only one course available. I can only guess that the space limitations on the HuCards are the cause. It sucks that I have to expect that from golf games on the system.

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Fortunately, the gameplay is far better on this one than the other golf games I've played on the Turbo. The course is challenging without being infuriating. The only hole I felt was unfair was the fourteenth which had sand running from the tee to the green. The three-click swing worked well, not swinging too fast or too slow. It even alters the size of the impact sweet spot based on the club used. The model in the middle of the meter is even smoothly animated. However, the lack of tick marks on the meter can make gauging the appropriate power a bit of a headache, especially on approach shots. The caddy club recommendations on each shot are rather half-assed as well. Aside from pulling up the driver on the tees and the sand wedge for pitches, don't trust the club the game defaults to. You do have plenty of choices there as this is another one of those games where you can choose what's in your bag at the start of the game. The visuals are very pleasant, brightly colored and smoothly animated. However, the tune that plays through the entire game is tiring. You'll be glad when it pauses for a par or birdie jingle.

Naxat Open is easily the best golf game I've played on the TurboGrafx-16. While it's still disappointing that this is another one limited to one course (which is why I can't, in good conscience, rate it higher than a "B-"), that one course is well-built, and the game has the right amount of challenge. After two failed attempts, the Turbo finally scored par on this tour.