Disney Golf

I'm surprised that mascot-based golf games didn't become more of a thing. Nintendo and Sony saw great success putting beloved characters into Mario Golf and Hot Shots Golf 2 in the fifth generation. However, almost no other company looked ready to take a shot at the potentially lucrative market. I say "almost" because T&E Soft got permission from Disney to put their classic characters into what turned out to be the developer's last game. Disney Golf so pleasantly surprised me that I'm amazed Disney wasn't trumpeting this largely ignored game from the top of the Magic Kingdom.

Forget what you remember of T&E's fifth generation output. Disney Golf cribs much of its design notes from what worked for Mario Golf and Hot Shots Golf. Six fictitious courses are available which sit in between Hot Shots' realistic look and Mario's cartoon style. Eight upgradeable characters are in the game though strangely Mickey Mouse is limited to the role of a nonplayable coach. I do feel there could've been a few more characters like maybe a couple from the Disney Afternoon lineup. The challenge mode gives a bit of a story context to please the kids in what could've been a dry career grind. The standard modes are available along with skins, a longest drive contest, and a closest to the pin contest. The visuals are fantastic even by current standards. In fact, the character models for Minnie, Donald, and company put those in Hot Shots Golf 3 to shame. Even the voice acting is so spot-on that you'd think Uncle Walt had risen from the dead!

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The mechanics mostly follow the competition's lead, but that's definitely an improvement from T&E Soft's older work. The three-click mechanics are very solid, even adjusting speed based on the club used. There's even a guide line on the meter to help with shorter shots. The camera controls are almost perfect. The only real issue is the lack of effective camera views while putting; the camera is always too close or at an awkward angle. Speaking of putting, the green-reading can be a little tricky as there are no guides beyond a line that only shows when you're aiming directly at the cup. "Dangerous shots" where the shot meter speeds up seem to come up a bit too often. There's a cool variety of power-ups to be bought and equipped which can either help you or hurt your opponent (sometimes both).

Disney Golf is a game that very much flew under the radar. (Seriously, as of this writing, MobyGames has absolutely no reviews compiled for it, and even Metacritic had limited results.) I have no idea why as this game, while a copycat of Mario Golf and Hot Shots Golf, managed to equal and even surpass the more famous games in many ways. Don't let the kiddie looks fool you; this is a top-tier golf game. For T&E Soft's last game, what a way to go out!