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True Swing Golf

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8.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 32 critic reviews
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Based on 10 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: T&E Soft

Genre(s): Sports, Golf

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: January 23, 2006

Summary

(Also know as "Touch Golf") Experience the feel and finesse of real golf on beautiful 3D courses with True Swing Golf. In this dual-screened Nintendo DS golf game, using the touch screen and the stylus is almost like swinging a golf club in real life. The longer players slide a stylus across the touch screen, the harder they smack the ball. Players also can curve their swings to slice or fade shots and alter the angle of the club head for sharpshooter-like accuracy. True Swing Golf features multiple game modes, character customization and wireless multiplayer support for up to four players with just one game card. [Nintendo]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Stuff

Don't let this game's boring name or boring content fool you. This is one of the best golf games out there.

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BonusStage

Some work needed to be done in fleshing out certain game modes and features for it to really stand out as a top DS title, but what’s here is great, long-lasting fun nonetheless.

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Nintendo Power

At times the game seems almost too easy, but you do have to concentrate and often employ strategy to score birdies consistently. [Mar 2006, p.86]

Eurogamer

It's not big or boisterous, the characters don't squeak at you in comedy accents and you don't get to unlock Bowser or anything (at least I should hope not), and that's what high-end golf is often like: quietly dignified, a sport of concentration. The occasional lucky chip-in is satisfying, but the real pleasure comes from getting it right because you thought about it.

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Siliconera

True Swing Golf’s brilliance is in its simplicity almost anyone even non gamers will enjoy. [JPN Import]

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IGN

Surprisingly solid and well developed, even if it lacks a huge assortment of features and won't exactly win a beauty pageant with its visual appeal. True Swing Golf's real value is in its tight use of the touch screen to pull off a great playing game of golf.

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Loaded Inc

While more serious in tone than say, Mario Golf, TS isn’t quite a simulation (really, do you normally play golf with a stylus?), but True Swing's interesting controls bring gamers closer to the greens than any other handheld golf title.

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N-Insanity

True Swing Golf easily outdoes Tiger Woods in the entertainment department, even if it doesn't host the excitement that the PGA can bring.

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Da Gameboyz

True Swing Golf may not have the visuals or sound to wow the average gamer, but it makes some definite headway in the gameplay and multiplayer department.

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Deeko

The question here, though, is does this work effectively? Does the touch-screen manage to emulate the sport of golf to a degree that is realistic and workable? Yes, it does.

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GameShark

I would pick True Swing Golf over Tiger just due to it’s innovative stylus swinging system.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

When the most exciting thing you can buy (aside from slicker clubs) is a new pair of slacks, you know you're playing no-frills golf. [Mar 2006, p.112]

Armchair Empire

An element that remains inconsistent is the computer-controlled AI which can fluctuate between incompetent to god-life over the course of a single round.

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DarkStation

This arcade-style golf title gets the gameplay down to a 'tee', but lacks the much-needed colorful characters and online play, which would have made it a must-buy DS title.

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1UP

It may not be the flashiest or most technically astute, but it's entertaining, well-suited for portable gaming -- something the competition still hasn't been able to figure out.

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GameSpy

Perhaps True Swing's biggest problem, however, is its complete and utter lack of personality.

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GamePro

The top screen is completely cosmetic and, in actuality, you'll more than likely have your eyes trained on the bottom screen the majority of the time.

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Game Informer

Numerous (but lackluster) courses and a local wireless multiplayer option give the game some legs, but there's not much beyond the enjoyable swing mechanic that really impresses. [Feb 2006, p.111]

eToychest

More like a tech demo of how the touch screen could be used to play golf, rather than a completely fleshed out experience in its own right.

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Digital Entertainment News

True Swing Golf DS has a great control scheme... and nothing else to recommend it.

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NintendoWorldReport

Despite its innovative touch screen swing concept, True Swing Golf simply doesn’t deliver. There isn’t enough customization, gameplay variety, or fun to be found.

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WHAM! Gaming

It’s hard to recommend True Swing except to the hardest of hardcore golf fans that simply must own every variation of the game possible, or to players very new to the realm of digital golf that likely won’t be put off by either its lack of standard features or it’s painfully easy shot execution.

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Games Radar (in-house)

You can hack your way through nine holes in one bus ride, thanks to fast animations. And, let's face it, if you're a big-time golfer there are not many DS options. Just don't expect much strategy or finesse or beauty.

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Sydney Morning Herald

At first it seems too easy to post sub-par scores, but once the more difficult courses are unlocked - along with stiffer winds, constantly undulating topography and tight fairways - the game is a more satisfying and enjoyable challenge.

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GameSpot

Even if the touch-screen controls hadn't stripped away much of the subtlety of the sport, True Swing Golf would still be a lean and flavorless game of golf.

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Yahoo! Games

The inaccuracy of the swing and shot placement turns into a severe handicap for the game. True Swing Golf is passively entertaining, but won't suck anyone in as quickly or for as long as "Hot Shots" is able to.

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Modojo

It's a about as monotonous as watching actual golf on TV.

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Game Revolution

True Swing Golf's attempt to revolutionize video golf swings and misses thanks to its oversimplified control, marginal delivery and uninspired play modes, so we recommend saving your cash for a cleaner, harder course.

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Detroit Free Press

Even if I did whiff a time or two while familiarizing myself with the stylus, overall I found this game much easier than true golfing. It wasn't long before I was firing pars and birdies with relative ease.

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Cheat Code Central

Like a mini-game disguised as a real game. It's very generic in terms of gameplay and graphics and despite the poor inclusion of the touch screen controls and dual screen, the handheld novelty of the game doesn't add any "wow" factor either.

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G4 TV

From the bland characters and bland graphics to the underdeveloped control system to the weak upgrades, there isn’t much to this game.

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Computer Games Magazine

If golf was indeed dull, as many non-fans wrongly suspect, True Swing Golf would be the perfect golf game. [Apr 2006, p.90]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nathaniel G. gave it a9:
Hands down the best golf game on the DS!

Rob P. gave it a9:
I picked up TSG today for $19.99 at Best Buy (I think they have the price so low because they have too much inventory at the one here in town). Definitely buy this game if you can find it this cheap. It's priced around $30-35 at most other places, but for $20 it's a steal. I just played about 40 minutes straight, and it doesn't really get tiring. It can be hard to figure out how far a ball is really going to go based on your movement, but it's fun none the less. You won't have -30 scores like in Tiger Woods, but you can hang around par or -4 or so. Haven't tried the Wi-Fi (don't know anyone around here with a DS). This game really does utilize the touch screen A LOT, unlike several other DS games that hardly use it (Mario Kart for example). Pick it up, it has high replay value and is fun. Who cares if the graphics aren't poor, they can only fit so much on that little game card. Graphics are good enough for me, it's all about the golf, not the scenery.

Portable F. gave it an8:
I think sometimes the game reviewers are just leading such a stuck-up life. This game is alot more fun than any other portable golf game I've ever played. It's not THAT easy. I can't the god-like scores I used to get in Tiger Woods, Hot Shots Golf, or Mario Golf. and I put a lot more emphasis on the skill required to hit the ball since I like real golf just as much, and this game does capture the nuances more, like a weird stroke would cause a slice, hook, draw, fade, etc. So screw the reviewers and get the game for yourself. Or wait for a Mario Golf version of it in the future if eye-candy is also your thing.

Mountain Man gave it an8:
I picked up True Swing Golf this afternoon, and I've found it to be a rather good game. It's more of a serious golfing simulation than Mario Golf or Hotshots, so you won't find cutesy characters or "magic tricks" like impossible long balls or exaggerated backspin. TSG leaves much of the game up to player skill, which is as it should be. The interface is excellent. It uses the touchscreen almost exclusively and plays very similiarly to the PC version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour (assuming you use mouse-swing). Swinging the club by dragging the stylus down and then up is very intuitive and precise, so when you blow a shot, you can't blame it on the interface. The putting game is a tad easy since a line is drawn from the ball to the hole conveniently taking green slope into account, so it's just a matter of lining it up and hitting the ball straight, and you'll routinely sink putts that would give even Tiger Woods fits. Ball physics seem generally solid, though there is some minor quirkiness on the green. I've had a few instances where the ball stops dead about an inch from the hole then suddenly drops in a second later. Graphics fall into the "acceptable" range. There's just not a lot of visual pizzazz. Things occasioanlly get chunky in the 3D view, and effects during shots--such as sand kicking up in a bunker shot--are virtually non-existent. That said, the animations are smooth as silk, and the game maintains a solid framerate. In the end, the graphics aren't much to look at, but they get the job done. Sound is similiarly low-key, but we're talking a golf game here, so all I really need to hear is a good solid "Whack!" when I hit the ball, and to that end, TSG more than delivers. To quote Han Solo, "She may not look like much, kid, but she's got it where it counts." That's True Swing Golf in a nutshell.

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