Operation Sports:

It’s in the Hole!

By Shawn Drotar

For years, the Links series of golf games have been synonymous with quality and realism in the video gaming world. Now, Links® 2004 is available on the Xbox, and it’s the most realistic and stunning golf experience for any console—period.

The Microsoft Game Studios crew has worked long and hard to ensure that the Xbox version of Links isn’t simply a rehash of the PC version … and it shows. The spectacular courses and intuitive gameplay in Links 2004 put a fresh spin on the tried-and-true Links formula.

There are nine courses, plus a tenth, Maui’s Kapalua Plantation, which is available for download over Xbox Live®. The courses in Links provide for a wide variety of playing styles and course conditions. As the birthplace of golf, the legendary St. Andrews course stands out, but other notables include Hawaii’s lovely Mauna Lani, Arizona’s Superstition Mountain, and Pennsylvania’s famed Oakmont Country Club, which has been the host of seven U.S. Opens. There are also courses from Australia, Canada, and Scotland, adding to the international flavor of the game. All of these courses are recreated with unbelievable authenticity, and they provide some of the most stunning visuals available on any Xbox game to date. Galleries, native flora and fauna, and fantastic sound effects all add greatly to the illusion that “you are there.”

Take your swing online.

The real beauty of Links is not beheld in its graphical glory alone, however. The gameplay of Links 2004 is as challenging as the game is lovely. This isn’t the kind of game where you hit the ball from flat land to flat land. Linksprovides the player with all the challenges of the real thing on every shot. Lies, weather conditions, and wind all have a dramatic affect on the flight of your ball, and each shot requires the same careful planning that the professionals use. Course management is king in Links, and the result is an exciting and different game each time you play.

Of course, if that wasn’t enough, Links offers an array of different ways to play. If you just want to play a round, feel free to choose from Stroke play, Match play, Nassau, Skins, four different types of Alternate Shot play, or four different varieties of Best Ball play. For something completely different, you can even use the Stableford scoring system, which rewards aggressive play. All of these varieties of play can be used by up to four players, and the Xbox CPU can either fill out the rest of your foursome or provide you with healthy competition by using one of the superstar professional golfers in the game. Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik, and Mike Weir represent the men’s tour, while 48-time LPGA winner Annika Sorenstam holds the fort for the ladies. The pros look and play like their real-life counterparts, however, so you’d best bring your “A” game!

The Challenges mode will help you improve your game and unlock new courses by testing your skills in mini-games on the golf course. With more than 30 challenges available, you’re sure to sharpen your game and have a great time doing it.

Links 2004: a hold in one.

The Career mode provides a fun and in-depth opportunity to live the life of a professional golfer. You can create a golfer (male or female) and customize how they look, how they play, and what equipment they’ll use. Are you used to using your trusty Callaway Golf driver on the weekends? Then, select it for your pro, or choose from other top manufacturers such as TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, and Mizuno.

You’ll start your career in the Rookie Tour, and as you complete skill events and win tournaments, your earnings can be used to improve your player’s abilities. Try to work your way up to the Legends Tour, and see if you can become one of the all-time greats.

You can even take your pro online, using Xbox Live. Compete against anyone, anywhere, at any time!

Links 2004 also includes XSN Sports functionality, which bumps up the competition like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Play entire tournaments online with up to 32 players, and let XSN Sports do all the bookwork. Links makes it easy to determine who’s the best of the best.

If you love golf, then Links 2004 is the game for you. Just be sure that your boss doesn’t find out that you’re playing hooky to sneak in a quick 18 …