Mario Golf: Advance Tour
Encyclopedia
Mario Golf: Advance Tour, known in Japan
as , is an RPG-styled sports game
developed by Camelot Software Planning
and published by Nintendo
for the Game Boy Advance
in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Game Boy Color
version of Mario Golf. The music was composed by Motoi Sakuraba
.
map, where the player can walk around and interact with different courses and objects. On the overworld are the four golfing "clubs" (Marion, Palms, Dunes, Links) which hold tournaments. The player must place in these tournaments prove themselves to be an "ultimate golfer", and earn the right to golf with Mario
. There are also side courses, as well as the Custom Club Shop, where a metalsmith will make the player special clubs if they give him a Custom Ticket.
The characters can no longer gain experience once they reach level 99, and any extra experience must be discarded. This means that during the course of leveling up the characters, the points should be well distributed to allow the characters to be well-balanced.
is attached to the Game Boy Advance. Otherwise, this is the same as With Game Link mode. In the Club Exchange mode, two players can trade the clubs which they have earned throughout the game via a Game Link Cable or a Wireless Adapter. In the Get Clubs mode, one can receive exclusive Special clubsets (up to 16) from a Wonder Spot using a Wireless Adapter. However, this mode was never used.
for the Nintendo GameCube. Initially shipped on April 22, 2004 in Japan, the game was also released on June 22, 2004, and September 17, 2004 for North America and Europe respectively. The game also was bundled in Japan with a Wireless Adapter, to go along with the Pokémon releases
at the time.
The game was designed by Shugo Takahashi and Hiroyuki Takahashi, and directed by Yasuhiro Taguchi, all of whom have contributed to the Golden Sun
series.
hailed Advance Tour as "one of the best golfing games ever", bestowing the game with an Editors' Choice Award, GameSpy
said "aside from the quirks in graphics and music, there's almost nothing wrong with Mario Golf: Advance Tour", and Game Informer
concluded that in Advance Tour "handheld golf has never been as much fun."
The RPG elements has also been praised, with 1UP
saying "[the] simple act of leveling up is addictive in itself" and according to EGM
"all the extraneous questing, character building, and item collecting just works."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is an RPG-styled sports game
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
developed by Camelot Software Planning
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version of Mario Golf. The music was composed by Motoi Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba
is a Japanese composer of video games, anime series, and television dramas as well as independent progressive rock albums.-Biography:Motoi Sakuraba was born in Akita Prefecture, Japan...
.
Overworld
Mario Golf: Advance Tour features an overworldOverworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
map, where the player can walk around and interact with different courses and objects. On the overworld are the four golfing "clubs" (Marion, Palms, Dunes, Links) which hold tournaments. The player must place in these tournaments prove themselves to be an "ultimate golfer", and earn the right to golf with Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
. There are also side courses, as well as the Custom Club Shop, where a metalsmith will make the player special clubs if they give him a Custom Ticket.
Courses
In each of the four clubs available in Mario Golf: Advance Tour, there are three places of interest. The golf course, the practice area, and the student lodging. The golf course is accessed by entering the tourneys or by playing a practice round. The practice area allows the players to hone their skills by doing various mini-games, as well as play a match against the course leader. Each practice area also features a secret challenge that allows the player to obtain useful items. The student lodging area is only accessible in the Marion course, where Neil and Ella live. One can talk to their doubles partner here, as well as save their game.Characters
At the beginning of the game, the player must choose between one of two characters, Neil or Ella, and play as that character for the rest of the game, with the other character as their doubles partner. Neil and Ella have different strengths: Neil has stronger hitting and a slight draw, while Ella has more precise hitting and a slight fade. By progressing through the game and completing its various elements, the player can gain experience to distribute among the two characters to enhance both their drive as well as their hitting capabilities. As a character levels up, they gain stat points to distribute among the five set of stats:- Drive, which increases the distance hit by the character,
- Height, which controls how high the ball flies mid-trajectory,
- Shot, which determines how straight the ball flies,
- Control and Impact, which controls how accurately the ball will fly according to the trajectory, and
- Spin, which determines how powerful the ball can spin after it hits the ground.
The characters can no longer gain experience once they reach level 99, and any extra experience must be discarded. This means that during the course of leveling up the characters, the points should be well distributed to allow the characters to be well-balanced.
Multiplayer
Mario Golf: Advance Tour features four multiplayer modes. In the "Without Game Link" mode, two to four players take turns playing on one Game Boy Advance. They can choose a player from the unlocked list of players, pick clubs, and then pick a game-play mode. Other than the previous mentioned features, this is the same as standard free-play mode. In the "With Game Link" mode, each player can select from their own list of characters and clubs, but courses must be mutually unlocked. Otherwise, this is the same as the Without Game Link mode. The Wireless Adapter mode only shows up when the Wireless AdapterGame Boy Advance Wireless Adapter
The Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter is an accessory for the Game Boy Advance, and was released by Nintendo in 2004. It provides an alternative to the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable but does not enjoy the same popularity due to a number of issues...
is attached to the Game Boy Advance. Otherwise, this is the same as With Game Link mode. In the Club Exchange mode, two players can trade the clubs which they have earned throughout the game via a Game Link Cable or a Wireless Adapter. In the Get Clubs mode, one can receive exclusive Special clubsets (up to 16) from a Wonder Spot using a Wireless Adapter. However, this mode was never used.
Development and release
Mario Golf: Advance Tour was revealed in late 2003, and created largely by the same team who made Mario Golf: Toadstool TourMario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Toadstool Tour received a positive reaction from critics, although it was criticised for being too similar to its predecessor. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that "Mario Golf hasn't really grown much since its time on the N64", despite enjoying the game's course design and "sense of fun"...
for the Nintendo GameCube. Initially shipped on April 22, 2004 in Japan, the game was also released on June 22, 2004, and September 17, 2004 for North America and Europe respectively. The game also was bundled in Japan with a Wireless Adapter, to go along with the Pokémon releases
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
are enhanced remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue video games, which were released in 1996. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which originally came bundled with...
at the time.
The game was designed by Shugo Takahashi and Hiroyuki Takahashi, and directed by Yasuhiro Taguchi, all of whom have contributed to the Golden Sun
Golden Sun
Golden Sun, released in Japan as , is the first installment in a series of fantasy role-playing video games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. It was released in November 2001 for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and was followed by a sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, in...
series.
Reception
Mario Golf: Advance Tour has enjoyed critical acclaim since its release. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
hailed Advance Tour as "one of the best golfing games ever", bestowing the game with an Editors' Choice Award, GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
said "aside from the quirks in graphics and music, there's almost nothing wrong with Mario Golf: Advance Tour", and Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
concluded that in Advance Tour "handheld golf has never been as much fun."
The RPG elements has also been praised, with 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
saying "[the] simple act of leveling up is addictive in itself" and according to EGM
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
"all the extraneous questing, character building, and item collecting just works."
External links
- Official North American Mario Golf: Advance Tour website at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Official Japanese Mario Golf: Advance Tour website
- Mario Golf: Advance Tour at CamelotCamelot Software Planningis a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
.com