Golden Tee Arcade Classics Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "True Golf Classics Approach The Tee Once More" ⛳ @DigitalEclipse #RetroGaming

The Golden tee series of golf games were a mainstay in arcades here in the UK back in the ‘90s, and I have many fond memories of playing them throughout the country on various holidays and trips (and more recently, thanks to the awesome folks at Timewarp Arcade in Bridgwater). It was always good to see golf games in amusement centres, with the main two being the Golden Tee series and of course, the mighty Neo Turf Masters.

What set Golden Tee apart, however, was the trackball…which we will talk about later.

Beginning in 1989, the Golden Tee series really hit its stride in the mid-‘90s-2000, when the most popular titles – the ones included here - graced arcades around the world.

Aside from the main series -  Golden Tee 3D Golf, Golden Tee 97, Golden Tee 98, Golden Tee 99, Golden Tee 2K, and Golden Tee Classic, Shuffleshot and World Class Bowling are also included in this quite generous collection, broadening the gaming horizons away from golf, for those who fancy something a little different.

There’s a lot to love here, the crunchy, digitised visuals, familiar music (which you will hear quite a lot) and simple, pick-up-and-play gameplay allows you to dive straight in. Each golf title includes at least three courses, meaning that there are over twenty-one courses available in total, and the accessibility options as well as various overlays and filters add to the sense that this is a very full-rounded experience. I also have to point out my amusement as I was looking at the practice section, when I genuinely did a double take as I saw that the last area of practice was…hitting a golf ball at Big Foot. Brilliant!

If you are familiar with the Golden Tee series, this is a pure blast of nostalgia with some very entertaining courses and memorable holes. That said, it’s not all eagles and birdies, there’s a bit of an elephant in the room here in terms of the aforementioned original trackball controls.

The trackball was such an integral part of the original arcade experience, you could really hoof the ball on the drives, and putting was generous in terms of ‘give’ when it came to taking the more delicate shots, of course – a trackball can’t be used in this instance.

Digital Eclipse have built in a couple of different control styles here that range from using the thumbstick through to – my preferred method – a simple ‘point and tap’ which offers more of a sense of control and accuracy. These are equally valid, and good workarounds for  the peripheral that the entire series was based around – the trackball, natch – but it really dents the enjoyability, and when comparing this to other golf games of the time, or even other retro titles like PGA Golf etc – it feels like you are constantly at  a disadvantage, and not getting the most out of the game, due to the sense of it being a workaround control scheme, not nearly as bad as playing a light gun game with a  mouse, but in the same ballpark.

Also of note is how little difference there is between each game, the music, sound effects and visuals are pretty much rehashes in each case, and so there’s little variance between each entry aside from the course designs themselves, luckily, they are still fun to play, and it’s not Digital Eclipse’s fault, of course – but it does make each game feel lack they lack individuality and character. In terms of gaming history, I’m incredibly pleased that these game are now playable for a modern audience, and allows fans of the original to dive back into this niche little series.

SUMMARY

Digital Eclipse have delivered a collection of genuine arcade classics, and it is a joy to re-live them again, but nostalgia can only go so far, and as much as I’m enjoying my time with this collection. I feel that in order to really, really get the most out of the Golden Tee series…you need that sweet, sweet trackball.

7/10

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