PGA Tour '96 - Sega Genesis Gameplay

Three holes of golf in PGA Tour '96 for the Sega Genesis. Actual console play. Not emulated. In this final outing of the PGA series on the Genesis, the successful framework used in the first three PGA games on the Genesis was scrapped and replaced with an ambitious new design that emphasized graphical aesthetics. Unfortunately, many of the features that had come to define the PGA series were sacrificed in order to achieve these impressive new visuals. The reverse-angle views of the ball in flight, the hole close-ups, the interactive overhead views of the course, the hole flybys--all gone. Lost as well was perhaps the most significant feature of the PGA series--brisk gameplay. PGA '96 is, conversely, tortoise-slow. For each stroke, a new perspective of the course must be rendered in a process that requires several seconds. To make matters worse, many game features have be significantly altered; none have been improved. For instance, the swing meter is now a semi-circular affair superimposed over the player. Compared to the horizontal swing meter used in the first three games, this new meter is awkward and unforgiving. Putting is now an extremely frustrating experience. The whole putting system feels broken, especially the indistinct putting grid composed of rows (more or less) of unconnected dots superimposed over the green to represent topography--it's virtually incomprehensible. An array of additional flaws permeate the game, but expounding on them here would delight only a pedant.