From: ralph@sandia.uucp (Ralph Keyser)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Review of the Irem Skins Game (golf) [SNES]
Keywords: Golf, SNES
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:37:36 GMT
Organization: Sandia Natl Labs, Div. 9224


			     The Irem Skins Game
	
System: SNES
Developer: Irem

SUMMARY
This is the best looking and most fun to play of the current golf games
for the SNES. It may not be the most realistic.

GRAPHICS
This uses a mixture of view points to provide a smooth, good-looking
view of the golf course. The basic view is the standard over-the-shoulder
view from behind the animated golfer. Overlaid on this view (off to the
side, of course) are an overhead of the course, wind gauge, ball lie, and
other vital info (distance to pin, hole number, etc.) At the bottom of
the screen are the golfing "controls". When the ball is hit, the view
switches to a flying overhead view of the ball as it travels down the
course.

Putting is done with most of the screen showing an overhead of
the green and an over-the-shoulder view on the right hand quarter of the
screen. The greens are a shaded, bitmaped image with an overall slope
indicator in one corner. This game does not provide the wire-frame view
of the green that shows up in many of the current crop of golf games, and
the greens are not very complex as a result.

This is a great looking game with smooth flowing graphics throughout.
Lots of little touches like a flapping flag at the pin, clouds,
little celebration moves by the golfers, reflections in the water, etc.
They give the game a nice, rich feel.

GAME PLAY
Skins Game is easy and fun to play. All of your shot controls are laid out
at the bottom of the screen so that you can see what is set to what. You
have control over club selection, direction, stance (controls hook or
slice), and stroke power. There is also a "spin gauge" on the left side
of the screen that controls whether you hit high or low on the ball. The
size of the gauge and how fast the marker in it moves depends on the club,
lie of the ball, power selection, and skill of your player (more on this 
later). You have to hit the button when the gauge marker reaches the 
correct spot. Most of the time this does not demand arcade type reaction 
times, but some combinations of power and club selection make it harder
to get off a good shot.

Skins Game offers Match play (1 vs computer, or 2 player), Stroke play
(1-4 players), a Tournament (1-4 players + computer opponents), and
Skins play (surprise!). All play takes place on a single course.

One of the unique things about this game is the ability to pick players
with different "characteristics". There are four players to choose from:
Evenhand (neutral player), Longshot (loads of power, not much accuracy),
the Technician (weak drives, but great accuracy and control), and the
Magician (who can pull off incredible hooks and slices). Multiple players
can be the same "type" player, so you can use the player types to balance
play, conform to your style of play, or handicap you by being weak in
the areas you like to use most.

Despite all the good things about the game, it does not have battery
backup to allow it to keep statistics about individual players, save a
game in progress, or remember player names. These features are not
essential, but certainly seem like a nice addition to the game.

SOUND
The sound effects are pretty standard. Not great, but not bad either.
There is a musical score that runs along behind a lot of the game and
it changes themes depending on the action that's happening. Not bad,
but I didn't see any way to cut it off, so it might get annoying.

OTHER
Skins Game is more of a golf game and a little less of a golf simulation.
The greens don't have the complexity of those modeled by the 3D wire-frame 
greens of other games and they seem less realistic as a result. The trees 
are also exceptionally good at swatting balls out of the air. This may be 
more realistic than I care to admit. The manual is pretty sparse, giving
you only the basics for game play.

In addition, for some unknown reason, the distance units are not uniform
throughout. The distance to the pin is shown in yards, but once on the green,
the distance is shown in meters and centimeters. Huh? Oh, wind speed is in
M. I assume that's mph, but who knows. None of this really matters in game
play.

Overall, Skins Game is a fun, highly playable, good looking golf game 
for the SNES. Recommended.


---------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Keyser    Albuquerque, NM  sandia!ralph@unmvax.cs.unm.edu