We Love Golf for the Nintendo Wii is the latest effort from Camelot, best known as the creators of Nintendo's Mario Golf games for GameCube and Nintendo 64. It's an instantly accessible golf game, with motion-sensitive controls that are easy to get into and bright, colorful courses. However, its lack of worthwhile extras and genuine challenge make it hard to recommend to anyone outside of newcomers and kids.
The gameplay is straightforward – perhaps too straightforward. You perform golf swings using your Wii remote, pointing it downward to initiate the swing, bringing the club head back like you would a real golf swing and then following through. A pair of talking in-game characters talk to you through each swing, whether you want them to or not, so it's hard to get it wrong. Hook and slice adjustment is available if you need to get past trees or other obstacles on the course, but your shots are so accurate you'll seldom need to use them. Hook and slice adjustment is available if you need to get past trees or other obstacles on the course, but your shots are so accurate you'll seldom need to use them.
Putting is even easier. The greens are so flat and without contours that you'll make 60-foot putts without even looking at the screen. As a result, you'll have no problem nailing a score of -15 or better, while your computer-controlled opponents frustratingly go into double digits the other way. We Love Golf's lack of difficulty will leave most players bored, sitting on their couches while they initiate perfect golf swings with mere flicks of their wrist. Kids and stressed-out gamers looking for a source of relaxation should love it, though.
Design is another flaw for We Love Golf. The characters come off as bland. The only way to perk them up is to dress them in an unlockable Capcom character skin. It's funny to watch someone play golf in Arthur's armor (from the Ghouls n' Ghosts series), but only for so long. You can also use your Miis in the game, but, inexplicably, you need to unlock them first. The course design shows occasional sparks of imagination, such as with the arrival of a ghost pirate ship. Unfortunately, that level of creativity doesn't stay the course throughout the whole game. The sound is unremarkable, with below-average music playing in the background and annoying sound effects.
We Love Golf has several modes and activities to choose from. Ring Golf and Target Golf test your targeting skills, while Tournament Mode provides sufficient opportunity to unlock new in-game content. It also has online play through Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection, so you can hook up with fellow gamers via Friend Codes or Random Play. Unfortunately, the online sessions are limited to nine-hole match-ups with no tournaments or mini game events. On the bright side, you can play with your Miis right away in this mode, without needing to unlock them.
With its lacking difficulty, online options and personality, We Love Golf is a tough game to recommend. It's best left to young ones and rookies that struggle to get into golf games. Everyone else should wait a few weeks for the "real" Wii golf experience, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. We Love Golf is a short-lived Love affair at best.
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