Joystiq [Nintendo]

NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1991)

Open Tournament Golf acts as a segue from genuine golf simulation to the fantasy-themed sport in the Mushroom Kingdom. In itself, the game is thematically hybrid; its courses give the impression of a real-world setting, but the roster of characters are straight out of the game world. Mario and Luigi function as player one and two, while Princess Peach and Daisy serve as their caddies. And as if this contextual juxtaposition weren't enough, computer-controlled opponents with ordinary names like "Billy" also appeared, foreshadowing the character anonymity of subsequent Mario Golf games.

This game design saw several iterations on two platforms, including Mario Open Golf, a Famicom game (later ported to the Nintendo Playchoice 10 arcade cabinet) with identical gameplay but slightly different content from that of Open Tournament Golf.

10/10/08