GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Saffire
	PUBLISHER
	Electronic Arts
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Tiger Woods: the man, the legend, the Nike spokesman for probably the next decade. Tiger Woods is practically a franchise in himself, and now he can prove it, with Electronic Arts' CyberTiger.

And when CyberTiger was ported to Nintendo's Fun Machine last year, the Tiger Woods Franchise ran up against another global franchise, that of Mario, in direct competition. In the real world Tiger would probably whack the plumber in two with one swipe of his driver; but in the Land of Make-believe, can the Tiger beat the mustachoied one?

Many Playstation-to-N64 ports have benefited from the extra development time with enhanced graphics. Unfortunately, CyberTiger missed this trend. The courses are fairly well detailed; the rough looks rough and the green looks green, birds dive over water traps, and the occasional squirrel darts past your tee. I think I even saw a skunk. But there's a good deal of fog, and what is visible is generally blocky. It's marginal, but the earlier Playstation version looked a bit better.

The golfers are adequately animated. Tiger himself slipped into a T-1000 fully-wired body suit to provide authentic motion-captures, and the result isn't too shabby. There isn't much to animate in a golf game. Saffire did well by Tiger.

There are some nice little details. Drive with more than 100% power and the ball dons a little super-cape as it flies. Activate the 'head pump' to simulate Rare's infamous DK-head cheat. Wait a while, and Tiger will randomly yell at you, balance himself on his club, or perform his famous juggling act. Nice details--but the overall appearance of CyberTiger still disappoints.

While professional golf tournaments generally prohibit the thundering of "We are the Champions" or "Who Let the Dogs Out" common in other sporting events, a golf video game apparently requires a soundtrack. But not too much--CyberTiger features a simple, repetitive score that, after several hours of playing, may induce you to kill bunnies.

There are some voice samples, presumably from Tiger himself. He coos "Sweet shot!" when you sink a put; he bellows like Tarzan if you make an eagle or better. The sound effects are sufficient. But really, Tiger ought to be ticked about the damn music.

Cyber Tiger is essentially an arcade-style golf experience with some simulation credibility. Most of the courses are authentic PGA courses, or otherwise realistic video game exclusives; players choose either Tiger or from a host of real and imaginary golfers with which to play. The game features six primary one- and multiplayer modes: Stroke Play, Match Play, Tiger Challenge, Battle Mode, Skins Game, and Tournament. There's also a Driving Range for practice.

The standard swing mechanism for console golf games has been the 'power meter': typically a long grid that, with one touch of a button, measures the power of the shot as the golfer rears back, and with a second touch, sets the power, and launches the swing. CyberTiger uses the analog stick to more closely simulate Tiger's style. Pulling back on the stick begins the swing and pressing forward launches it: it's logical, and provides a more sensuous control over the club. It becomes very comfortable. In fact, considering this apart from the rest of the game, CyberTiger might give players the best control over a golf swing in console history--at least, in my memory.

That's the simulation-friendly aspect of the game. The arcade touch comes from the use of Power-ups. The Power-ups grant Tiger power even he doesn't naturally have: he can drive the ball like a rocket, skip it over water traps, drop it onto the green without any displacing bounces, articulate precise control over the ball's rotation in mid-air. Like Camelot's Hot Shots and Mario sports games, these unrealistic options provide some added depth to gameplay, and a nice means to catch up when a player falls behind the leader. The Power-ups here are more varied than the "power shots" of Mario Golf. They can be fun, and a great advantage--they can also be ignored by those seeking pure simulation.

The mutliplayer modes play as well as the single-player, with gamers alternating turns. There is zero load time, and segues are quick, so it's never too long before the controller's in your hand again.

Of special note is CyberTiger's Battle Mode, wherein two players square off across a golfing battlefield, and try to destroy each other with well-aimed explosive golf balls. The marriage of the West's most elegant and peaceful game with incendiary destruction makes too much sense to ignore. I hereby submit a plea to Saffire, that they invest more time in such sporting-demolition hybrids.

CyberTiger is a decent game. It's fun--I'm not a golf aficionado, but I still really enjoyed my time with this cart. And that saddens me even more, that I have to deduct points for the mediocre graphics and wretched music.

If you've been looking for a good golfing experience on your Nintendo 64, and you prefer a PGA license over our red-capped mascot hero, CyberTiger is the best--and sadly, really the only--choice to make. Definitely better than Waialae, CyberTiger is quick and delightful.

7.5/10