One of the first game’s we got to check out at this year’s E3 was John Daly’s ProStroke Golf from O-Games. With John Daly on hand, we got to play the game with the PlayStation Move controller and get the feel of the much touted physics engine. ProStroke Golf felt solid, but being very much alpha code, there are some big tweaks that still need to be made. Tiger Woods has owned the golf gaming space, but John Daly could give him a run for his money.
Already early on, the PlayStation Move controls were perfectly 1:1 with virtually zero lag. The demo we played was first a long drive contest followed by a few holes on the one course currently built into the game. I racked up a 350+ yard drive as John Daly in my first swing, proving that this is true to real life (for John Daly, not myself - my drives are 290-300 yards). In the par 3 afterward, I shot an embarrassing 6 with a horrible slice and a topped skull shot. If you aren’t paying attention and aren’t a good golfer, the 1:1 controls on the Move really shows off your mishits. My natural fade translated exactly into my swing in ProStroke. Being an avid golfer, I was able to turn it around quickly with a nice par.
Graphically, you could tell John Daly’s ProStroke Golf was an alpha build - it looked almost last-gen. This will be tuned up before release along with adding 16 fully licensed courses. The number of real golfers in the game has not been set as of E3 and the developers were not able to comment on the release date, but ProStroke is looking like it could be a true contender to Tiger Woods PGA Tour if given enough marketing power. What really surprised me is how fluid the game played and how much more it felt like a real round of golf than EA’s Tiger Woods game (which I also played with the Move controller). From addressing the ball to taking your swing to ball flight and roll, ProStroke felt more realistic. The one area that needs major improvement, putting, it already being tweaked. What we played felt awkward and a realistic pendulum-type putting stroke is currently being added, but wasn’t available for play on the show floor.
Even though it was the first game I got hands on with right after the press conference barrage, it was one of the more enjoyable motion controlled gaming experiences I had at this year’s E3. Now, if they ship the game with a pair of those insane pants John Daly always wears (and the entire PR team was wearing at the booth), I might be forced to pre-order. I’ll be interested to see how the game’s career mode and course list play out, but I have a feeling I’ll be picking up John Daly’s ProStroke Golf unless something goes drastically wrong.
