Neo Turf Masters — having the reputation of being one of "good sports games" on the Neo-Geo, as well as being the golf game from the makers of Metal Slug — was on my short list of games to track down. When I finally played it, I didn't know what to think.
While the graphics were great, the game was hard, and playing 18 holes of golf was a big time commitment for an arcade game. So I shrugged and put it aside to try it again another day.
I'm glad I gave it another go though. The trick for me was to pick the right golfer (The Veteran) to slow down the timing of the swing meter. Once I got into the flow of the game, it really does play a great game of golf, arcade or otherwise.
The graphics are incredible for a sprite-based arcade game with detailed golfers and a nice parallax pan effect when aiming your shot. The music is cheesy, but somehow fits the game like a glove. There is a lot of voice commentary between holes, but it's been recorded by some random girl named Nelson (versus say, I dunno, a sports announcer).
You choose from six different golfers with different strengths and weaknesses, and — like I said earlier — picking the right golfer was key for me. There are four varied courses including some with the traditional forest scenery, another that's predominately islands, and one that appears to be the Grand Canyon with lots and lots of waterfalls.
It's a game of reading the course and timing your shots. Pick your club and direction, then decide if you want to hook or slice your shot. Then you have two swing meters: one for power and one for angle. The holes can be tricky and one bad shot can mean the difference between a double bogey and a chance for a birdie. All in all, it strikes a nice balance between being accessible and having deep gameplay.
As someone who lost interest in most sports games after they started concentrating on having the proper yearly rosters, I had a blast with Neo Turf Masters after I got over the learning curve. If you have a Neo-Geo and have the slightest interest in golf games I highly recommend it.
-Ben Langberg
P.S. The home version costs a pretty penny these days, so I recommend getting the arcade MVS or CD version.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.