| PGA Tour 96 | |
|---|---|
3DO cover art |
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| Developer(s) | NuFX (Genesis version) Halestorm (SNES port) Ceris Software (Game Gear port) Unexpected Development (Game Boy port) with EA Sports and Hitmen Productions (Playstation and 3DO versions) |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts, Inc. with Black Pearl Software |
| Platform(s) | SNES, PlayStation, 3DO, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Game Boy |
| Release date(s) | [1] SNES
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| Genre(s) | Traditional golf simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player or multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Cartridge, CD-ROM |
PGA Tour 96 is a 1995 sports video game originally released for Sega Genesis, Sony PlayStation and 3DO then ported on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Gear and Game Boy.
Contents |
It takes place during the 1995 PGA Tour season. The game features many professional golfing stars and various modes from stroke play to match play and even tournament mode. Golf clubs are assigned automatically by the caddy as the computer deems suitable for every lie and every situation.
In the Genesis version there are two courses as standard, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and the TPC at River Highlands. The realism is quite advanced, especially in the Tournament Mode, where one can complete in a 72 hole tournament with famous golfers on the PGA tour (of 1995). The swing is based on the 3 click method with the professional setting being the hardest and fastest. Other difficulty settings include removing the caddie distance to pin advice and the use of the waggle which can make you hit it fat or thin. The settings for the weather and course conditions can add further to the difficulty, where "fast greens" and "windy" provide the most challenge. It is possible to draw, fade, and to backspin the ball as well as to hook and slice. However one slight bug is that when hooking, the ball goes farther and has enormous overspin. This means one can get drives in the region of 380 yards with dry fairways with a large hook. Another issue is when one it tied for the lead at the end of the tournament, the human player always wins and the opponent's score is reduced by one shot but there is not much one can do about that except to store swing animations of all professionals in the tournament.
The interface is good with pleasant music, and videos of the courses and for winning trophies, along with flybys with commentary. The par 4, 16th hole on the Spyglass Hill golf course is particularly difficult and is known to be one of the most difficult in the world. It is 462 yards, dogleg right, uphill, raised and hard sloping back to front green. On the TPC at Avenel, the par 3, 17th is particularly difficult with fast greens and when the pin is located at the top right part of the green where water is directly in front about 10 yards from the pin. Multiplayer is possible with up to 4 players and one can play as a new player or as one of the professionals such as Lee Janzen, Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen and Fuzzy Zoeller.