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Cablevision picks up Versus, Golf Channel in HD
Following directly in the footsteps of Comcast, it looks like Cablevision has become the next carrier to add Versus HD and Golf Channel HD to its high-definition lineup. Additionally, the deal moves Golf from Cablevision's $4.95-per-month sports tier package to its iO digital lineup. Interestingly, the company's CEO even mentioned that a whopping "80-percent of its cable subscribers were embracing digital television," but neglected to mention the concentration of paying HD customers. So while hockey may be a good ways off at this point, the Cablevision golfers in the crowd will have a lot to look at in the upcoming months.
Be the King of Clubs
Out in the Nevada desert, next to Big Bubba's Burger Bar and Truck Stop, you'll find King of Clubs. A poker joint? Actually it's a mini-golf course complete with pteranodons on poles and spaceships on strings. Don't worry if the locals look a bit strange; how would you look if you lived on an old nuclear waste dump? We've showed you the title before, but a few new details have emerged in a recent press release from Oxygen Interactive.Trickery and cunning are to be encouraged, with rewards to be earned and the possibility of scoring a hole in none. The game features five themed areas, each of which has its own resident pro. You can see the pros in the picture -- looks like the dress code is informal.King of Clubs hits the Wii in July, with a DS version to follow in September.[Via Go Nintendo]
Gears of War Golf? Not so fast ...
If you think the Gears universe and golf go hand in hand, then you're thinking like a true game industry veteran. Because Mark Rein had the same idea when he talked with Edge Magazine and Games Radar has all the dirt. In the interview, Rein tells of a story when Epic's dev team created a Gears based golf game demo to prove to a Korean publisher that the Unreal Engine 3 could be used for other game genres. Gears Golf took roughly a day to make, features a pre-tee off sweep of the course, and uses the grenade tossing mechanic to aim up shots.But sorry fellow Gears (or golf) fans, because Gears of War Golf was created solely as an internal demo and will not see an actual release. Too bad, because we were excited to see Marcus chainsawing opponents on the green in a rage after going two over par. Now that'd be sweet.[Via Joystiq]
Gears of War gets golf mode
Perhaps tired of complaints that all of the Gears of War gametypes are too similar, Epic has struck back with a new one that's just about as different as different gets: Golf. The only problem? You'll probably never get to play it. Games Radar has the full story from Mark Rein in an upcoming issue of Edge magazine. Eager to prove to a Korean publisher that Unreal Engine 3 is about more than shooting people until they die from it, the team at Epic spent a day transforming Gears into golfing game that used the game's grenade mechanics to aim and swing and featured Marcus Fenix as the man behind the clubs. One of the levels from Gears even got it's landscape reworked to make it more of a course. It all sounds intriguing, too bad we'll never see it. "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper space marine, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"
Hot Shots Golf 5 putting video -- not for the feint of heart
Golf games are relatively simple. Line up your shot, charge your power meter and slam that funky white crater-ball as far as possible. Then you get to the green... and you have to putt. Not only do the dynamics of the game ostensibly shift, but the complexity and threshold of skill are both increased exponentially. Putting requires an avid desire to sink the shot in one go, often making you consider the wind speed, the tilt of the ground, the distance to the hole, the power behind your putt ... there's a lot more to consider, basically. Check out the trailer for a nifty putting montage courtesy of Hot Shots Golf 5, if not for a tutorial on how to get your act together whilst putting.
Today's "Poor Wiimote" video: Tiger Woods Wii golf trick
Tiger Woods attempts to recreate his famous "Golf Trick" ad with a Wiimote, and all we can think is, "That's no way to treat a Wiimote!" Although he did have the wrist strap on, if you notice, we don't think it's good to be smacking balls around with it like that.. A slap in the face to Wii owners.If he was trying it with a Guitar Hero controller or something more club-like, then sure. But come on, Tig ... what did that Wiimote ever do to you?
Minna no Golf ad highlights GPS functionality
While the rest of the world watches, GPS continues to gain support and popularity in Japan. The latest commercial for Minna no Golf showcases a happy woman playing golf. Then, she uses the GPS device on her PSP to get details on the course she's actually playing on. Yatta! It's interesting to see SCEJ promote the GPS peripheral so strongly in Japan. Certainly, the diminutive device deserves to get all the attention it can get. When will the rest of the world be able to join in? [Update: IGN has revealed more details about the GPS support of Minna no Golf Ba. The game spans two UMDs due to the incredible size of these maps. "The first disk will include sixteen courses from southern Chiba along with one special course. The second disk will include fifteen courses from northern Chiba." Additional volumes are planned to be released later on, featuring even more golf courses throughout Japan.]
LG's L2000 leisure phone caught playing golf
We fully understand that there's nothing a lot of you would rather be doing on a Friday afternoon than enjoying a carefree round at the club, but those backscheduling reports aren't running autonomously just yet. Still, it looks like LG's elusive GPS-L2000 can add a dash of leisure to your hectic day provided you can sneak out of the office, as it reportedly provides distance judging assistance when nearing the cup, electronic scorecards, GPS navigation, some sort of depthfinder for the anglers in the house, and of course, the obligatory MP3 / movie / DMB TV playback that Koreans probably take for granted. Internally, the unit sports a 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 3.2-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen LCD, 128MB of Flash memory, 128MB of RAM, a SiRF Star III receiver, miniSD card slot, and Windows CE Net 5.0 running the show. So if you're interested in checking out the perfect weekend handset, and don't mind the stubby antenna, be sure to hit the read link for a smattering of hands-on photos.
Japanese trademarks hint at future Mario Golf game
Those lovable scamps over at NeoGAF have discovered that Nintendo have filed a few trademarks in Japan recently, the most interesting of which being a title by the name of Mario Open Golf. Now, what system the game will grace is up in the air, however without a precedent for the series on the DS, we're leaning more towards the Wii. There are no other details at this time, but we're hoping it features Wi-Fi gameplay.
Wii Warm Up: Wii Sports revisited
So, we've had both dry weeks and deluges -- overall, a fair number of offerings to distract us from Wii Sports over the past few months. And yet, it remains in the news as a media darling. But let's not worry about the rest of the world at the moment; let's talk serious, f'real gamers. Are we still playing Wii Sports? For fun, for profit exercise, or just out of sheer boredom -- if you're still whacking the racket or throwing punches, we want to know. And if you are still playing, we want to hear about those crazy, off-the-chart scores.
Midway to develop Aqua Teen Hunger Force combat golf game
What has already been hinted at has finally been confirmed: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is getting a console game. This fall, the mooninites will be invading retail outlets with Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am. Billed as an "epic, action-adventure combat golf, cart racing game," ATHFZNP-A will pit players as the dynamic fast food trio, complete with weapons and golfing equipment, to face bad guys derived from the show.Licensed games, with some exceptions, generally fare badly in terms of quality. There is a glimmer of hope in that ATHF creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis will be "working closely" with Midway, but we're not getting our hopes up.The game is due out this fall on PlayStation 2. If there is any parallel to be drawn between the game and the movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres, however, some sensationalist event might cause the game to expand its horizons to newer generation consoles.
Best Buy whips out mad dealz
Seriously. Best Buy is having a small-yet-appreciated discount on a few of the Wii launch titles. The following reductions should have already taken place: Red Steel - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Swing Golf - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - $39.99 (formerly $49.99) Perhaps not the finest of titles, but the significant price-cuts to RS and SMB might convince gamers who were on the fence to take the financial plunge. Any of you guys out there going to finally pick one of these titles up? Can we come to your house and play with you (we work for cookies and the occasional mixed drink here)?[via GoNintendo]
Wii Sports: Golf = hilarious
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Wii_Sports_Golf_hilarious_for_babies'; At least, that's what babies think as the embedded video (available past the post break) demonstrates. Every time Daddy takes a swing in Wii Sports: Golf, the baby goes nuts, laughing up a storm, which then causes all of us here at Wii Fanboy HQ to let out a long and spirited awwww. You can let out one yourself, as you check out the video.[Thanks, Kian!]
Lasabirdie: Wii Golf for the Super Famicom
Wii Sports might have been Nintendo's most successful attempt at getting us to play golf in our living rooms by swinging an imagined club, but it certainly wasn't the company's first try. Tinkering with the idea back in 1995, Nintendo worked with Japanese electronics giant Ricoh to release Lasabirdie, a personal golf simulator for the Super Famicom. The Lasabirdie bundle included a Get in the Hole game cart and several control accessories. Though the Lasabirdie lacked any motion sensing technology, its implementation was remarkably similar to the Wii's. Players used a light-sensor-equipped golf club in conjunction with a sensor pad to measure their strokes. This setup detected the speed of a player's swing and translated it into the simulator. The game offered a training mode that showed players how their slices hit the ball and gave advice on how to improve their swings.Lasabirdie's production was limited to 3,500 Japanese units, selling for about $450 each! One would think the rarity and extravagant retail price would make purchasing the bundle near impossible today, but Gamesniped spotted a Lasabirdie sold for only $270 at a recent eBay auction. The seller was even generous enough to provide a video demonstrating the game for bidders. Check it out after the post break.
EA brings Tiger Woods in for PGA Tour 07 Wii commercial
EA Sports demonstrated its commitment to making the Wii port of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 a success by casting the title star for the game's commercial. While this move seems like an obvious one, it would have been easy to just fill the 30-second spot with gameplay shots and close-ups of the polygonal golf pro. Instead, the TV advertisement features the sports celebrity demonstrating the Wii's unique controls with a graceful swing. Read on for the classy video.
GolfLogix teams with Garmin to give caddies a break
With Brandt Snedeker upstaging Tiger's return to the greens, we have to wonder if he didn't get ahold of GolfLogix's latest gizmo before heading out to the tee box. The self-named GolfLogix handheld GPS exercises an exclusive agreement that allows the company to "utilize its proprietary golf software on Garmin's popular eTrex line of GPS receivers." Since this still-debatable technology has been given the USGA and R&A blessing, folks looking to more accurately judge the distances, terrain, and unforeseen hazards up ahead can legally take advantage of its 1.25- x 2.25-inch LCD, automatic advancement to the next hole, large on-screen numbers, water / shockproof enclosure, personalization features, and backlit screen to get an edge. The built-in 12-channel GPS receiver claims to be accurate within two meters, and while we're not exactly sure how much internal memory is included, it can hold "multiple courses" simultaneously. The unit itself should start shipping soon after its stint at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, and while one free course download comes with the $349 pricetag, you'll probably want to invest the yearly $29.95 for unlimited course access if you plan on moving around much.
British Open closed to cellphones
Ahh, another day, another ban -- David Hill, Director of Championships for The R & A, has recently announced that for this year's British Open cellphones will not be permitted. After numerous complaints by the players regarding last year's event, no spectator will be allowed to have a phone on the course and to make sure that happens, security checks will be done at the pay gates. We're glad to see that the British Open is now in line with all the other major golf championships, as we were tired of listening to people chatting it up with their friends at home wondering if they could be seen on TV or not. So, can we get a round of golf claps for the ban -- anyone?[Via Tech Digest]
Scorecard
Earlier today one of my co-workers came up to me and said, 'Hey, this is a silly question but do you know of any apps for OS X that will let me track golf stats?' Since I am a leading Apple pundit (in my mind), the pressure was on. Luckily, I did know of an app that does just that, Scorecard.I did a quick search on TUAW, and was horrified to find that we haven't mentioned it before. This Universal app tracks every stat a golfer could be interested, as well as tracking weather conditions, and many other data points to track and improve your golf game.Scorecard costs $29.95, and there is a 5 round demo available.
Joystiq interviews Wes Culver, Tiger Woods Wii designer
After recently playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Wii, we asked several questions of Wes Culver, lead designer of the game on that platform. In our brief interview, he discussed specific changes between the Wii game and the title on other systems, and he also described how the Wii's horsepower stacks up against the other consoles.What are the differences between Tiger Woods on the Wii and the other platforms?So the difference between the Wii and the other platforms is obviously the control. All the gameplay controls have been totally redone to take advantage of the Wii Remote. If you want to, you can even go back and plug in the Nunchuk to get the analog swing. You can do that, and you play it as you would on the PS2 or the Xbox 360. But everything from the swing, the draw and fades, the spin -- all that sutff has been mapped to the Wii Remote, one way or another.
Joystiq hands-on: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Wii)
Wii Sports scored a spot among our favorite games of 2006 because of its innovation and motion-tastic controls. But we'd still rather play in-depth, stand-alone versions of the pack-in sports; Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is one of the first to answer the stand-alone challenge. I recently got to swing Tiger's virtual driver -- and putter -- with the Wii game, schedule for mid-March release.Wii Sports Golf has grown on me as I've played it more. But the bundled title has many drawbacks, like quirky club control, lack of slice sensing, and an inability to spin the ball. As I would expect from EA's stand-alone title, Tiger Woods bests Wii Sports in all of those areas -- with a few caveats. While I only got a short session with Tiger Woods and I'm only casually a golf game fan, I'm looking forward to a golf game for the first time since, well, ever.
