Fox Scores a Triple Bogey.
Note: If you're not a golf enthusiast, stop reading this review now; you don't want to buy (or even rent) this game.
If you are a golf enthusiast, read on if you like. But in the end, you'll probably decide not to waste your time with Fox Sports Golf '99.
First off, this is an unlicensed product. While the Fox Television Network seems to have its grubby paws all over every major sporting league, the same cannot be said for the game company. You won't find any PGA players here, though you'll find a few golfers that have names close to the real guys (Fred Hogan, Ben Strange, Fuzzy Fitzpatrick, etc.). Oh boy.
The game has a variety of different modes, including Practice, Strokeplay, Matchplay, Skins, Foursomes, Fourball, and the Amateur and Pro Tours. You need to win an amateur tournament before you can enter the pros. While there are 6 different 18 hole courses to choose from, they all start looking the same after a little while.
Like countless golf games before it, the basic control involves the tri-click: tap the X button three times in order to hit the ball. The first tap starts the power bar in motion, the second tap determines how hard you hit the ball, and the third tap determines your accuracy (whether you slice or hook). Unfortunately, that covers about 90% of what you do in this game.
If you play with the 'caddie help' on, you can see exactly how far up the power bar to go in order to place the ball where you want. Therefore, once you spend a couple of rounds getting your timing down, the game becomes repetitive and easy. All you really need to do is adjust for the wind. If you turn the 'caddie help' off, however, it is impossible to judge distances due to the game's bad graphics. Although you can control the camera angles and study the details of the hole before teeing off, this usually proves to be of little value.
My biggest complaint about this game is putting. While driving and approach shots are obnoxiously easy, once you reach the green the game gets unbearably difficult. As in other golf games, Fox Sports Golf '99 displays a grid on the green to help you judge different slopes and curves. But in this game, the grid rarely helps at all because it always looks exactly the same. Furthermore, the 'caddie help' goes out the window once you try putting. No matter how perfectly you line up the putt - even if your power and accuracy are right on target - nine out of ten times you will miss by a matter of inches. There is nothing more frustrating or discouraging in golf than always missing your putts by a few inches. Plus, it's bad for your Playstation (at least it was bad for mine - I kept getting angry and throwing my controller across the room after each putt).
One aspect of the game that does impress me is the variety of shot types you could take, such as normal, backspin, high lob, check, etc. Unfortunately, novices will soon find that the caddie never helps out in this department. Regardless, you don't need to use all these different types of shots to succeed, as I almost always reach the green in time for a birdie putt (which quickly becomes a bogey putt - see above) using only "normal" swings.
Perhaps the most amusing feature of Fox Sports Golf '99 (aside from choosing your cheesy golfer outfit) is the trash talking announcers. They quickly jump on you anytime you make a poor shot with comments such as "that's the kind of shot other golfers have nightmares about," or "that was either a mistake or bad technique." Yet, like any other video game announcers, they get repetitive and boring after a few hours of play.
Overall, Fox Sports Golf '99 is just a poor video game. The graphics are weak, the gameplay moves slowly, and the putting is sure to give you high blood pressure. If you love golf, and you have to own a golf game for your Playstation, my recommendation is to look elsewhere.
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