No Pang, No Gain- Pangya: Fantasy Golf Reviewed
Pangya: Fantasy Golf for the PSP. Developer: Ntreev Soft, Publisher: Tomy ESRB: E10
The allure of a golf videogames are as irresistible as the siren’s call for me. Whether it’s the detailed simulation found in the Tiger Woods PGA series, the simplicity and charm of the Hot Shots series, or the wackiness of Ribbit King, I’ve spent countless hours on the simulated greens. While PSP owners get their yearly fix of nine-iron reproduction with Tiger’s diversion, aficionados of arcade-styled golf are given games sporadically.
Fortunately, the creators of popular PC game, Pangya, have brought their golfing creation to PSP screens. The Ntreev-developed title forgoes the internet communities of the original title, instead focusing on the creation of an engaging single-player experience. With a detailed storyline and wealth of unlockables, Fantasy Golf is a splendid diversion that works exceptionally well as a portable game.
As the title opens, we learn the sport pays homage to Pangya Island’s distant past- where evil sorcerers began drilling holes into the virgin soil. Heroes began using equipment resembling clubs and balls to remedy the impending damage. Now, the game’s diverse assortment of characters, which range from an anthropomorphic bear, a pirate, and magicians recreate the world-resuscitating sport to honor the valiant liberators. While the game’s backstory is mildly trite, dialogue between characters is agreeably succinct.
Once on the links, players utilize a three-push system to simulate their golf swing. Gamers tap the “X” button once to initiate a backswing, pressing again to set the amount of power along a horizontal meter. Finally, players must hit the button a final time to initiate the release, timing the press to allow for a straight flight. Players accustomed to the swing meter of the Hot Shots series will immediately feel at home, although Pangya’s mechanic is slightly slower, resulted in fewer wayward shots.
Once the player hones the basic shot, a number of variations await mastery. The Tomahawk, Power Curve, Cobra and Spike Shot all require additional input commands during the swing, but allow for greater control of the ball’s trajectory. As players move through the story mode’s ranks, these shots will become essential when overcoming the game’s CPU-controller opponents.
Players start off with two characters, but as they win challenges, they will unlock more of the game’s eighteen duffer roster. Each golf contest is delightfully brief, as players try to secure the most winning holes in three, five or seven round events. Exceptional shots and victories win Pang, the game’s currency, which players can use to purchase a myriad of clothing, caddy, and accessory items.
Graphically, Pangya presents an abundance of courses that range from convincing greens to fantastical, other-worldly venues. Characters are devotedly detailed and fluidly animated; each has a substantial amount of customization options allowing players to adorn a variety of statistically augmenting attire. The title’s one visual shortcoming is the game’s simplistic presentation of putting greens. Instead of a realistic graphical representation of elevations and breaks, players are presented with a grid of spots used to signify the complexities of the green.
Pangya: Fantasy Golf has a sizable number of victorious attributes: its central interpretation of arcade golf is enjoyable and visually adorable. Gamers that are drawn to item collection, will find enough content to maintain their interest for hours. Couple these enticing aspects, with a thirty dollar MSRP, and Pangya proves to be one of the must-have PSP titles of the summer.
The allure of a golf videogames are as irresistible as the siren’s call for me. Whether it’s the detailed simulation found in the Tiger Woods PGA series, the simplicity and charm of the Hot Shots series, or the wackiness of Ribbit King, I’ve spent countless hours on the simulated greens. While PSP owners get their yearly fix of nine-iron reproduction with Tiger’s diversion, aficionados of arcade-styled golf are given games sporadically.
Fortunately, the creators of popular PC game, Pangya, have brought their golfing creation to PSP screens. The Ntreev-developed title forgoes the internet communities of the original title, instead focusing on the creation of an engaging single-player experience. With a detailed storyline and wealth of unlockables, Fantasy Golf is a splendid diversion that works exceptionally well as a portable game.
As the title opens, we learn the sport pays homage to Pangya Island’s distant past- where evil sorcerers began drilling holes into the virgin soil. Heroes began using equipment resembling clubs and balls to remedy the impending damage. Now, the game’s diverse assortment of characters, which range from an anthropomorphic bear, a pirate, and magicians recreate the world-resuscitating sport to honor the valiant liberators. While the game’s backstory is mildly trite, dialogue between characters is agreeably succinct.
Once on the links, players utilize a three-push system to simulate their golf swing. Gamers tap the “X” button once to initiate a backswing, pressing again to set the amount of power along a horizontal meter. Finally, players must hit the button a final time to initiate the release, timing the press to allow for a straight flight. Players accustomed to the swing meter of the Hot Shots series will immediately feel at home, although Pangya’s mechanic is slightly slower, resulted in fewer wayward shots.
Once the player hones the basic shot, a number of variations await mastery. The Tomahawk, Power Curve, Cobra and Spike Shot all require additional input commands during the swing, but allow for greater control of the ball’s trajectory. As players move through the story mode’s ranks, these shots will become essential when overcoming the game’s CPU-controller opponents.
Players start off with two characters, but as they win challenges, they will unlock more of the game’s eighteen duffer roster. Each golf contest is delightfully brief, as players try to secure the most winning holes in three, five or seven round events. Exceptional shots and victories win Pang, the game’s currency, which players can use to purchase a myriad of clothing, caddy, and accessory items.
Graphically, Pangya presents an abundance of courses that range from convincing greens to fantastical, other-worldly venues. Characters are devotedly detailed and fluidly animated; each has a substantial amount of customization options allowing players to adorn a variety of statistically augmenting attire. The title’s one visual shortcoming is the game’s simplistic presentation of putting greens. Instead of a realistic graphical representation of elevations and breaks, players are presented with a grid of spots used to signify the complexities of the green.
Pangya: Fantasy Golf has a sizable number of victorious attributes: its central interpretation of arcade golf is enjoyable and visually adorable. Gamers that are drawn to item collection, will find enough content to maintain their interest for hours. Couple these enticing aspects, with a thirty dollar MSRP, and Pangya proves to be one of the must-have PSP titles of the summer.
I love HSG, and I never heard about this one. I might have to grab it.
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DE, you Asian or what? I don't know too many NA (Non-asian) that could put up with the cuteness of it all. I ried playing online a while ago, it was aight, nothing special.
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As always you titles are the best. Hey what happened to the captions?
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I miss those too.
Great review. I'll have to see if he have this at work.
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Is this one UMD or download. If it's UMD, I'm getting it.
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I'm not into collecting clothes for little characters, but I do like golf. I'll have to play this secretly to avoid embarrassment.
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I cant believe you mention Ribbit King. You are officially hardcore for namedropping that one.
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More games need rabbit purse caddies.
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Great review. I'm glad you guys don't trash the smaller, quirky titles.
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Too damn Japanese for my tastes.
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but the developers are Korean.
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Looks like Peter got pwned
I'll grab this when it hits $19.99 or less.
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The whole RPG element sounds interesting. Has there been a gold RPG before?
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Hmm, this or TW10 for PSP. What cant you guys review that one too
How many course does this have?
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I got this about a week ago. I played it like crazy for a week, and lost interest. Just wanted to share my experience.
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Another one of those free on PC, pay for portable deals?
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Looks alot like Hot Shots Golf.
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Anyone know of any deals on this?
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are there any guys in the game, or is it just girlie dress up?
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Great review. I might have to get this.
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They should sell this to guys in a brown paper wrapper, for those embarrassed by a 'dress-up' game.
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I don't see this at too many retailers.
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Too cute for my tastes.
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I hate when people won't even try a game based on the visual style.
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Looks super cutesy. I might have to get it.
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This review reminds me I need to dust off my psp and charge my battery. If I do those, maybe I'll try this.
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As a fan of HSG, I'll look into this one.
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$29.99 is about ten too much.
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I haven't bought a new PSP game in a long time. Hopefully, the Go gets things moving again.
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Very Hot Shot-ish, which is a good thing.
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Just grabs this today. Pleased so far, and I just unlocked Uncle Bob.
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How many hours of playtime is in the game?
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dude with a name like that how can it not be at least decent
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