Game Reviews

Let’s Golf! 2

Star onStar onStar onStar onStar half
|
| Let's Golf! 2
Get
Let’s Golf! 2
|
| Let's Golf! 2

As golfing returns go, Let’s Golf! 2 is equivalent to Tiger Woods returning from his recent sabbatical and hitting a round of 63 on his way to victory at The Masters.

Like that (entirely fictional) scenario, Let’s Golf! 2 manages to improve dramatically on what’s gone before despite the series already being a dominant force in its field.

No other Android golf game came close to the first Let’s Golf!, and the sequel raises the bar even further.

Boldest swinger in town

Considering how pretty the first game was, Gameloft has gone above and beyond the call of duty in making this sequel sharper and more detailed.

From the beautiful course design to the animals that have taken to gambolling over the greens, Let’s Golf! 2 is one of the most attractive games on Android (for the record, I tested it on a Galaxy S and had no major performance issues outside of some slightly lengthy loading screens).

The series’ brilliant single-player Career mode also returns in fine form, offering up multiple challenges across six brand new (and beautifully varied) courses. Here you must earn medals by winning quick three-hole shootouts, lengthier nine-hole competitions and exciting seven-hole one-on-one match-ups.

Success here allows you to unlock new course, golfers, and equipment. As before, your golfer also levels up his or her abilities with persistent usage, encouraging you to stick with one (though you’re free to select from a roster of eight).

If the hefty Career mode doesn’t suit your schedule, there’s always the quickfire delight of Challenge mode. Here you take part in a series of one-off tasks that range from scoring a birdie on a certain hole to Longest Putt and Bunker Ball competitions.

Par for the course

Gameloft hasn’t stood still when it comes to the golf itself, either. While the fundamentals are much the same, including the familiar three-touch swing and two-touch putting systems, there are some notable tweaks.

The swing system in particular is much better balanced now, making it easier to judge shot power while requiring quicker reactions (it’s only visible while in the process of taking the shot) to pull off.

In addition, special abilities for each character add a new strategic element to play, as well as informing your character selection for each course.

This is all topped off with the inclusion of online multiplayer, which takes an already meaty game into full-on mixed grill status.

Let’s Golf! 2 doesn’t reinvent the golf game, nor does it make wholesale changes to the previous version. What it does is make meaningful improvements in virtually every area. As a result, we have the definitive Android golfing experience that looks secure in its position until Let’s Golf! 3 decides to step up to the tee.

Let’s Golf! 2

Let’s Golf! 2 makes subtle but meaningful improvements on virtually every aspect of the original, resulting in the definitive Android golfing experience
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.