Mario Golf was released in Japan on June 11th, 1999 and in North America on June 30th, 1999. It featured your regular cast of Mario universe characters, but also included characters specifically for this game. Plum, Sonny, Harry, Maple, and Charlie were characters developed by developer Camelot just for this game, and haven't appeared in any game since. (Unless you want to count Plum being a trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee, and being a sticker in Super Smash Bros Brawl).
The game takes away a lot of the nuances and frustrations commonly associated with golf games, leaving a simple "pick up and play" feel. That is not to say there wasn't a challenge here. You still had to worry about wind speed, weather, individual golfers shot angles, spin of the ball and layout of the course. It was a nice and happy medium between stupid easy and ready to throw my controller through the TV hard.
There was a lot to do here as well. There was speed golf, ring shot, mini golf, and skins matches apart from just the quick play mode. I think at some point they should just make a full-on Mario Mini Golf game.
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The game also featured support for the Transfer Pak, allowing communications with the Game Boy Color version (which was released in Japan on August 10, 1999 and North America on October 20th, 1999). Using the Pak, players can transfer characters and data between the two versions and earn experience points.
Don't have your N64 anymore? You can play Mario Golf through the Wii Virtual Console and the Game Boy Color version via the eShop. I would recommend it. These are fun games along the same lines as the Mario Tennis series. Camelot has been developing Mario sports games since the beginning of time, so they know what they are doing. Which is why I am looking forward to getting my hands on my copy of World Tour. Expect a "What I Think Of" this weekend detailing my time with the newest entry in a very enjoyable franchise starring our favorite Italian plumbers.
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