Lavid Leadbetter's "Greens" is probably a game you've never heard of, but this is the game that raised the bar for future games to compete with. Of the 4 golf games available at the time of its release, Greens was probably the game with the least amount of hoopla surrounding it. Access was the leader with Links 386. A good all around game with an eye for details. PGA Tour, by EA Sports was a quality game, but unlike current times, EA did not dominate the landscape.
It was the first game to allow you to play in a tournament, tracking your positing in the tournament via the leader board, through the tournament. Fuji golf by Microsoft was the lowest quality, but may have been played by the most people, as it was included as a free game on many new PC's. The graphics were poor and ball physics were bad, but it was probably a starter game for many PC and console golfers that still play today. And then there was Greens, which I would say was the most innovative and in depth golf game of its time.
Greens' 3d texturing, fly by hole previews and incredible camera angles and tracking of the ball are what make this game
no only unbelievable for it's time, but in all honesty, it's still playable to this day. No the graphics aren't as good as today Tiger Woods Golf, but the game play and ball physics are right there with it. Greens was the only game at the time and the only that I know of even today that allowed you to switch camera angles during the flight of the ball. Start by watching from behind as you nail a shot straight down the fairway, then change the camera to a shot from the green as the ball comes flying toward you. Side angles are also available and as with the others, offer excellent graphics and views of every shot.
Ball physics were definitely the thing that set this game apart from the others. I was into simulations at the time. I'd take a more realistic game with a little less graphics over an arcade version of a game any day. Greens were real golf, when the others were games. Ball lies effected how far the ball traveled. Slope effected how the ball came off the club and which way the ball started to go as you hit it. Terrain affected the roll of the ball and weather affected the flight. All standard features in today games, but Greens was the only one to simulate it all correctly at the time.
The sounds and music were nothing special, but it wasn't sounds that made this game. I guarantee you the makers of every golf game in the late 90's played and studied this game. Every feature in current games has a piece of this game in it, only this one did it over 20 years ago. Give this game a try if you want to spend an hour or two back in the mid 90's and see how we played golf before there were Play stations and Xbox's.
