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NINJA GOLF by Atari Ninja Golf is easily one of the oddest video game concepts of all time and showed how weird Atari could be when they really tried, and why we all loved them. In the game, you are sent on a quest to prove yourself to your Ninja master by playing nine holes of golf, ninja style. This involves hitting the ball and running after it, killing lots of stuff on the way. When you get to the green, you have to kill a dragon. This part is a blatant rip-off of the old Shinobi bonus games, but its cool, nonetheless. Anyways, a weird game concept that, unlike most hybrid games, ain't half bad. Graphics- pretty game with lots of bright colors. The sand traps and water holes are done rather well, and the woods are neat. There are a variety of enemies here, from sharks to sand ninjas, and all are easily recognizable. The overhead golf map is also very functional. The game garphics are on par with old nintendo games like Kung Fu and such. Sound- Well, that old 7800 sound thing hits again, with bad blips taking the place of music, but soe parts are kind of funny, like when you go to the sand trap and it plays a cute little riff, or a bad version of the Jaws theme in the water hole. So the sound doesn't detract much, but doesn't add a whole lot, either. The sound effects are generic, but get the job done. Gameplay- Basically Kung Fu with a really bad golf engine thrown in. Not much by way of shot choice, and shooting the ball around hazards won't help since your guy runs straight toward the ball anyways, often running through the traps you tried to avoid. The fighting is good though, with kicks and punches and the occasional ninja star. One glaring fault though is that it is nigh impossible to jump and attack, leaving you earthbound most of the game. All in all, a good game that's worth having just because it's friggin' weird. Sweet sweet Atari...
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