Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

[rupe]

After playing for an hour here are some impressions.

I have not played a full course yet because you have to unlock the john daly challenges before it will allow to enter a tournament. The challengers are a good way besides the tutorial to get a feel for the game. Bare bones on the options. You wont have all the fun stuff that TW golf has, but I hated the move implementation in that game.

Swinging is not a true measure of speed and power as I hoped. Either that or I doing something wrong. When I golf i dont have a full back swing, more of a 3/4, but I explode into the shot. In this game a full range of motion is necessary for full power.

The feel of the game will take some getting used to but will be really fun. Don't think it will help your golf game much though as you really don't get that "feel" of a golf club. I'm pulling the ball more than I do in real life. Chips shots I'm hitting way too hard along with puts. There a 3 levels of difficulty with 2 or three levels within those levels. I have not figured out how to change the difficulty (need to read more of the manual).

Graphics are really bad, but hey its golf.

The menu navigation is not as smooth as Sports Champions. The calibration seems off no mater how many times I recalibrate. The pointer shakes a bunch and is really really touchy.

Have not tried online yet. Not until I get a good feel for the game. I'll play some more tonight after I get done playing some lego batman and lego starwars with my 4 year old. Ooooooooooo the difficulties in sharing your ps3 with you boy lol.

All in all, once I get a feel for everything I can see myself playing this alot. I do wish they allowed for custom sound tracks as the overall sound of the game is pretty stale. Might be better in tourney mode.



Ok this game would definitely benefit from custom sound tracks. The commentating is just bland.

The game is harder then I expected which is a good thing. Im getting better but I still pull too many shots. I really need to practice the driving part of the game. Putting is hard. I wish they had a better free moving camera to get a better look at the puts. One that rotates on the y axis.

No online lobbies which kinda sucks, You can have private matches where you invite friends to play. Also quick and custom matches. I'll try an online game tomorrow night as the wife is going out for girls night and I should have a bunch of time to play it. Hti me up if you wanna try the online out. psn is rupe. My back is sore as hell just like when I play real golf lol. Not a good thing.

[shon]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

Played for about an hour and I liked what I played. The sensitivity in the menu's needs to be addressed as I had to use two hands to steady the pointer to select menu items but it worked well while playing.

The graphics weren't terrible and didn't distract from the game. The best thing is the loading times. After the initial load of the course there are no loads between holes, in TW there is a 5-10 sec wait and I hate that. Also since you are playing the whole course and not just one hole at a time I hit into another holes fairway and that is like my real game.

There are 3 difficulty levels and I need more time to practice to see which one I like best. I found on the hardest difficulty that I couldn't get the full swing power without really swinging hard, I'm not sure how much the swing rhythm is taken into account.

Putting was a little difficult for me as I felt it was too sensitive and some times I would hit the move button to start my shot and I would be over the ball and accidentally hit it a couple of inches.

The commentary is not good and I heard repeats after 9 holes. You can play a quickmatch and I was able to chose different courses but I didn't check to see if all were
available but I did go through 4 of them so there is a way to play the courses without
doing the challenges.

One strange thing did happen though, I was playing a quick match and after 9 holes a video started playing and it was a commercial for a car, it wasn't long maybe 10 seconds but I wasn't expecting it and hadn't heard of that being in the game.

[Psunami]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

I will agree with what you guys said that chipping is very difficult. I was struggling with it even in the tutorial.

Getting the feel for putting will be a challenge as well.

One thing that I really liked was how you adjusted the ball in your stance, it was very intuitive and felt right.

It's funny that you guys mention your back hurting a bit when playing the game, I noticed that last night as well. I played for about an hour or so and once I sat down my back was aching a bit. I guess it's just a matter of getting used to how the game wants you to swing, rather than how my 'normal' golf swing works.

[Triggerfish]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

just started playing with it. I think i'm going to like it! Stance ..release...angle of club...things that golfers struggle with...i know i do! lol!! Finally some fun! Not knocking the other brand..it's hard for them to make it like that because of the generic crowd but i'm lovin it! Finally another golf game! Graphics are not on par with Tiger but for me at least not a big deal. Again i liked prostroke in 2007!

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

Thanks for your impressions on this guys... they all sound sincere. I've been considering a PS3 purchase for some time, and I was thinking this game, with the Move, might pursuade me to finally come off the hip for one. It doesn't sound like JDPG is anything approaching a system seller at this point. I hope that Gusto Games gives some attention to the cursor, putting and chipping sensitivity issues that I'm reading about far and wide. It will tell me a lot about their commitment to this product if they fix it to where these elements of the game are manageable... especially the twitchy cursor control!?

Do you find that you're having to c.o.c.k. your wrists with the Move, just like you would a real club to get 100% distance? I read one guy who seems to know his stuff say he wasn't getting full power until he started fully cocking and uncocking his wrists...

[rupe]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

Thanks for your impressions on this guys... they all sound sincere. I've been considering a PS3 purchase for some time, and I was thinking this game, with the Move, might pursuade me to finally come off the hip for one. It doesn't sound like JDPG is anything approaching a system seller at this point. I hope that Gusto Games gives some attention to the cursor, putting and chipping sensitivity issues that I'm reading about far and wide. It will tell me a lot about their commitment to this product if they fix it to where these elements of the game are manageable... especially the twitchy cursor control!?

Do you find that you're having to c.o.c.k. your wrists with the Move, just like you would a real club to get 100% distance? I read one guy who seems to know his stuff say he wasn't getting full power until he started fully cocking and uncocking his wrists...

This was my biggest problem as i don't fully c.o.c.k my wrists back in real like. Stiff back makes me do a slap shot. lol. The game is at least improving the flexibility in my back. Seriously.

[DivotMaker]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

My impressions of this game from what I have read hear and in the JDPG and other golf related forums is not off to a good start at all. I have asked twice in the JD forums from the 9th on to today where the PS3 demo is that they said would be out before the game and they can't even respond to that. If they can't respond to users who are interested in the game, I don't have too much hope for the longevity of this game. Lastly, their forums are absolutely horrid in colors, interface, etc....NOT at all impressed.

[jwheels9876]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

I have the game and the motion controls. I will provide some insight and answer questions if there are any.

I put the game on the tour pro level so it would not give any help with my shot distance or accuracy.

I only played 18 holes in practice mode. I shot about +35!!!! the ball was going all over the place, pulls,slices,duffs, everything!

In real life when I was playing 3-4 times a week I would shoot around 84-90 on a par 72 course from the back tees. Nowadays I'm around 93-110 depending on the course I play.

Obviously I'm nothing more then a recreational golfer. I gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed playing the 18 holes, it was challenging as heck and I sprayed the ball all over, just like I do IRL. I had 1 par, 6 bogeys,I birdie on a 187 yard par 3, 8 double bogeys,a quadruple bogey where I hit into the water a couple times instead of laying up and I took a 10 on a hole where I putted on and off the green about 5 times lol. Overall my score was +31 or 104.

Enjoyed every minute of it. My body was killing me this morning, so be prepared for it!

Jeff

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

I have the game and the motion controls. I will provide some insight and answer questions if there are any.

Really appreciate your thoughts on it jwheels! I'm curious, did you find the cursor/pointer control frustratingly sensitive when you were setting up shots with the Move? That seems to be an almost fatal problem with a lot of people who've played the game.

Also, did you find that you had to swing the Move harder than you swing a real club to get 100% power?

I'm really anxious to read some impressions from folks who've played online multiplayer in this game. They reportedly use the same "virtual instant replay" system that UTour Golf on the PC used... I thought it was fantastic! (The virtual instant replay, not so much the game, which was 3-click only.

And Divotmaker you're right, the JDPG Forum is the absolute worst board software I've ever seen!

[rupe]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

[QUOTE=Also, did you find that you had to swing the Move harder than you swing a real club to get 100% power? [/QUOTE]

How hard you swing really has no affect on the game. Its more of a range of motion and timing thing that I have yet to master. The harder I swing the less it goes. The smoother I swing the better. I have hit 99 percent power with no idea what I did right or wrong. Thats my only major beef with the game. It should tell you what was off on your swing.

Other than that I am having fun with the game as I get a better feel for it. But it is lacking in many departments. If you mixed some aspect of Tiger with Prostroke you would have a great game.

After reading some developer comments on the JDPSG boards its pretty clear that there won't be any patches coming down the road. All suggestions and complaints are answered with a "good idea. Maybe for next year".

My suggestion is to wait for a price drop. It is fun, very frustraiting, and in those way kinda like real golf.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

How hard you swing really has no affect on the game. Its more of a range of motion and timing thing that I have yet to master. The harder I swing the less it goes. The smoother I swing the better. I have hit 99 percent power with no idea what I did right or wrong. Thats my only major beef with the game. It should tell you what was off on your swing.

Do you break your wrists during the swing, particularly when you're trying hit a 100% power shot?

I'm glad to hear that you can punish yourself by trying to swing too hard. I'll be curious to see if you don't start getting a feel for what you are doing right in the swing to get more consistent results.

After reading some developer comments on the JDPSG boards its pretty clear that there won't be any patches coming down the road. All suggestions and complaints are answered with a "good idea. Maybe for next year".

You got the impression that no patch is coming? I got a pretty good idea that at least one more is coming, but they're nowhere near ready to decide on a final list of fixes.


My suggestion is to wait for a price drop. It is fun, very frustraiting, and in those way kinda like real golf.[/QUOTE]

[DivotMaker]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

I'm glad to hear that you can punish yourself by trying to swing too hard. I'll be curious to see if you don't start getting a feel for what you are doing right in the swing to get more consistent results.

This is exactly the same experience I have had with the Move in TW11. Swing too hard, it impacts the shot, usually somewhat of a mis-hit and reduced distance. Swing smoothly and with increasing clubhead swing through the impact gives me pretty consistently good shot results.

[rupe]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

This is exactly the same experience I have had with the Move in TW11. Swing too hard, it impacts the shot, usually somewhat of a mis-hit and reduced distance. Swing smoothly and with increasing clubhead swing through the impact gives me pretty consistently good shot results.

Well, I think I finally found my stroke. 3 birdies in 9 holes. Sprinkled in with pars, double and single bogies.

[Triggerfish]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

Yes I am finding that by swing too hard...as in real golf...I get nowhere. Has to be smooth and fast like in real golf. Luvin it so far! I stink but I should at this stage.

[goodnews]

Re: Some quick John Daly's Prostroke impressions

I seem to be enjoying this game the more I play it. For the most part the controls read your swing and hand positions fairly well. The putting can be challenging but when you do hit a good putt you feel like you really earned it. It picks up fairly well when I try to draw or fade. If I'm trying to play a shot off my back foot and try to get the ball up quick it reads this well too. Playing a shot in the trees I was able to hit a 3iron and run the ball under the trees back into the fairway, very realistic imo.

There is a learning curve and you will need practice. A trick that I use is to actually place a real golf ball in front of you, it makes things much better. Without the Move this game probably doesn't make the cut for most people, but with the Move it's a heck of a game.