Masters ’98: Harukanaru Augusta

Description

Masters ’98: Harukanaru Augusta is part of the long-running Harukanaru Augusta series and uses the licensed Augusta National Golf Club as its sole course, following earlier series entries built around the same venue. Each hole is introduced through a course flyover with Japanese descriptive text, while crowds, the clubhouse, and other landmarks appear around the course. Japanese commentary is provided by TBS announcer Kenji Matsushita and professional golfer Nobumitsu Yuhara, who also supplied motion capture for one of the character’s animations.

The title offers Training, Stroke Play, Match Play, Tournament, and Masters Tournament modes, with a Quick Start option reducing the preparation required before beginning a round. Shots involves many options, including club selection, aim, stance, ball contact, and other variables, while clubs are available in metal, titanium, and persimmon varieties. Individual club distances can be altered, ball materials can be selected, and player records and scoring averages can be saved. Unlike the early Nintendo 64 title, Eikō no Saint Andrews, which uses the analogue stick as a swing mechanism, it employs the conventional three-click power-and-accuracy meter. A Cart Cam option also allows the current hole to be examined from ground-level or aerial viewpoints before play continues. It is conventional golf simulation presented

The game represents T&E Soft’s established simulation approach and its underlying technology was subsequently used for Waialae Country Club: True Golf Classics, which changed the venue to Hawaii and received an international release. Retrospectively this was a solid golf simulator, limited mostly by the lack of course selection. Judging putting distance can be difficult, and presentation built from digitised golfers and photographic elements reflects a somewhat dated approach, likely due to it being derived from the 3DO game Masters: Harukanaru Augusta 3.