Top Player's Golf is a golf simulator game developed and published by SNK in 1990 for the Neo Geo, being one of the system's launch titles, and later ported to the Neo Geo CD in 1994, being the first game in the CD system to receive an arranged soundtrack.
Gameplay[]
In Top Player's Golf players compete in matches on various golf courses set across two country clubs. There are three game modes and four golfers to choose from at the main menu: "Stroke Play" is the main single-player mode where one player compete against CPU-controlled opponents in 18 holes. The "Match Play" is similar to the first mode, except that two players compete against each other and the player with the lowest score wins.
In the last mode, "Nassau Game", one player competes with either a CPU or another human opponent and the player with the lowest score wins with events such as "Longest Drive" or "Closest to the Pin" contests appearing on occasions. Before starting each mode, players have the option of having a caddie for advices and tips in how to complete a course. If a memory card is present, the players are allowed to save their progress and resume into the last course the game's saved at.
Development & Release[]
Top Player's Golf was initially launched for arcades on May 23, 1990. It was also released during the same period for the Neo Geo AES, when the system was originally a rental-only system for video game stores and hotels in Japan before this was later reversed due to high demand and came to the market as a luxury console on July 1, 1991. It was later re-released for the Neo Geo CD on September 9, 1994, as one of the launch titles for the system, featuring an arranged CD-quality soundtrack and other changes. The game has received a re-release in recent years on various digital distribution platforms such as the PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop and Xbox Live. It was also recently included in the international version of the Neo Geo Mini.
Critical Reception[]
Top Player's Golf received mixed reception from critics after its initial launch with praise towards the presentation and digitized voice samples but many were divided in regards to the gameplay and visuals. In Japan, Game Machine listed Top Player's Golf on their December 15, 1990 issue as being the twentieth most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Quiz H.Q.
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