Masters '98: Harukanaru Augusta

Developer: T&E Soft Publisher: T&E Soft

Released: December 26, 1997 5/10

Longtime developer of golf sims and many other titles for a multitude of systems and computers, T&E Soft debuted their expertise on the N64 with Masters ‘98. Having developed several 16-bit titles while in possession of the prestigious Augusta National license, the mission statement of Masters ‘98: Harukanaru Augusta isn’t too complicated: bring the majesty of golf’s American capital into a 3D presentation.

This would, of course, provide a strong foundation for T&E Soft to make other golf titles under their True Golf Classics banner, though only Waialae Country Club would see release, also reaching Western shores and becoming the better known of the two because of it. Much of what is true about Masters ‘98 is true of its Hawaiian companion piece and vice versa, and unfortunately that’s rarely a good thing. Although T&E Soft’s golf engine has improved from its efforts on the SNES and other 16-bit systems, the two titles that use it are arguably some of the most poorly-aged titles on the N64 due to how much they stand out visually and in an honest but still frustrating lack of content.

Starting with the positives, however, it’s hard to say that the familiar three-click input style and overall simulation-style approach in Masters ‘98 doesn’t deliver. It’s easy to pick up and, for the most part, performs as expected. Standard options at address give a lot of options to fine tune your shot, and while you’re unlikely to spend too much time fiddling around in your first few rounds, the gameplay doesn’t hold many surprises or shortcomings. Putting can be hard to get a grip on, mainly in gauging how distance translates on the power meter, but you’d struggle to find almost any golf title that doesn’t involve growing pains in the short game.

With slim pickings compared to most other contemporary platforms when it comes to golf titles, I wouldn’t blame you for taking what you can get as long as the gameplay is solid. Unfortunately, anything past that in Masters ‘98 is legitimately offputting, especially when trying to experience it on a modern hardware setup. It starts with the fact that, well, this might be in the running for the ugliest game on the system. It’s sad because while all of the choices made in presenting this game probably made sense at the time, everything this game does visually has aged so poorly.

It starts with a heavy reliance on digitized sprites and outright use of color photos put directly into the game. It makes perfect sense to want to show the picturesque Augusta National with as little dilution as possible, but the ceiling for quality on static photographs on physical media of the time, particularly cartridges like the N64, is so incredibly low, that viewing it on modern HD displays resembles something like digitized vomit after eating a spinach salad. A mess of deep greens and light browns with little to no distinction of subjects contained within — when the game opens with a B-reel demo to tout the beauty of the course, the effect is nausea-inducing.

Things don’t get much better in-game when it comes to graphics, either, as the attempt to recreate the famed course in a mix of polygons and sprites is a noble one, but more shortcomings of the hardware and the unfortunate mix of styles creates an unpleasant landscape populated by further low-quality sprites. Avoiding the use of distance fog like so many other games on the system is understandable, as I can’t imagine Amen Corner drenched in Silent Hill-esque mist, but this still exposes the emptiness of the area immediately surrounding the hole you’re currently on, as well as the lack of detail in textures and backdrop sprites. And when the best-looking sprites and animations the game does boast — the player and other details immediately surrounding them during their strike — give off the vibes of a Sega CD title, this is just not a pleasant visual experience in any area.

And while, again, the gameplay is good and enjoyable, the further issue of Masters ‘98 is probably pretty obvious and, like the rest of the game, only gets worse as the years go on: a lack of content. While the Masters’ license is certainly worth a lot even now, I will maintain that offering only a single course in a golf game is rather egregious by the late ‘90s, a problem that several of the N64’s meager set of golf titles suffer from. And even though having the Masters Tournament as part of the presentation is a solid boon, the modes contained here are your standard array, while customization options remain minimal.

With a surprising three golf titles exclusive to Japan (assuming you count the 64DD’s Japan Pro Golf Tour 64), you’d think that the N64 is something of a powerhouse in the subgenre. Sadly, Masters ‘98: Harukaranu Augusta, in spite of its license, isn’t worth more than a few rounds, assuming you can stomach the presentation long enough to finish one in the first place. Once again, players are best suited sticking to Mario for a great all-around game of golf on the N64.

Continuing Legacy

The tale of Augusta National in video games is a curious one, to say the least. T&E Soft’s license with the famed course was exclusive, yet their titles featuring one of the United States’ most revered courses remained in Japan even while Waialae Country Club and Pebble Beach-licensed games from the company made it stateside. The Masters wouldn’t appear in another game until a landmark deal was reached with EA for the 2012 edition of their Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise, which still maintains a deal with them to this day in spite of a tumultuous decade or so for the brand. T&E Soft would continue making golf titles including Disney Golf for the PlayStation 2 and True Swing Golf, a touch-screen based game for the Nintendo DS, before being absorbed by Spike Chunsoft in 2013.