Putting Golf: Cheap Playstation Marathon

 

Recently, I grabbed a few cheap PS1 games from a retro game shop. I didn't know what I was buying, so it was a random mix. The blog might focus on multiple games from this haul. We can dub this series the Cheap Playstation Marathon. Let's start this off with a simple game, Putting Golf.

    Putting Golf is a golf game and if you had to be told this, you need help. It is specifically of the mini golf variety, so instead of being a sports simulation, it's focused on arcade-like action I kind of have a soft spot for Minigolf games. I remember loving the Mingolf minigame in Thrillville back in the day, so I hoped this would be similar to that, and it actually was. I enjoyed my time with this one, which I didn't fully expect.

    Putting  Golf controls decently. Each course is relatively small, and is more focused on aiming, and using the terrain to your advantage to get a hole-in-one. You can get a top-down view, zoom in and out, and even switch your putter. From what I can tell, this game controls and functions correctly so it's simply down to the player being good. I'm not good, so the CPU wiped my ass.

    One thing this game does to stand out is its trick mode, where the courses have jumps, conveyors, and ice on them. This adds an interesting twist to the game, but that's really where the originality ends. There's not a lot of content either, there's just an original mode with 9 holes and a trick mode with 9 holes. Once you play through both, there's not really a reason to go back. Even multiplayer will get dull after like 30 minutes, so there's little replay value here. 

    The music is also weird. I did like it, but then I noticed how it kept skipping. One song would play, then a few seconds ago, it would skip to another song. I have no idea if this is intentional, or something wrong with my disc. I have never encountered anything like that on any other PS1 game, so it makes me believe it's intentional.

    I like Putting Golf, it's charming in its own way, but I would not recommend it. It just has so little content to be a valuable purchase today. Maybe try it on an emulator, or give it a try if you somehow get it from a bulk buy of games. It's just not worth picking up on its own, even cheaply.

 

Disney Princess CRT TV

 There are a lot of things that a retro game room needs, such as consoles, games, shelves, and TVs. The TV is one of those that can make or break a game room. Most people would recommend CRTs, but there are many different kinds of CRTS, some amazing, and some terrible. But then there are ones that are made as a gimmick, that do something to visually, or sometimes even functionally stand out. The TV I wanna talk a little bit about stands out visually.

    

    The Disney Princess CRT is actually my 2nd CRT, I have a bigger one on the floor, but that one is both breaking on me, and a pain to deal with when switching out consoles. I got the Disney Princess TV locally for 20 bucks, and then ordered the tiara-shaped speakers on it from eBay for 40, so a good deal in my opinion, especially since it allows me to replace what console I'm using much more easily.

    

    Now the quality of the TV could be better. It's a children's TV, so you can assume the manufacturer wanted it to be as cheap as possible without being complete crap. The entire body is plastic, but it is structurally sound. The speakers are shaped like a tiara, and they sound okay, nothing amazing, but not bad either.  Though you can use a pair of headphones on the TV, so you don't need the speakers. The screen is actually pretty nice in my opinion. It will cut off the image, though I might be able to fix that, but I like the image it creates. My other CRT is definitely sharper and more vibrant, but sometimes you want something different.

    This TV will be making various appearances on the blog, it'll be a common character, so I felt it was a good way to start off this blog by introducing everyone to it. I can't wait to share more with it, I already have plans for it on this blog.

Have a great day!