Camelot Plays Golf on Wii

Via: IGN

US, August 29, 2007 - Camelot is known as the developer behind some of gaming's most critically acclaimed hits, including the original Hot Shots Golf, the Mario Golf series, and RPGs like the Shining Series and Golden Sun. So fan disappointment late last year when the small developer announced plans to focus its efforts on an online PC golf game was understandable.

We're not sure what happened to the online golf game, but Camelot is back in console gaming! First revealed in this week's Famitsu, the company is working on a new Wii golf game called We Love Golf. The game is set to be published in Japan through Capcom.

We Love Golf has cute Hot Shots style characters and colorful visuals, but the real area of focus seems to be on the control. Camelot is making full use of the Wiimote's motion sensing capabilities to give players the feeling that they're actually swinging a golf club. You aim your shot by first pointing at the screen; this is meant to be similar to how a real golfer will use his club to get all his angles straight. To swing, you first hold down the buttons on the Wiimote, which is the equivalent of gripping your golf club.

The result of your swing is affected by more than just the way in which you swing the Wiimote. The combination of buttons that you hold when gripping the Wiimote also results in a variety of shot types. You can achieve draw and fade shots and add backspin based on how you hold and swing the controller. For instance, to perform a backspin, you hold down the 2 button along with A.

Famitsu managed to get Camelot execs Hiroyuki Takahashi and Shugou Takahashi, aka the Takahashi brothers, to sit down for an interview. Joining them was Capcom's Hironobu Takeshita, producer of Wii Love Golf and Treasure Island Z.

Asked why the team chose the Wii for its first collaborative effort with Capcom, Hiroyuki Takahashi noted that We Love Golf is a game that couldn't be done on any system but the Wii. In fact, he believes that people will feel that We Love Golf uses the Wiimote better than any other Wii sports game that's currently available.

We Love Golf is currently 60% complete and is due for Japanese release this Winter. Capcom tends to have a big booth at the Tokyo Game Show, so hopefully we can look forward to some hands-on time in late September.