is a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed and originally published by

SNK is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...

on May 23, 1990. It was one of the

launch title Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the players, and surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 A ...

s for both the

Neo Geo MVS The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video ga ...

(arcade) and

Neo Geo AES The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...

(home) platforms in the United States, the second golf game created by SNK after 1988's ''

Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf is a one to four-player arcade video game released by SNK in 1988, and later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System that same year. Summary left, Arcade screenshot The player can choose between four different golfers with varying advant ...

'', as well as one of the two golf games released for the

Neo Geo The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...

, with the other one being

Nazca Corporation was a Japanese video game company that developed games for the Neo Geo console. The company was formed in 1994 by a group of arcade manufacturer Irem employees after the shutdown of its video game division and became a SNK subsidiary in 1996. ...

's 1996 ''

Neo Turf Masters ''Neo Turf Masters'' is a golf video game by Nazca for the Neo Geo, released in 1996. This is also one of the first two titles by Nazca, the other being the popular ''Metal Slug'' before being acquired by SNK. The game was released as an arcade ...

''. In the game, the players compete with either computer-controlled opponents or against other players in matches across various

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

s set in two

country club A country club is a privately-owned Club (organization), club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Ty ...

s. Despite being initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS, ''Top Player's Golf'' would be later released for both Neo Geo AES and

Neo Geo CD The is a home video game console produced by SNK Corporation, released on September 9, 1994. The system is the same platform as the cartridge-based Neo Geo released four years earlier, but converted to the cheaper CD media format which reta ...

in 1991 and 1994 respectively, and has since been re-released through download services for various

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

s, among other ways to play it as of date. ''Top Player's Golf'' received mixed reception from critics after its initial launch with praise towards the presentation and

digitized Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english ...

voice samples but many were divided in regards to the gameplay and visuals.

Gameplay

''Top Player's Golf'' is a golf game similar to ''Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf'' and other golf titles from the era, where 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:''Top Player's Golf'' user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US) Stroke Play is the main single-player mode where one player compete against CPU-controlled opponents in 18 holes. Match Play is similar to the first mode, except that two players compete against each other and the player with the lowest score wins. The last mode,

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Austria * Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian Bahamas *Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...

Game, in which 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 In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

for advice and tips in how to complete a course. If a

memory card A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices, such as digital cameras as well as in many early games conso ...

is present, the players are allowed to save their progress and resume into the last course the game saved at.

Development and 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 A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...

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

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 Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of information or materials through digital platforms. The distribution of digital ...

platforms such as the

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...

and

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

. It was also recently included in the international version of the Neo Geo mini.

Reception

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.''. The game received mixed reception from critics after its initial launch.

Notes

References

External links

''Top Player's Golf''
at

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active Internet forum, message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom (website), Fandom, Inc. since October ...

''Top Player's Golf''
at

Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time (maga ...

''Top Player's Golf''
at

Killer List of Videogames Museum of the Game, which includes the Killer List of Videogames (KLOV), is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and h ...

''Top Player's Golf''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Top Player's Golf 1990 video games ACA Neo Geo games Arcade video games Golf video games Hamster Corporation games Multiplayer and single-player video games Neo Geo CD games Neo Geo games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Network games SNK games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games Xbox One games