PETER HOSKIN reviews Mario Golf – Super Rush and Scarlet Nexus 

Mario Golf: Super Rush (Switch, £49.99)  

Rating:

Verdict: Golfing done right

Scarlet Nexus (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, £49.99)

Rating:

Verdict:  Merciful combat

Serious golf fans will have spent the past week watching Jon Rahm win the U.S. Open.

Unserious golf fans, like me, have been teeing off against big lizards wearing sun visors and bouncing around courses at superspeed.

Yes, a new Mario Golf game, subtitled Super Rush, has just come out for the Nintendo Switch — the sixth or so in a series that now sees the Italian plumber and his buddies, er, playing golf. Even the Mushroom Kingdom has recreational days.

A new Mario Golf game, subtitled Super Rush, has just come out for the Nintendo Switch — the sixth or so in a series that now sees the Italian plumber and his buddies, er, playing golf

There’s been a tide of wonderful, offbeat golf titles in recent years, from the meditative Desert Golfing, through the narrative Golf Story, to the screwball What The Golf? So it’s impressive that Super Rush almost beats them all at their own games.

It starts by doing the basics right. The actual mechanics of Super Rush — of lining up shots, judging the lay of the course, etc. — are easy to learn but detailed enough for pros. Its standard mode is really just a good game of golf.

And there are extra modes for variety, including the story-based Golf Adventure and the Mario Kart-esque Battle Golf. My favourite is Speed Golf, in which you race around a course to finish first. It’ll be a blast to play with friends.

But it’s also a blast on your own, with the console controlling your opponents. Rahm may have claimed the U.S. Open, but, sorry, I’d rather hang out with Luigi and Peach.

Scarlet Nexus is an action game. This would normally set me on edge: these sorts of games generally require you to learn a thousand different button combinations then press them at impossible speeds.

But, somehow, this is more forgiving. It teaches its combat systems well, and they’re incredibly rewarding once learnt.

You’ll soon be flowing between punches and psychic abilities as one of two playable characters in a tech-dystopia.

Add in a twisty-turny plot and beautiful anime visuals, and this one is more meaningful than its name. 

Scarlet Nexus is an action game. This would normally set me on edge: these sorts of games generally require you to learn a thousand different button combinations then press them at impossible speeds