Wiz City is a two star course. Meaning this is not going to replace everyone favorite grind spot, Deep Inferno. And its definitely not replacing Ice Spa any time soon, which will be explained in a moment. Overall, the course will definitely win the hearts of a lot of people, just don't be the least bit surprised it will get stuck on the back burner in time.
The holes, while are straightforward for the most part, contain a mental obstacle or two before reaching the green. For one, a lot of the tee placements might make a couple people experience vertigo, as some will have you around 10-80m above the ground. And the same can be said with the occasional beneath. Portals, while in reach, are too high above you to preforms spikes wherein Lost Seaway was nothing but. Tomahawks are the end all, be all for most of the course, and you may be able to slip a cobra or two and even spike if your careful and lucky.
Speed strips are located on a handful of holes, and act as a pinball effect. Once in these new "Magic Carpet" element, your ball will be bouncing everywhere so as long as it keeps bouncing inside. In it contains oversized Pang and boxes which you can collect, and usually a island in the middle with a bunker waiting to swallow you whole. Though, not dangerously concerning, if you manage to get stuck inside the Magic Carpet, it will do what a Rough usually does, and restricts you back to 95% Finally, Wiz City gives a throwback to its sister course, Wiz Wiz, where a couple places will attempt to trick you. Along with everyone favorite little technique; power curving.
Overall, the course play much like Eastern Valley, Lost Seaway, and the unknown Demon Course which we've only caught a glimpses of on hole 18 on SSC. But it has prizes and surprises. Don't feel too intimidated against something that's easier than it looks. After all, it is a Wiz course.
While the new elements are enough to keep anyone amused for some time, the extra goodies are anything but. Oversized Pang coins are scattered across the course, and are usually located on strips or around the green. For the moment, coins are generally collected if your near it. Don't actually have to touch. The downside to these coins is they give exactly one Pang for every coin you collected. Not really worth the incentive for straying away from the green. However, these coins will disappear instantly once your go for par or higher.
Boxes appear only on a few holes, scattered very loosely, and the comet must bounce high enough to collect these. They are on every speed strip in the game, and are hard to collect initially. Once you collect one, you can only touch it if you have a key with you. We were lucky to receive two for logging in, but they are 100 Points (1CP) in the shop afterward if you need another to unlock them. In it contains exp and Pang. Again, not a whole lot of incentive and $0.10 to pry these dumb things.
Overall; the most I've ever collected was one box, and 68 Pang. For a course with so much potential, I was kind of disappointed to see how little I was getting at the end. With the course being two stars, your not making a lot of Pang to begin with, and this feels like its just adding salt to the wound.
Whether its a bug or otherwise at the moment, Wiz City has no overdrive. Obviously meaning Lost Seaway this is not. Even with one of the better players getting close to -30 didn't even break 2,000 Pang, whereas one just below had 2,300. Once more, it's a two star course, meaning your exp dwindles, and your chances of a level up will be in the far future. Combined with a Pang drought on a course that can easily rack up in the 5,000 area, and this turns out to be a big blow to some looking forward to a new alternative for all farm courses and Deep Inferno/Wind Hill. The next update may allow overdrive, but this is yet to be seen. I'll let you know in one week or sooner.
Where it lacks in everything essential, it can definitely be made up for the presentation. This is by far the most polished and visually appealing course to date. True to the rumors that this course would have not been visually possible without the graphical updates that all the servers received. From the silly bubbles flying in the air, to the Pang shooting out of the bunker, right down to the water rippling in the breeze.
Though the ground is definitely a throwback to the concrete found on Silvia Cannon, and the walking trails found in the Wind courses and White Wiz, though not ecstatic about playing on concrete, even that is most appealing and soft to the eyes.
However, this is also a bad thing. The sharp, bright colors can make it hard to see your aim at times, and sometimes the foreground can easily blend into the background. Despite this very minor gripe that rarely ever happens, the course is very beautiful, and makes you wonder why anything outside of a video game can't exist like that.
A Day in the Wiz City and the famous teaser theme, Secret Wish makes the gameplay that much more fun to play. Though, the first track has a similar ring as if you were strolling in Paris, France. Secret Wish was a very pleasing score, and I was very happy to hear the course and the song went on smoothly, and made playing that much more enjoyable. It is a bit slow, and something your not going to get adjusted to, but almost instantly, it sinks you in, and something you may just be aching to put on your MP3 right away.
For a course with the potential of a max score of -38, this is Ntreevs best course to date. Eastern Valley and Lost Seaway showed the world how rich, appealing, and fun a golf course should be. Wiz City refused to disappoint, and even raised the bar for all future courses. Its in depth graphics, and smooth gameplay makes for a pleasant experience that people have been waiting for years to have. All courses have its flaws, and with Wiz City, this is no exception.
Its low star course makes it irritating for some that were ready to depart from Deep Inferno, and lack of overdrive at the moment, and extra Pang that should be worth more than they look will make people shy away and stay with the more farm infested courses. Combined with boxes that can only be unlocked for 10 cents, and it makes you wonder what the hell they were thinking in the end.
However, this is only but a pointless gripe. The lush colors with HD support, new mechanics and hazards that have been begging for an upgrade for years, smooth gameplay that's every bit strategic as it is entertaining, and one of Ntreevs best scores to date, and you have PangYa! 17 course to be a experience that you will be remembering for years to come. This is one magic carpet ride you don't want to miss.
Gameplay: 7.8
Design: 9.2
Presentation: 9.8
Score: 9.0
Overall: 8.9
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