Links LS 1998

Links LS 1998 is a golf video game developed and published by Access Software. It is part of the Links video game series, following Links LS (1996). It was released in 1997, and is the first game in the series to be published for Microsoft Windows.[2] The game was well received, and was followed by Links LS 1999.

Links LS 1998
Developer(s)Access Software
Publisher(s)Access Software
SeriesLinks
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJuly 2, 1997[1]
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Links LS 1998 Edition includes six game modes and features Arnold Palmer as a playable golfer. It also has a multiplayer option,[3] and features four golf courses.[4][5] Additional courses were released through add-on disks.[6]

Reception

Critical reviews

Sales

Links LS 1998 debuted at #4 on PC Data's computer game sales chart for the month of July 1997.[10] It secured ninth and tenth place in its following two months, respectively,[11][12] but was absent from October's top 20.[13] For December, it returned to PC Data's charts with a 19th-place finish.[14]

During 1998, Links LS 1998 claimed positions in PC Data's monthly top 20 from January through March.[15][16] After two months' absence,[17][18] it returned to #17 in June.[18] During the first six months of 1998, Links LS 1998 was the United States' 16th-best-selling computer game, with an average retail price of $43 for the period.[19] It exited the monthly charts again after holding positions 13 in July and 16 in August.[20][21][22] Excluding hunting and fishing games, Links LS 1998 was the United States' best-selling computer sports game of the year, with sales of 193,434 units and revenues of almost $8 million for 1998 alone.[23] It was the 16th-best-selling computer game across all genres in the United States between January and November,[24] and ranked 34th for the year overall.[25]

Awards

Computer Gaming World, GameSpot and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences all nominated Links LS 1998 as their pick for the best computer sports title of 1997, but these awards went variously to Baseball Mogul, CART Precision Racing, NHL 98, and FIFA: Road to World Cup 98.[26][27][28][29] The editors of Computer Gaming World wrote that it "made the world's best golf simulation even better",[29] while those of GameSpot remarked, "Each time Access Software releases a new version [of Links], it gets harder and harder to fathom how this game could get any better - yet it does."[28]

In 1998, PC Gamer declared it the 11th-best computer game ever released, and the editors wrote that "an enhanced color palette, quicker screen re-draws, more camera angles, and built-in TCP/IP support nudged this series a few inches closer to perfection".[30]

References
  1. "eb world coupons and rebates". 1997-07-14. Archived from the original on 1997-07-14. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  2. Bauman, Steve (1997). "Links LS '98". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on July 4, 2003.
  3. Lackey, Jeff (1997). "Links LS 98". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on July 4, 2003.
  4. Goble, Gordon (August 1, 1997). "Links LS 1998 Edition". Gamecenter. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on December 2, 2000.
  5. Poole, Stephen (July 16, 1997). "Links LS 1998 Edition". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 28, 2005.
  6. Lackey, Jeff. "Links LS 98 Course Disks". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on July 4, 2003.
  7. "Hotter Links". Computer Gaming World. No. 160. United States. November 1997. pp. 306–307.
  8. McDonald, T. Liam (September 23, 1997). "After Hours: Click and Putt". PC Magazine. Vol. 16, no. 16. Ziff Davis. pp. 321–22, 324.
  9. Rosano, Paul (September 6, 1997). "Playing Caddy and Mouse". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 194. Retrieved June 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Staff (August 26, 1997). "Top Selling PC Titles". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 11, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  11. Staff (December 1997). "READ.ME; PC Data Best-Sellers". Computer Gaming World. No. 161. p. 56.
  12. Staff (January 1998). "READ.ME; PC Data Best-Sellers". Computer Gaming World. No. 162. p. 56.
  13. GamerX (November 26, 1997). "October's Best-Sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on February 10, 1999. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  14. Ocampo, Jason (January 20, 1998). "December's hottest games". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 2, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  15. Ocampo, Jason (March 18, 1998). "Re-release rides movie's coattails on PC Data charts". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  16. Ocampo, Jason (April 21, 1998). "Do the PC Data figures prove lower is better?". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  17. Ocampo, Jason (May 13, 1998). "The top selling games of April, according to PC Data". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  18. Ocampo, Jason (July 21, 1998). "StarCraft scores a hat trick with its third month at No. 1". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 2, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  19. Ocampo, Jason (August 17, 1998). "Sales rankings for the first six months of 1998". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  20. Ocampo, Jason (August 18, 1998). "SWAT 2 debuts at No. 5". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  21. GamerX (September 25, 1998). "August's PC Best-Sellers". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  22. Staff (October 27, 1998). "PC Data Hit List for September". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 9, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  23. Rosano, Paul (February 28, 1999). "Reviews Matter Little In Sales". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018.
  24. IGN Staff (January 4, 1999). "Best Selling Games of 1998". IGN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2000. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  25. "Microsoft buying Access Software S.L.-based firm is called the 'king of computer golf'". Deseret News. 20 April 1999. Archived from the original on 2018-05-19.
  26. "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998.
  27. "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998.
  28. Staff. "GameSpot's Best & Worst Awards for 1997". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000.
  29. Staff (March 1998). "CGW Presents The Best & Worst of 1997". Computer Gaming World. No. 164. pp. 74–77, 80, 84, 88, 89.
  30. The PC Gamer Editors (October 1998). "The 50 Best Games Ever". PC Gamer US. 5 (10): 86, 87, 89, 90, 92, 98, 101, 102, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 125, 126, 129, 130. {{cite journal}}: |author= has generic name (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.