Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Super Mario Mario Kart World borrows some tips from the other open-world racing epic Forza Horizon with a handy rewind feature
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Toad elated after hitting a boost pad on a bike
Nintendo Switch 2 "We can't fully imagine all the types of ways that people will play": Like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart World is going to thrive on player imagination
Switch 2 launch games: a close-up of Mario and Luigi racing each other during Mario Kart World.
Racing Games Mario Kart World review: "A glorious road trip that embraces the open road"
Mario Kart World
Racing Games I thought Nintendo had forgotten the incredible N64-era water tech that powered Wave Race, but Mario Kart World is bringing it back on Switch 2
Mario Kart World
Super Mario Mario Kart World adds 6 new items to Nintendo's beloved racing game series, including one that hasn't made an appearance in actual races for 33 years
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Racing Games Mario Kart World has rail-grinding, wall-riding, and a ska remix of a classic Super Mario Bros 3 song so I think it's an unofficial Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game now
Mario Kart World screenshot featuring Mario and a P Switch
Super Mario Nintendo proves nothing is too niche for Mario Kart World's massive soundtrack with a remix of a drawing tutorial from a late 2000s DSi app
  1. Games
  2. Sports

Mario Golf: World Tour smartly borrows from Mario Kart with new power-ups

Features
By Henry Gilbert published 26 March 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Watch out for fireballs

Watch out for fireballs

Whether youre a longtime Nintendo fan or have an appreciation for simple sports games, you've likely enjoyed at least one round of Mario Golf in the last 20 years. The series is finally coming to 3DS with Mario Golf: World Tour, and after a brief playthrough, I can say it shares the qualities of the 3DS release in its sister series, Mario Tennis Open, namely straightforward presentation and simplified controls. But the most striking additions to me were the new power-ups that took clever inspiration from Marios history.

Mario Golf vets will recognize the familiar normal and power shots, but now there are item swings that can change up your strokes on a course considerably. Item shots were fairly similarly to the power-ups in Mario Kart. Your ball hits a special block on the course, which unlocks a shot like a Fire Flower ability, which makes your ball bounce like Marios trademark fireballs. Meanwhile, the Bullet Bill item gives your drive enough extra oomph to be unaffected by the wind, and the Power-Up Mushroom gives the ball extra rolling power.

These abilities all fly in the face of traditional golf rules, but the abilities make this entry in the franchise feel more like Mario than ever before. (And it all looks great in stereoscopic 3D). In retrospect, its surprising that the series never had abilities like this before, so these item abilities feel long overdue. Heres hoping Ill find even more crazy powers when the final game launches in early May.

Read on to see the powerful new items in action

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Here Bowser Jr. tees up the Bullet Bill item...

Here Bowser Jr. tees up the Bullet Bill item...

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
...and it rockets off in a straight shot, unmoved by wind.

...and it rockets off in a straight shot, unmoved by wind.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Meanwhile, Boo readies to use the Ice Flower.

Meanwhile, Boo readies to use the Ice Flower.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
The Ice Flower temporarily freezes a water hazard, opening up new approaches to the green.

The Ice Flower temporarily freezes a water hazard, opening up new approaches to the green.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Lastly, Yoshi has the Tornado ability ready to go. (Additionally, you can see the coins you can collect that are scattered in different courses.)

Lastly, Yoshi has the Tornado ability ready to go. (Additionally, you can see the coins you can collect that are scattered in different courses.)

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Just look at that twister tearing up the course.

Just look at that twister tearing up the course.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
It's also worth noting that the win (and lose) animations look pretty great.

It's also worth noting that the win (and lose) animations look pretty great.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
And in case you were worried, yes, Waluigi is in the game.

And in case you were worried, yes, Waluigi is in the game.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Platforms
Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert
Social Links Navigation

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts. 

See more Nintendo Features
Read more
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Mario Kart World borrows some tips from the other open-world racing epic Forza Horizon with a handy rewind feature
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Toad elated after hitting a boost pad on a bike
"We can't fully imagine all the types of ways that people will play": Like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart World is going to thrive on player imagination
Switch 2 launch games: a close-up of Mario and Luigi racing each other during Mario Kart World.
Mario Kart World review: "A glorious road trip that embraces the open road"
Mario Kart World
I thought Nintendo had forgotten the incredible N64-era water tech that powered Wave Race, but Mario Kart World is bringing it back on Switch 2
Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World adds 6 new items to Nintendo's beloved racing game series, including one that hasn't made an appearance in actual races for 33 years
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Mario Kart World has rail-grinding, wall-riding, and a ska remix of a classic Super Mario Bros 3 song so I think it's an unofficial Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game now
Latest in Sports
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 has the biggest game file size on Switch 2, and is releasing as a code in a box despite advertising a game key card in its trailer
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
FC 25
FC 25 Path To Glory tracker with all Women’s Euro 2025 cards
Rematch
Rematch players have discovered that flopping around the field is faster than sprinting, but Sloclap is going to stop the flop
Rematch
"Chasing safe bets is a death sentence": Rematch devs had no desire to simply chase FIFA or Rocket League, but they spent years planning out their hit football game
Sloclap's Rematch and FromSoftware's Elden Ring Nightreign
I spent 75 hours unlocking every trophy in Elden Ring Nightreign, only for Rematch to steal its thunder with a single hat trick
Latest in Features
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature
After 16 years of The Sims 3, The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature might just be the whimsical expansion pack that pulls me away from EA's iconic 2009 life sim for good
Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot of Arthur Morgan who has shoulder length hair and a beard and wears a cowboy hat
After 4 years I returned to Red Dead Redemption 2 and fell into a chaotic rodeo of mishaps as I tried to remember how to be Arthur Morgan
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
After years of loveless Marvel and DC movies, I hope Superman and Fantastic Four prove romantic relationships are just as important as world-saving spectacle when it comes to superhero flicks
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay running with the Switch 2 upgrade
I wanted to make a beeline for Tears of the Kingdom's ending, but Zelda's Switch 2 upgrade has forced me to slow down
Death Stranding 2 Sam touching Lou and Fragile
Death Stranding 2's final fight is Hideo Kojima's way of saying goodbye to Metal Gear Solid
Heroes 3 screenshot
The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...