Links LS 1998

Last updated
Links LS 1998
Links LS 1998 cover.jpg
Developer(s) Access Software
Publisher(s) Access Software
Series Links
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJuly 2, 1997 [1]
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

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 .

Contents

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]

Related Research Articles

<i>Unreal</i> (1998 video game) 1998 first-person shooter video game

Unreal is a first-person shooter video game developed by Epic MegaGames and Digital Extremes and published by GT Interactive for Microsoft Windows in May 1998. It was powered by Unreal Engine, an original game engine. The game reached sales of 1.5 million units by 2002.

<i>Titanic: Adventure Out of Time</i> Point and click adventure game

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time is a 1996 point-and-click adventure game developed by CyberFlix and published in the United States and United Kingdom by GTE Entertainment and Europress respectively, for Windows and Macintosh. It takes place in a virtual representation of the RMS Titanic, following a British spy who has been sent back in time to the night Titanic sank and must complete a previously failed mission to prevent World War I, the Russian Revolution, and World War II from occurring. The gameplay involves exploring the ship and solving puzzles. There are multiple outcomes and endings to the game depending on the player's interactions with characters and use of items.

<i>Star Wars: Rebellion</i> (video game) 1998 Star Wars video game

Star Wars Rebellion is a real-time strategy 4X game released in 1998 by LucasArts and set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe.

<i>Janes AH-64D Longbow</i> 1996 video game

AH-64D Longbow is a realistic combat flight simulator of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Released on June 3, 1996, for the PC, this simulation was developed at Origin Systems. AH-64D Longbow was the second simulator released under the Jane's Combat Simulators line from Electronic Arts.

Links is a series of golf simulation video games, first developed by Access Software, and then later by Microsoft after it acquired Access Software in 1999. Microsoft also produced its own series of golf games based on Links, under the title Microsoft Golf. The Links series was a flagship brand for Access, and was continued from 1990 to 2003. The first game in the series, Links: The Challenge of Golf, won Computer Gaming World's 1991 Action Game of the Year award.

<i>Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far</i> 1997 video game

Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far, or Close Combat II, is a World War II real-time computer wargame, developed by Atomic Games, and released on October 13, 1997. The second installment of the Close Combat series, the game is played on a two-dimensional map, between two players.

<i>MiG Alley</i> (video game) 1999 video game

MiG Alley is a combat flight simulation game, developed by Rowan Software for PCs with Windows, and was published by Empire Interactive in 1999.

<i>Janes WWII Fighters</i> 1998 video game

Jane's World War II Fighters is the 1998 combat flight simulation video game. Set in the European theatre of operations during World War II, it is part of the Jane's Combat Simulations franchise. The game was considered a commercial failure, and contributed to the end of the Jane's Combat Simulations line.

<i>Janes Longbow 2</i> 1997 video game

Longbow 2 is the sequel to Jane's AH-64D Longbow from Jane's Combat Simulations. The game was developed by Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis on board, and released by Electronic Arts on November 13, 1997.

<i>Warlords III</i> 1997 video game

Warlords III: Reign of Heroes is a computer wargame released in 1997, and the third release in the Warlords video game series. In 1998 it was followed by the expansion Warlords III: Darklords Rising.

<i>Diablo</i> (video game) 1997 action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North

Diablo is an action role-playing video game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment in January 1997, and is the first installment in the video game series of the same name.

<i>The Operational Art of War Vol. 1: 1939–1955</i> 1998 video game

The Operational Art of War I: 1939–1955 is a 1998 computer wargame developed and published by TalonSoft. Designed by Norm Koger, it covers military conflicts around the world at the operational level of war, between 1939 and 1955.

<i>Links LS 1997</i> 1996 sports video game

Links LS 1997 is a golf video game developed and published by Access Software for DOS. It was released in 1996, and is part of the Links video game series, following Links 386 Pro (1992). It was followed by Links LS 1998.

<i>The Great Battles of Caesar</i> 1998 video game

The Great Battles of Caesar is 1998 computer wargame developed by Erudite Software and published by Interactive Magic. Based on the board wargame The Great Battles of Julius Caesar, it is the third and final entry in the Great Battles computer wargame series.

<i>Links LS 1999</i> 1998 sports video game

Links LS 1999 is a video game developed and published by Access Software for Microsoft Windows in 1998, and is part of the Links video game series.

<i>North vs. South: The Great American Civil War</i> 1999 video game

North vs. South: The Great American Civil War is a 1999 computer wargame developed by Erudite Software and published by Interactive Magic.

<i>Links LS 2000</i> 1999 video game

Links LS 2000 is a golf video game developed by Access Software and published by Microsoft. It is part of the Links series and was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, and in 2000 for Macintosh. It was followed by Links 2001.

<i>Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition</i> 1998 video game

Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition is a 1998 golf video game developed by American studio Friendly Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth game in the Microsoft Golf series, following Microsoft Golf 3.0. The game uses a revamped design that is substantially different from its predecessors.

<i>Links Extreme</i> 1999 video game

Links Extreme is a 1999 golf video game developed by Access Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It is the first game in the Links series to be published by Microsoft, which purchased Access Software a month prior to the game's release.

<i>The Golf Pro</i> 1998 video game

The Golf Pro is a 1998 golf video game developed and published by Empire Interactive for Microsoft Windows. The game features professional golfer Gary Player, as well as two golf courses and a mouse-controlled golf swing method known as Mouse Drive. The game was generally praised for its graphics, but criticized for its limited camera angles. By early 1999, The Golf Pro 2 had been released in the United Kingdom.

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. 1 2 Lackey, Jeff (1997). "Links LS 98". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on July 4, 2003.
  4. 1 2 Goble, Gordon (August 1, 1997). "Links LS 1998 Edition". Gamecenter. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on December 2, 2000.
  5. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Staff. "GameSpot's Best & Worst Awards for 1997". GameSpot . Archived from the original on August 16, 2000.
  29. 1 2 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 page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.