I must admit that I have a burning passion for Disc Golf. Yes, you’ve read that correctly, Disc Golf. The game is golf but played with a flying plastic disc (Frisbee) with very similar rules and structure. I love playing the game ever since I was introduced to it several years ago. I love the challenge of getting the disc into the basket just as regular golf player loves the challenge of sinking the golf ball into the hole. So I was jumping at the chance to play one of the few disc golf games available and the only disc golf game for the Nintendo DS.

Original Frisbee Disc Sports: Ultimate & Golf is a collection of two games: Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Golf. As I mentioned before Disc Golf is strikingly similar to regular golf while Ultimate is comparable to soccer. In Disc Golf you play an 18-hole course and the objective is to finish the course with the lowest score possible. Each hole has a standard score (par) that you are scored against. The more throws it takes for you to complete the course the higher your score (over par). In Ultimate there are two teams composed of seven players. The objective is to score against the other team by catching the disc in the opponent's end zone. But the player with the disc cannot run with the disc, they can only turn and pivot with the disc.

This collection for the Nintendo DS is a very simple, stripped-down package. No tournaments, character creation option, or season mode. In Ultimate you get to play a single game either against the computer or another player. The Disc Golf game includes a few choices but still very basic: 18 holes, the front nine or back nine. There is a practice mode available as well. For me this was the biggest disappointment with this collection because I wanted the extra bells and whistles of character creation or a ranked tournament against the computer. For veterans of Ultimate or Disc Golf just be warned that this game is a very simple representation of those respective sports. For rookies the lack of options might not be a big stumbling block. This collection firmly supports the DS motto of pick and play in a very short amount of time.

Gameplay wise the games feel just as lackluster as the options. In Ultimate I never felt in control of any my characters on the field. Catching the Frisbee was just a simple task of running to the black circle where the disc was headed. But the way the game switched from player to player was awkward since you could never see the entire playing field. One minute you’re centered upon one character but when you switch characters it took a while to figure out just where you are on the field. You do have the option of banking the disc to the left or right using the shoulder buttons on the DS. The touch controls are limited to selecting offensive and defensive formations.

The Disc Golf gameplay was a little better since it tried to include the various aspects of the actual sport. You have several types of discs from your driver, and approach disc to your putter. Each disc is ranked depending on how far the disc can travel. Throwing the disc can be performed either with the touch screen or pressing a button. Using the touch screen you simply touch the disc icon the screen with the stylus and then quickly move the stylus up to the top of the screen. This is a great idea but it becomes very difficult to consistently get the same strength on your throws using the touch screen. One throw might travel 300 feet while your next throw, that felt exactly the same, only goes 50 feet.

I would recommend sticking with the button pressing controls since it felt more accurate than the touch screen. You simply press the A button to start your strength meter and then press A again to lock in how strong you want your throw. Then you press the A button again to set the angle of the throw, hard left or right, medium left or right or straight. But the game still comes up short with rock and tree interference in the game. It’s next to impossible to determine at what angle you’re going to hit the rock or tree near you. Sometimes I sailed right over them while other throws had me leaving chunks of the disc on the course. There was no way to adjust the camera angle to determine just how close you are to obstacles on the course.

Original Frisbee Disc Sports sounds like a tempting package but just doesn’t deliver in the end. The lack of gameplay modes is a big drawback to the game since the rest of the game feels so limited. After you play an Ultimate game or finish the 18-holes in Disc Golf you’re done. That’s it, nothing else to see here, move along. I wish I could say there is more to offer with this game but unfortunately there isn’t. If you’re a die-hard Ultimate or Disc Golf player than you might get a few minutes of enjoyment with this collection everyday. You can get a few minutes of enjoyment each day but only a few minutes.

Gameplay: 5.0
In Ultimate I felt completely lost just trying to find my players but in Disc Golf the game actually tried to replicate the actual game with some accuracy. Unfortunately course interference was a hit-and-miss affair. Trees!

Graphics: 3.0
This isn’t one of the prettiest games on the DS. The characters in Ultimate just looked terrible and animated just as bad. The only way to tell the difference between the holes in Disc Golf was the map on the bottom screen. All of the rocks and trees looked exactly on each hole.

Sound: 2.0
Not to be the bringer of bad news but I thought we had grown past the generation of pure MIDI music a long time again.

Difficulty: Easy
The game doesn’t include a tutorial to help you along in learning the game but that shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Concept: 4.0
Putting both games on the same cartridge was a great idea but stripping away all of the possible game options didn’t help the game. We need variety.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Thankfully Multiplayer was included for both Ultimate and Disc Golf. Unfortunately both players must own a copy of the game. No game sharing or Wi-Fi support.

Overall: 3.8
If you’re only looking for an Ultimate or Disc Golf game that provides the bare minimum of gameplay possibilities and graphics, then this is your game. For the rest of us we still need the whole enchilada, beans and rice.