While I think most players would agree that NBA 2K14 is the best-looking sports game on the new hardware so far and FIFA 14 is the best-playing game, I feel that Powerstar Golf is currently providing the best value for money for sports gamers in this new chapter of gaming. Whether it's the price point or the reasonable unlock structure or the perfect balance of casual accessibility and difficulty, Powerstar Golf provides a meaningful template for how digital download titles can get it right in the future.

OS writer Ben Vollmer previously reviewed the game at launch, and his sentiments closely match my feelings on the game. While I'm still disappointed that there is no online multiplayer for the game, and there could be a few more golfers, the value proposition and depth of the game truly materializes when you start to log some serious hours into it. But that's the best part: you can play the game at your leisure, and you can still asynchronously play against your friends without the pressure of keeping up with their pace.

I think the aesthetic of the game helps perfectly set expectations for what kind of experience lies ahead. The visuals instantly codify that this is a casual game that has depth, akin to something like Golf: Tee It Up or Hot Shots Golf. But what really sets this downloadable apart from so many that have come before it are the features I've outlined below, all of which help more than justify the $20 price tag for this digital download.
 

The biggest success of Powerstar Golf is that allows players of all skill levels to participate, and it creates a thriving ecosystem populated by your friends. The familiar three-click swing mechanics are a big part of this, but character power-ups and caddie abilities also help soften the challenge of certain holes early on. While there could be a few more caddies or golfers, what is on offer is more than acceptable, and the variety of ways you can experience the four available courses is commendable, with different challenge events and tee levels.
 

The familiarity of the controls does really help to settle you into this type of golf experience, and then mastery comes from connecting on the accuracy of your downswing and from reading the wind and green break. Harder courses make these sorts of reads a necessity, but it's great that the game allows more casual players to just engage on the easier tees and with lots of power-ups. Those looking for greater challenges will soon realize that better equipment and abilities are the only way to take on tougher courses and competent rivals. I loved Golf: Tee It Up for similar reasons, as it used fun presentation and seemingly casual controls to conceal its true depth.
 

In my view, the developers found the perfect balance for limiting the equipment and booster unlocks for this game. Nothing is behind a straight-up paywall, and everything is achievable via just playing if you want to go that way. Even better, the amount of credits you earn for playing the game is almost always enough to get you something, and you can save for a few rounds in order to buy an even more valuable item pack. What I found so galling about previous Tiger Woods games and their course unlocks was the absurd time commitment required to do so. I'm fine with some sort of balance, but don't require players to play some obscene amount of your game to see the content.
 

With Powerstar Golf, developer Zoe Mode has struck the correct balance, allowing you access to all of the goodies for money, if you want to go that route, or through a reasonable and fair unlock model. Sure, there is still a solid time commitment and items are randomized, but I have found that gear is doled out at a steady clip, allowing you to get right back in the action. I also have to say that the items are tiered correctly as well, since you can forgo cheaper gear and use your skill to carry you (allowing you to save for high-level stuff), or you can move along more methodically, spending credits as soon as you get them.

The other ace in the hole for this game is its well-integrated and entertaining social hooks, allowing you to play your friends when you want and how you want. What Powerstar Golf is doing is certainly not unheard of — record markers on the course, leaderboards, downloadable “ghosts” — but how it's all put together is what makes the feature so compelling. I always liked the record-tracking features in games like Burnout Paradise or Tiger Woods, and Forza 5 recently showed us “drivatars” (damn that word), but Powerstar Golf puts all of that together in an interesting and easy-to-understand way. It's satisfying to see friends' records blast off the course when you beat them, and these markers constantly give you something to focus on for each hole.
 

But the rivals mode also ends up being more useful than I thought, as it serves as a great way to “play” your friends even when they aren't around. I still wish this game had online multiplayer, and it should have, but this feature allows you to see exactly how your friends approached certain challenges (and with what power-ups), giving you the chance to plan your round accordingly in order to beat them. A friend and I had a great head-to-head session over a week where we were trying to get the best round on the first course, and being able go against them at will was perfect when our schedules didn't match up. It's truly a creative design decision that's likely in response to limited resources, and I think the devs got it right.
 

Whatever form digital download sports titles take in the coming months and years, I hope they learn some good lessons from what Powerstar Golf did right (and the couple of tiny things it could've done better). The developers clearly knew what they wanted to do and created a gameplay loop that was enjoyable because of accessibility, depth, loot and proper social hooks. I always thought it could be a sleeper hit at the Xbox One's launch when I saw it at E3, but the $20 price tag gave me pause. I was wrong to doubt Powerstar Golf, as it gets a lot right, especially some things that AAA games still seem to struggle with.