A matchmaking service was also provided for players. Development and release Links 2003 was announced by Microsoft on February 27, 2002, at the International Games Festival in Las Vegas. The game was developed by Microsoft. The Arnold Palmer Course Designer 1.5 is the same tool used by the development team to create the game's six courses. In addition, the greens were recreated through 500 GPS points that were taken on the actual golf courses. The game features improved game physics over its predecessor. In an effort to achieve realism in the game, lead designer Mark McArthur said, "We had [programmers] with hard hats out in the driving range, and they would watch the balls fly toward them." It is the first game in the Links series to feature 3D polygonal golfers, rather than the digitized FMV golfers featured in previous games. The golfers are made of approximately 7,500 polygons. García and Parnevik participated in motion capture sessions to create their onscreen golfers. Each of the professional golfers also provided their voices for the game. Links 2003 was completed in early September 2002, and was released in the United States later that month. It was published by Microsoft Game Studios. Links 2003 was accompanied by a separate game titled Links 2003 Championship Courses, which features the same courses and also includes 20 courses from previous Links games. In the United Kingdom, Links 2003 and Links 2003 Championship Courses were released on October 11, 2002. A bundle set, consisting of Links 2003 and Links 2003 Championship Courses, was released in 2003 under the title Links 2003 Championship Edition. Reception Links 2003 received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic. Some critics considered it the best golf game available. The graphics were praised, especially the golfers. The physics were also praised, with Andy Mahood of GameSpy calling them the best of any golf game available. Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer called it "unquestionably the most realistic golf simulation ever offered on any platform" and wrote that the game engine "allows for almost every variable - we couldn't think of anything it doesn't do." Praise was given for the multitude of game options, including the various multiplayer features, although some critics were disappointed by the limited number of professional golfers. Critics considered the game's environments to be stagnant and lifeless, particularly due to the stillness of water, clouds, and the golf crowd. Ivan Sulic of IGN