Hot Shots Golf Out Of Bounds
Review of Hot Shots Golf Out Of Bounds
Developer Clap Hanz is known best for the Hot Shots/ Everybody’s Golf series on the PlayStation consoles, with 2 entries each on the PSOne and PS2 and one on the PSP (soon to be 2 as well). It was just a matter of time before the series landed on the PlayStation 3. Having been available in Japan since mid- 2007, it is now finally on the PS3 in North America and Europe. The PAL territory title “Everybody’s Golf” is very apt as this has always been about making the game of golf accessible and fun for everyone, even those that normally would not consider a golf game for their collection.
Several game modes are available in both single and multi-player. The main meat of the single player experience is Challenge, where you play in tournaments spread throughout the game’s six courses to unlock new equipment, caddies, courses and characters. As you play the game you will build up Loyalty for the characters, which can improve their performance by allowing them to use higher grade clubs, add more power shots (which adds about 10 yards or so to the full power shot) and alternate outfits. A total of fifteen characters are available in all, each with different shot styles and abilities so it should be easy to find one that suits your game best. For those that want to get a bit of extra practice in there is also a single player Stroke Play (play 9 or 18 holes on your own) mode and Training mode, which lets you tweak conditions just so to practice all the shots.
Offline multiplayer allows up to 2 people for Match Play (lowest number of shots wins the hole) and up-to-four player Stroke play (lowest number of shots through the round wins). Online play, however, is where they have really improved things. There is an actual lobby system now- a total of 10 “floors” to the system with 20 rooms in each floor. Each room allows for up to 50 players so there is a potential for a large number of people online. The online lobbies are intertwined between the North American and European games so we have actual global online gameplay. Players set themselves up with avatars to walk around in the lobby (kind of a preview of what to expect in Home) and chat is done via onscreen text- no voice chat. You can use preset phrases or type in using the PS3’s cell phone-style type pad. It’s strongly recommended to get a USB keyboard, though, as it makes chat much easier.
Players access game set up in the lobby with a quick pres of the triangle button. In here you can set up rooms for up to 8 players in a stroke play round, selecting any courses, characters, special rules, etc. you have unlocked. There are also preset tournaments on each floor of the game which can have up to 50 players each. Many of these are set up for certain rankings (you start at G3 but placing in the top 20% of enough will move you up to G2 and G1) that can earn prizes in the form of extra items to customize your avatars. There are also tourneys labelled as GF which are open to all but do not have prizes available.
The major change to the gameplay is the introduction of a new Advanced Swing. While still a tried-and-true 3 click swing you do not look at a meter on the bottom- instead, you watch the club being held by your character as it is slowly lifted up.You will see a shadow of the club position at full power as well as a small glint off the shaft at 50 % power. Once this is set a circle will start to close in on the ball, which is situated between two sets of brackets- the closer this circle is to the ball itself, the more accurate your shot. The putting is also slightly changed in Advanced with beeps going off as you hit 25%, 50% and 75% as well as a ball silhouette moving forward to judge by distance. Reading the greens is exactly the same as before, using a grid system with moving dots to show slope direction and grade.
Graphically the game has received a nice upgrade from its predecessors in the jump to the PS3, with characters and the courses looking even more detailed than before. That being said, however, it seems as though more could easily have been done- the gallery watching the players in tourneys are not very detailed and the animations are limited. This can be overlooked somewhat as the amount of detail on the characters and caddies themselves is much improved. Some particle effects are done nicely as well- when you hit a Power Shot (accessed by the square button) at full power and perfect impact the ball goes into a flame effect and leaves a smoke trail behind as it flies.
The music in the game is typical of the series, with each course having its own style that is supposed to suit the surroundings. While mostly unobtrusive it can sometimes get annoying over time. Each character and caddie has their own stock set of phrases to suit their personality- they are quite limited and will soon start repeating themselves. This is nothing new for the series, though, and can be overlooked.
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'Hot Shots Golf Out Of Bounds' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Lyndon M STAFF © Absolute PlayStation
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