Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds (PS3) Review

Posted by Mark Salmela on 03.31.2008

Don’t be fooled by the subtitle, this game is a hole in one. Find out why in the full review.



Well I don’t feel any shame in admitting *although by today’s standards I should* that I am a Hot Shots Golf fan. Ever since Camelot made the first Hot Shots on the PS1 I’ve been hooked on the little golf game that could. While the franchise hasn’t gone through the most drastic of changes over the years, it doesn’t really need to. It’s golf. Make it look good and play well and you’ve got a good golf game. Hot Shots Golf on the PS3 accomplishes both in spades, and is one of the best golf games I have ever played. Now I think I’d be cheating everyone if I just ended the review there, so let’s get in depth with Clap Hanz’ new PS3 golf game.



Graphics


This game looks beautiful.


The first thing you’ll notice is the improved character models. The Hot Shots Golfers of old were short, stubby, and cartoony. While the PS3 Hot Shots retains the cartoonish look, the characters now have a distinctive realistic human finish to them. The characters are now properly proportioned, and in my opinion look vastly improved over the old games. Clap Hanz has done the next-generation cartoony look *technically this generation* right. The characters all look beautiful in HD, here’s hoping this sets the bar for what cartoons in today’s video games will look like.

Speaking of the beautiful graphics, the courses all look top notch. Clap Hanz has put great attention in detail, as there are very few graphical flaws in this game. While there aren’t a whole lot of courses, I didn’t find one of them that looked bad. The only major gripe I have about this game is the audience. While they don’t look anywhere near as bad as the audiences in other sports games *anything in a stadium*, they could look much better. Also, the clubhouses all appear to be empty while you’re on the course, but that’s just nitpicking. Finally, there’s a chocolate rabbit that haunts the first few courses in the game. If you manage to ever kill this chocolate rabbit, take a picture and send it to me and I will give you a prize. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, god bless your innocence.



Gameplay


You’d think the club owners would disapprove of people who shower sparks on their course.


The big improvement in Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds is the new advanced shot mechanic, which breathes new life into the series. While the new swing system isn’t quite as perfect as the system in Tiger Woods, I almost prefer the simplicity in Hot Shots. A simple push of the X button begins the swing, and the further the character brings the club back the harder you swing the club, with a visual cue letting you know when you’ve maxed out your shot. A second push of the X button finishes the power mechanic, and a giant circle will quickly implode into a center dot before quickly expanding again. The smaller the circle, the more accurate the shot. Push that X button a third time and you’ve got your swing complete, it’s as easy as 1-2-3. The system is easy to learn, and not too difficult to master. Thankfully each character has their own personal stat system to make each character unique. You can pick a character that can easily make accurate shots, or a character who can hit the ball further at the expense of accuracy.

There are 6 courses in the game, each with 18 holes *the golf standard*. While I definitely have favorites *the African level*, all of them are solid. The single player mode has about 100 invitational to compete in, although you only need to win about half of them to complete the game. Some of the courses also have special rules such as switching the rotation of the holes or making the pin cups really big *for easy putting* which change up the gameplay just enough to make it fun without ruining the game. There are also 15 unique golfers in the game, each with about 6 different costumes for them to wear. While this is a step down from the number of customization options of the older games, each costume maintains a high resolution and level of quality that makes me not mind the lack of personal customization options. If they make a sequel they’ll need more characters and options, but I’ll let it slide here.



Sound


Don’t ask me what the caddy is doing.


Well it’s pretty hard to mess up the sound track of a golf game. I’ve been hearing accurate sounding golf games since the SNES and Genesis days, so it’s pretty hard now days to mess up a golf game. All of the basics of golf are here, and all of the cadies make appropriate comments to help you improve your game. Sometimes it’s obvious that the hole slopes to the right, but every now and again the caddy definitely helps you out by letting you know the layout of the green. While none of the characters are painfully annoying, there’s still room for improvement in terms of voice acting. Hot Shots Golf lays down all of the fundamentals that are required in terms of sound, but they do nothing to improve on those basics.



Lasting Appeal


She’s just a young caddy trying to earn enough money to go to college.


Another one of the major improvements to the PS3 version of Hot Shots Golf is the online mode. Players can play online simultaneously with each other *no more waiting for others to take their turn before you go* or even set up tournaments for as many as 50 players at a time. Players can create their own personal Hot Shots avatar to run around in lobbies with other people as they schedule golf games. The online mode is simple, easy, and fun. The only major complaint is the lack of voice chat. It’s 2008 people; voice chat in video games is a must. On the other end of the stick offline multiplayer is done beautifully, with up to 4 players per console taking rounds on any course in the game. I still prefer playing games like Hot Shots with other people next to me, thankfully offline multiplayer wasn’t forgotten. One thing I would like to mention though is the taunting. When you’re not up to take your shot the other players can issue a bunch of taunts, and it gets super annoying. I’m sure it sounded great on paper, but continuously hearing “you’re out of bounds” by a British chick gets annoying really fast.



Fun Factor


The African course is easily one of the best.


If you have ever played a golf game before *odds are that you have* than you will be right at home with Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds is not only the best golf game on any current platform *that includes Wii*, but it’s also one of the best golf games ever. Mario Golf and Tiger Woods have nothing on Hot Shots; I definitely recommend it over the alternatives. There is room for improvement, such as adding voice chat into online play, but otherwise you’re going to have a hard time finding a golf game that’s better than this. You may want to wait until a price drop, but Hot Shots Golf is one of the best pick-ups on the PS3 *especially if you like sports games*.



The 411


If I hit the ball in the water one more time I’m breaking my controller.


Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds is a great addition to the franchise, and is a solid addition to the PS3 library. I have very few complaints about this game, and you will find yourself quickly becoming addicted to this game. While the lack of voice chat keeps this game from going to the next level, I still recommend that if you’re going to pick up one sports game this year, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds be it. The graphics and gameplay are both phenomenal, and in a sports game that’s the two big areas that count. You will have a blast with your friends, and I’ll see all of you out on the course.

Graphics	9.0	The characters and courses look beautiful. If it was not for a few minor hiccups this game would be near perfect.
Gameplay	9.0	The new swing mechanic is awesome. Anyone can fall in love with the game, and it is the best golf game in years.
Sound	7.0	Everything sounds fine, but there is nothing special here.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	The online mode is fun but the lack of voice chat hurts. Offline multiplayer is still great.
Fun Factor	9.0	This game is both fun and addicting. One of the most fun sports games in years.
Overall	8.8   [ Very Good ]