Despite some small issues, Open Tee is an incredibly enjoyable game that will keep you coming back for more.
Given that this was one of the earlier releases on the PSP, graphically it doesn't hold up quite as well as some of the newer titles, but it's still vibrant, colorful, and, well, "cute", enough to appeal to people. Given that this is a golf game, there really isn't a whole lot of graphical details to put in, but from the lil' golfer themselves to the environments, this game looks pretty good. One problem though; sometimes it's difficult to putt the ball correctly because of the sometimes weird looking environments, but really it isn't a huge problem. So, despite the fact that Open Tee doesn't attempt to push the PSP to the limit in terms of graphics, it still looks great.
Audio wise... well, there isn't a whole lot. I generally prefer to have no music playing while I'm golfing, so other than the occasional shout of glee or scream of agony that accompanies a good or bad hit, there isn't a lot going on in this department. The music on the menus is whimsical and light-hearted, but it's nothing you'll be tapping your feet to, by any means.
The game play is really where this title shines, though it isn't revolutionary in any way. Although I haven't played any Hot Shots titles in the past, I did play Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for the Gamecube, and the gameplay is nearly identical between the two, so I immediately felt comfortable with Open Tee. Basically, you golf by using the "three click swing" mechanic. Let me put that into simpler terms. There's a meter which shows how far you should hit the ball. You start a bar inside the meter going by hitting the X button, and from there you simply click on how far you hit it, then landing back on the starting point from where the bar was. It's kind of hard to explain, but it works well and it's easy to learn. You can also press the square button to make your shots more powerful, but you can only do this a few times.
One problem I have with game play is the fact that there really isn't a ton of challenge on figuring out which clubs to use, which direction to hit the ball etc., because for the most part the game takes care of that for you ahead of time. Still, it's fairly minor. My biggest problem with the game was it's short game to be honest. Putting is a major pain in the butt at times, because honestly it can be really hard to judge how hard to hit it, how far in a certain direction etc., and because of that it's sometimes difficult to close out games. Still, with enough practice even this becomes less of an issue, so really I wouldn't be too concerned even with this.
There are a few modes to play in, starting with Single Player, which has basically an exhibition golf game, Challenge Mode (where all the unlockables are at), a putting challenge mode (which is decent, but not great, practice), and a training mode, where you can practice your game without any real repercussions for messing up. Then there's the multi-player mode, where you can play golf with a friend and prove your dominance (or get dominated, but let's hope that doesn't happen! :D).
Replay value wise, you could play this game for months and not get bored with it. There is a great deal of things to do, and quite a bit to unlock, so this game should be sitting in your PSP for a good while.
When it comes down to it, the only reason you shouldn't like this game is if 1) you don't like golf, or 2) you don't like simplistic golf. If you don't like golf, you probably won't like this game, and if you like more advanced golf, Tiger Woods is always an option. For everyone else, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee is an excellent, quirky golf title that doesn't take much to like, and a lot to hate. In short, I'd still probably say that Daxter is my favorite PSP game, but Open Tee takes a very, VERY close second. It's just that good.