Highly Anticipated GOLF GAME
With that out of the way, I have been a long time fan of the Hot Shots fan since the second one came out on the PS2, through the PSP version, and up until the current PS3 version. I have to say this is by far the most advanced and enjoyable version of all.
The one thing that is really noticeable from this version and the previous PS2 version are the graphics. Everything seems to be nicely textured - the character renditions, the animals, the shrubbery all look great. Everything is really nice, bright and contrasty it just makes you feel positive while playing the game. I really like the character renditions actually, simply because of how smooth and life-like they are despite being based on a cartoonish character. Also, you can't ignore the fact that Out of Bounds also renders multiple courses AT ONCE, so that you can even hit the ball onto another fairway and still keep it playable, which creates added strategy.
I think that you ultimately have to look at the gameplay when distinguishing this game from Tiger Woods golf. There's no Analog stick movement here, just button face pressing. But it still feels fairly intuitive. If you have played the game before, most of the gameplay is very similar. The new things that they add are the guide markers on the beginning drives. There are also clearly shown arrows that help steer you to the flag hole. The one thing that they did away with is the ability to have separate ball spin/trajectory definitions. In past games you could have a low-line shot but still add backspin to it or a high shot with forward spin. Now you can only have a low shot with forward spin or a high shot with backspin. It still feels and plays like the originals which is a good thing because I feel like I can pick up right where I left off. The new swing system feels better too than the old system. It took me about a half hour to learn the new system and I am still adjusting to figuring out how to hit about a 75% shot. I discovered that if you press the R2 bumper button and you can see a profile version of your golfer and that should allow you to gauge the increments between 50% and 100%. What's also new to the larger console version, but was also on the PSP, are the challenges, that help you earn the beloved character items. I liked this approach as opposed to the create a character version of Hot Shots:Fore!
If you are new to the game, I think the manual is actually excellent, compared to past versions, and really does a great job of telling you how to play the game and gives you some great tips on gameplay.
By far the most important part of this game is the multiplayer option. I actually just spent a great deal of time walking around the created game rooms and club houses with my avatar, double jumping and doing crazy stuff with the right analog stick. When it came down to playing a real tournament it was really smooth and fun. It really adds a more exciting element to the game because you face real opponents and even if you lose a tourney you don't quite feel all that bad. There is of course no real risk or reward system from what I have played through (I may be mistaken) for winning the games just the personal satisfaction. You don't feel quite as bad because you realize well...that there are probably going to be more than 3 or 4 others who didn't finish on top either. It is just fun to play in my mind. What is really great is that you can take your customized characters and their club and ball arsenal into multiplayer play. So characters of different clubs and balls will be squaring off, which can create mismatches but it also encourages you to play the game more on your own.
Here are some of my gripes and they are small. More courses! The PSP version had about 6 as well, I just cannot understand why the PS3 version could not have more. I can only assume that it was a factor of time. But I will also assume that they have the option of adding more courses through online updates. I also feel like the menu system is not as crisp in my mind. It can still be a bit confusing to get into multiplayer games or what not. They also removed the put-put golf minigame, which I think they should have included, it was not that hard. These are only minor gripes but overall the game is excellent in my mind. I'll be playing this for a while at least until GTA IV comes out.