Review: Hot Shot's Golf: Out of Bounds

Note: Another re-post of one of my reviews from the almost-defunct Review Squad. This one's staying though =p.

After ending 2007 on a high note with Uncharted and Ratchet & Clank, 2008 started with yet another drought of 1st-party software for the PlayStation 3. Thankfully, the lull of software has ended with the releases of GT5: Prologue and Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. While GT5 will almost certainly get the lions-share of attention (and sales); the real gem may be the continuation of Sony's charming take on the sport of golf.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds may not win any awards for originality, but what it does do well is provide a quirky game of Golf for those people who quickly tire of the more serious style of a game like Tiger Woods. That being said, Hot Shots Golf doesn't dumb itself down to the level of Wii Sports Golf: you still have all your typical stats in addition to a selection of multiple characters and equipment to choose from – that is, once you actually unlock them.

Yes, it seems that Hot Shots Golf has taken a page from Super Smash Bros. Brawl in that you have to continuously grind through the single-player mode in order to gain more characters and unlock extra clubs, golf balls, courses etc... Unlocking extra characters and courses aren't too annoying - all you (mostly) have to do is to advance ahead in the single-player -- the clubs and golf balls on the other hand are a little trickier: once you win an event, you're given the choice between multiple random boxes to choose from. Since all the boxes have question marks, there really isn't any way to tell what you're going to get. Often, you'll end up getting a club or ball that doesn't match your character's strength or play style.

Another slight knock on the game is the online mode. At first glance, things start to look great; you start out by creating your own little avatar, then you get a chance to select your own room/server to explore. Think of it as your own little golf club, where you can walk around and meet up with people; set up a tournament, or just play a quick match. But things start to get dicey once you figure out that there is no voice chat in the game whatsoever. Sure, you can type messages with a USB keyboard or your control pad; but the clubhouse experience would have been a lot better if you had the chance to simply chat with people.

The core gameplay is basically unchanged from past ilterations with one noteworthy exception. In addition to the familiar power-bar, there's the addition of a new swing-gauge: press the X button and wait for the club to line-up with the top stick to charge-up your power, and then wait until the circle at the bottom lines up with the dot in the center. Press the button too soon or late and you'll screw up your shot. Personally, I love the new swing mechanic to the extent that I've yet to go back to the old classic meter.

Graphics wise, the game is bright and beautiful! Looking at screenshots online just doesn't do this game justice; you really have to see this game on an HDTV to see the little details in the grass and objects and the sunlight reflecting off the lake. Simply put: Hot Shots Golf proves that you don't necessary have to make a game super realistic to look great. On the flipside : the music is your standard fare (Read: Uneventful). The characters voices range from charming (Jasmine) to annoying (almost everyone else).

Bottom Line: Out of Bounds succeeds in bringing what worked in the past and adding a couple of things that will bring fans of the series back to the links. Other than a couple of gripes – the unnecessary grinding to get new items and the lack of voice chat in online play – the game is another solid installment of one of Sony's underrated franchises.

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Sorry I've been neglecting my commenting duties on 1up. I've taken a on-and-off break from 1up over the summer to focus on work (I need the money and blogging isn't paying any of the bills) and games and to just clear my head a little.

* Bionic Commando manages to break a cardinal rule when it comes to remaking classic games: Never add shit into a game -- especially right at the end of the game -- that has nothing to do with the original game in the first place.

* Right before the end-boss, you are giving some type of homing rocket launcher where you have to use the right analog stick to aim. Problem is, you are literally given this weapon at the last minute, and your only real tutorial is firing at two switches to activate the elevator right before the final battle. If you can't figure out the sloppy controls to the rocket launcher before losing all your lives at the final boss (very likely); then you'll have to repeat the final level -- all 40 minutes of it! Let's just say that the final boss -- and how it was handled -- nearly ruined the entire game for me...

* I've been writing a review for Crysis off-and-on for a couple weeks now. It's basically done; but I'm not sure if I'm going to post it, because I'm not 100% happy with it.

* Speaking of PC games, I'm also writing a little how-two guide on building your own gaming rig for less than 700-800 dollars. Contrary to what many people think, you really don't need to spend over a thousand dollars to play -- and run well -- the latest PC games. Hell, other than Crysis, you really don't need to spend too much over a hundred dollars on a single videocard anymore to play games that look and run better than their console counterparts.

* I wouldn't hate this new blogging tool so much if there was just a way to use firefox spellcheck on the thing...doh!!!

* Oh, and on a final note: When did Metroid Fusion suddenly become the black sheep of the entire Metroid Franchise? Sure, I can understand that Metroid DS mess, Metroid Prime 2 or even 3 (I stopped playing it after getting sick and tired of constantly switching visors just to scan crap; but Fusion? Until a couple days ago, I was never aware that anyone even had a problem with that game?