"Dale, it's your jam," called out Nick Chester as he pointed out a Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds kiosk.
He's right, it is my "jam." I'm a sucker for a good golf videogame, and the Hot Shots series of games have always been my favorite. You might recall that Nick and Cheapy D were quick to poke fun at me for my instinctual gravitation toward the Japanese version at a party during last year's Tokyo Game Show. The case was no different this time: I quickly grabbed a drink and gave into the high-powered tractor beam that is Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds.
Hit the jump for our hands-on impressions.
Let's get this out of the way first: Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds essentially an English language version of Japan's Minna no Golf 5 for the PS3. The game, being a sports title, is an easy import, and many fellow golf fans have since imported Minna no Golf 5 after its release last summer. If you're one of these importers, the only thing Out of Bounds can offer you over Minna 5 is US support for multiplayer. Oh, and less panty shots. It's a mixed golf bag!
I played through several single player matches as well as challenging various other game journos over the course of a couple of days. I could spend this time talking about how awesome I was, but I think I'll cover some of the differences I noticed.
These covers keep getting worse!
English-speaking characters were the most obvious change. All the characters I played spoke English, though most were not American English. My favorite was a frilly-skirted Germanic sounding girl. I was a bit concerned about the spatterings of Japanese text, but this probably wasn't a final build, and most of what I saw was in leaderboards and the like. No big deal.
Aside from graphical upgrades, the biggest change in this current-gen title is the new Advanced swing mode. Of course, you can still select the classic HSG swing method, but I really like this new mode better. Instead of watching HSG's old Knight Rider-ish left-to-right swing meter, you actually have to watch the height of your characters club. A button press starts the swing, and when you see that your character has set his club at the proper height, you hit the button again to set swing strength.
A third button press determines accuracy. Accuracy is gauged by a small circle that becomes increasingly smaller. Your goal is to hit X exactly when the circle lines up with the ball. Hit it too early and you'll see a cute little rabbit icon. Too late and you'll get a turtle. If you totally fudge up, you'll see a skeleton head, and the screen will go negative colored with a horrid sounding low piano thud -- it's quite embarrassing in a full room! Altogether, this new method feels more intuitive than the old version, and after a bit of practice, I was getting better results than with the classic mode.
If you haven't seen Minna no Golf 5 / Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds yet, you'll notice that the visuals have received a major upgrade from the last version. I wouldn't say that this slightly dated game takes advantage of the PS3's graphics hardware much, but it's still a hell of a lot better looking game than any of the previous titles. I was able to select a character and pick one of several clothing colors. I know that the full game presents more options in multiplayer.
The only graphical downfall is that I wasn't able to replicate the famed upskirt shots that made some internet waves after the Japanese release. The analog stick camera still pans around to see just about anywhere you'd like, but just not there. I tried each of my characters and even my nerdy-hot caddy, but no dice. Sorry, pervs.
Sadly, the various systems I played Out of Bounds on were not networked, so I didn't get a chance to try out one of the most appealing aspects of the game. I did talk to a few others that have given online multiplayer a run, and they all said multiplayer tournaments worked great.
I had a good deal of fun challenging various slightly inebriated challengers, some of which were fairly new to the series. They had fun too, and I think that really speaks to this game's strength. HSG manages to be highly accessible to newcomers, but then it can also be amazingly intricate for advanced ones. I think the social aspect is going to be one of the major draws to this title when it is released next month.
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Wow, despite the silly look, the graphics are damned impressive. I haven't played Hot Shots since 3, so I may have to check this one out.
Do you happen to know if online is improved over the Japanese version? I think I remember hearing that there were only scheduled tourney's in Japan, so you didn't have to option to set some up at a convenient time.
i wish i knew, vwgti. so bad
I hope it plays better than the last ones.
I thought only japanese people liked this.
"I hope it plays better than the last ones."
lol, wut?
Hey, I call shenanigans! I’m supposed to be Dtoid’s resident sports gamer!
Actually, I’m glad you put this up, since I don’t play golf games. You and I can combine our powers — you with golf, and me with, well, most of the other sports — and become more powerful than anyone could possibly imagine! Also, the Hot Shots series has always provided a fun game of golf, but I’d never spend $60 on it.
Oh yeah...in before something like “how can they call the U.S. version “Hot Shots Golf” when they took out the panty camera?”
I hope to get a PS3 by this summer, so this is something I will absolutely pick up.
i think the last one i played was HSG 2? the one with Gex and Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal as characters... i sucked at it because my friend is a golf nut and played the HELL out of that game.
i wanted to try HSG: Fore, but ps2 internet play is pretty much like finding gold at the end of a rainbow.
if i had a ps3 i'd be interested. hopefully my golf nut friend and i will start hanging out again so i can try my hand at this game again; perhaps get my ass kicked again.
The Hot Shots Golf games were always good from what I played. To be honest, I wish a quality Hot Shots-esque golf title would hit the Wii. Actually swinging a "club" is pretty fun. No PS3 waggle support?
@H. Panda
Aren't there already about 3 or 4 Wii golf wagglin' games?
I'm getting this, Day one.This is my jam as well. I still rock my PSP Hot Shots Golf.
I'm getting this, Day one.This is my jam as well. I still rock my PSP Hot Shots Golf.
Looks good. The up-skirt of course. Wait! What ! I mean the game, yeah, the game! Yeah!
I can never get into golf games, even when they're disguised with piranha plants and fireballs like in Mario Golf. The one exception was Wii Golf, and we all know that had no depth whatsoever.
I don't like the new swing mode. I also don't like the fact that they force you to try it out. I don't know what portion of the game you played, but I'm in the middle of doing the challenges on my copy of it and I HATE the new control scheme.
I'm sure it's easier to digest in english, but I didn't like being forced to play a whole round with it.
As you pointed out, this is an older game, as such, Sony has no 1080 support for this title at all, unlike more recent games which have built in upscaling to 1080 built into the game code.
I've got some kind of translation FAQ for navigating the MP stuff but haven't even tried it. Dareka eigo ga hanasemasuka?
The whole lobby setup just looks crazy. You have to wait for games, yes. But I think they start every 15 mins or something.
I may miss a couple of the Japanese voices, but I won't be missing the upskirt shots. Can't seem to get the angle right anyway. =P