Platform: PSP

Genre: Sports

Number of Players: 1 (up to 16 via AdHoc)
 

Let me bring this up again, but in case you didn’t already know, I like Hot Shots Golf quite a bit. I didn’t at first, but the PSP version was the turning point, and the PlayStation 3 release became the addiction. I’ve barely been able to put the game down for too long, save for when another game shows up that needs to be reviewed. Some might say that HSG isn’t a true game; it’s no Tiger Woods, but it isn’t supposed to be. But, how would I possibly make a trip to California for a recent press event and be able to play HSG with the PS3 sitting at home? Sony solved that by shipping their latest, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 right before leaving for a few days.

It’s not a long trip from Portland, OR to Oakland, but even so, Hot Shots Golf was just the thing to kill some time on the flight, in the hotel room, and pretty much anywhere else I could find the time to grab the PSP. But I’ll confess, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds has spoiled me quite a bit, and it has taken some time to get back to a point where I can accept the look and feel of Open Tee 2. Sure, the idea is the same, but there are definite differences. If you aren’t already familiar with the Hot Shots Golf franchise, and you really should be if you’re found that playing a true golf title isn’t quite your thing, the game is all about playing golf, but with differences that take it from reality to fantasy.

The characters in the game retain that super cute, anime-inspired look that they have always had, and this is something that adds to the fun and innocent gameplay that is a huge part of what makes the game addictive. In fact, Open Tee 2 includes twenty different characters to play as, twelve who are completely new to the series, and each with a diversity of skills and ranking. When you begin, the only choice is to start out as a novice, but that’s ideal to get to used to playing the game. Even with far too many hours logged on Out of Bounds, it was almost necessary to once again get familiar with how the game plays on the PSP. Many things are the same, but there are features that are missing such as the ability to change the viewpoint of how you see your character before you take a swing.

That’s a minor difference however, and the rest of the gameplay is really quite the same as what many have come to know from the series. The structure works with the classic method of hitting the ball which is a bar in the bottom of the screen. Tap X to start the meter, tap is again when the power is at the desired level, then a final time when it reaches a small area towards the end. Your goal is perfect impact, something that isn’t always easy, but if you’re finding that trying to get the precise timing down for that final moment is too much for you, you can simply select a simpler method where the impact shots will be taken care of for you. This doesn’t guarantee perfect impact each and every time, but it will avoid sending the ball into the air and losing a precious stroke while trying to maintain a good average.

There are other issues to contend with on the course as well. Wind can make a huge difference on if your balls lands on the green or ends up on the fringe. There are bunkers, or sand traps that you will need to watch out for, areas that are out of bounds, and those nasty water hazards that will penalize you. This all takes place over a number of different courses, some of which are more down to Earth whereas others will stick you in the desert, high atop mountains, something that is always a favorite in the series, and of course lush islands.

Winning is everything no matter what you may have heard about losing. The main portion of the game is set up in different tournaments. Some of these have a number of competitors, but you won’t have to sit through each and every one of them. You also might find yourself in a battle against another golfer and these one-on-one battles will only allow you victory once you’ve bested your opponent in three matches. A tied match doesn’t count and if you manage to push the contest to the limit, you’ll enter sudden death where either the first to sink their ball will win or the player with the lowest number of strokes. Score also comes into the game, though only in the tournaments with ah vast number of golfers, and scoring will be based on a number of things such as if you can sink a birdie, eagle, or better down to where your ball lands. So, if you tie for first with another golfer but have a higher point total, the judges will declare you the victor.

After any successful win, you will be given the chance to draw cards and these in turn will give you new pieces to mix and match with your golfer. There are items for your head, body, and even accessories. These will help to improve your stats and at the end of each hole, your character will be rewarded with loyalty points which will help to unlock new types of shots, new costume combinations, and a number of other features that will improve your overall game with more powerful shots, better control, greater distance, and a host of other adjustments. There are over 350 options that will be available to you, so there’s a great deal of hard work and matches ahead of you.

An addition to this latest Hot Shots Golf is a very simple mini-game. The objective is to get a hole in one, something that I’m sure most are cringing at right now, but it’s a little different. You only have one shot, and the holes are within that range. Yes, it is “holes” because there are multiple ones scattered on the course, and their point value depends on where they are and the difficulty to reach them. The game is rather short, but it can be fun, and definitely challenging as you try and gauge everything appropriately. If playing against the computer starts to become easier and easier, there is an alternative. Via the PSP’s AdHoc features, Open Tee 2 will allow up to eight players to compete against one another, or you simply might wish to go head-to-head with a friend.

There are a few minor things about this latest Hot Shots Golf however that I didn’t care much for. There’s a lack of music throughout the game, something that I was rather used to with the PlayStation 3 version. Your caddies also aren’t too much help either. I kept waiting for some kind of assistance while trying to make par, like being told that the shot was downhill and to the right, but that never happened. Basing your shots on your own judgment becomes imperative, and while the caddies really are nothing more than an addition to try and keep with the feel of the game, I’m glad that I at least didn’t get inundated with the crowd repeating the same dialog over and over again.

The hardest thing for me to try and separate from with the PSP version of Hot Shots Golf though is the difference in graphics. This is another area where the PlayStation 3 really can spoil someone, and needless to say, the PSP isn’t going to be able to provide the same visual look. However, the game does look very good, and actually quite a bit better than the last HSG that was released in a portable format. The characters are all still quite cute and there’s just no way to escape that. The stages are very well detailed and I’ve always enjoyed that fact that the game will follow the ball, giving you a different look at your surrounds. Of course, you can always choose to skip that portion once it gets repetitive, and it will.

You can never have enough versions of Hot Shots Golf around, and Open Tee 2 is a must have for fans who enjoyed the first PSP version, or those who have enjoyed playing the series on the PlayStation 2 and 3. Thankfully, Clap Hanz made this a different version, not just a cheap port of a game already in existence, so if you think that maybe you’ve already played the game, you’ll find that there’s a completely different game contained in one, tiny disc. The only thing that this, or the other games, doesn’t include is a support group; something that I think I’m on the verge of needing given my addiction to these games.
 

-mike-