Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds

Posted 5 years ago By - Brian Edey

Hot Shots Golf – Out of Bounds is the latest and greatest version of the long running golf series on the Playstation series of consoles and handhelds. The series continues on the Playstation 3 with fun characters, good graphics and a very fun addicting game of golf that appeals to the die hard golfer and the casual gamer alike.


Gameplay

Golf games have really not changed since the very first console golf game, you still drive the ball off the tee, chip it on to the green and putt it into a cup, no matter the golf game these are the basics that never change and it holds true with Hot Shots Golf. But Out of Bounds adds something new to the mix by allowing a fairly realistic golfing simulation if you want it, but also you can add some rules to make the game more challenging and more fun such as have a bigger cup, random course levels, extra points by landing in a bunker and more. What makes these extra rules fun is in the multiplayer side of things and the single player tournaments because it takes a normal game and adjusts rules each time, giving each game a new feel.

As you play the game on single player you compete in smaller tournaments and if you win, your stats raise up, your rank increases and you can win prizes and fame which allow for unlocked items, caddies and gear. This adds to the overall replay value as changing even the ball you will use changes the game around, so tweaking the character you use is vital in harder matches, especially the final tournaments when you face off one on one versus a computer controlled opponent with skills and weaknesses of their own. If you beat them and to be fair the first couple you almost have to try and lose to lose the game you can now play as them.

Unlocked items include new clubs with varied skills such as control, power, impact and these offset the players overall skills and weaknesses such as a player with low power can use a higher power set up clubs and not be left behind on those long drives. New golf balls, new clothes and caddies round off the unlockable items and each unlocked item adds to the game in its own way. If your drive off the tee is weak some new clubs will help or if your control is just sloppy switch to a new set with better control, but you will lose some power.


While the game can not compare to a Tiger Woods in realism, the actual golfing simulation side of things is extremely well done and will appeal to those hard core golfers (real and computer golfers), casual gamers and people who just wish to sit down and have fun with friends playing a game and this is where the game shines. Four friends and Hot Shots Golf equals an extreme amount of fun and is possibly the best game on the PS3 to show how a casual friendly family game should be, instead of the constant over used mini-games which are shoved down families throats as the “family game” to play as we have seen on all the consoles.

Graphics

Graphically the game seemed almost weird to me with these extremely colorful, well animated, cartoon characters on a course that was is almost realistic looking with some very nice water and trees. But as the game played I realized this was actually a very good way to show things, if the game was entirely cartoonish it would become bland and if the rendering was life like and realistic it just would not be a Hot Shots Golf game. The golfers in the game are very well animated and rendered in their own cartoon manner, with each one having their own look and reactions which at times are funny, the variety of golfers to use (once you unlock them, you start with two) is very nice. I wish the golfers were more then young teenagers in the way they look and act, more variety, especially in the beginning would be preferred in cases like this.


My biggest issue with the graphics is we really need more courses after my 30th game I really began to feel that we had been here, done that on each and every hole and it became a bit of a chore. Now as you progress new courses open up, but not as frequent as I would have liked it. Perhaps this is something we can download in the future like in the Tiger Woods series and I for one would love to see many more courses and they would be worth paying for.

Audio

For a golf game there really is not many sound effects you need, walking and running sounds, hitting of the ball, putting, crowd sounds, out door sounds, water sounds and more. Overall the game did a great job with its sound effects there was not a real issue with the sounds at all, but the music at times went from happy and fun to down right annoying and mute worthy. I realize the game is a fun arcade golf title and the music does fit in that specific genre, but the music just feels over used in this case.

Voice overs are few in the game, with over used crowd voices, over used caddy voices they both become so repetitive you want them to just be quiet. The actual golfers though have many more voices with many taunts, excitement, sadness and many other emotions depending on how the game is going for them. The voices work for the actual characters look, they all appear to be teenagers around 15 years of age and the voices suit each one.


Value

There is so much to unlock and so many different ways to play and of course this is a great multiplayer game, the value is quite high. You can spend hours playing the game and not be bored with your family so this is a very good thing. In the long run it is one of those games you will enjoy coming back to.

Bottom Line
Buy it, golf fans will love it, serious golfers will enjoy it and its fun for everyone at pretty much any age

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