Reviewed: April 13, 2008
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer
Clap Hanz

Released: March 18, 2008
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Online: 50

9
8
7
9
8.7

Supported Features:

Hot Shots Golf has been around for as long as the PlayStation...almost. If I look hard enough I can probably dig out my PS One version of the game, but I really didn’t become obsessed with the series until it hit the PSP back in 2005. I spent most of that summer and part of the winter dominating Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, so when I heard that Clap Hanz and SCEA were joining forces for a next-gen version of Hot Shots on the PS3 I was admittedly extremely excited to say the least.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds has finally arrived, and with it comes another summer of casual golfing for kids and adults alike. Sure, Tiger Woods sets the bar for realism, but Hot Shots Golf sets the bar for fun, and Out of Bounds brings new courses, new characters, and a whole new look to the franchise, plus an interesting new way to play the game as well as unprecedented online support for up to 50 golfers.

Yes, Out of Bounds breaks away from the traditional horizontal swing meter with an optional new Advanced shot system. This new mode takes the focus off the meter and puts it back on the character and your actual golf swing. It is still the same 3-tap system only now it works a bit differently. You tap X to start your swing and watch your character swing the club to a ghost image of the club at the 100% mark. If you need to hit a half-power (or any other percentage) shot you will have to gauge the distance yourself and hope for the best. Tap X a second time to set the power and the club comes down toward the ball. You must now time the final tap as a shrinking circle collapses on the ball. Two circular outlines represent the traditional red and pink zones on the meter and a perfect shot requires the precise tap as the target circle collapses on the ball.

For me, the entire concept seems a bit gimmicky. It really isn’t that different than the old method. They’ve just changed the visual style of the same 3-tap system and made it a bit trickier to make perfect shots or judge percentage shots, adding a slightly skewed difficulty factor to the game. In hopes of enticing veteran golfers to switch to the new system the Advanced shot system does offer added distance to your shots. The whole concept reminds me of racing games that give you speed bonuses for driving with a manual transmission.

When it comes to putting you might actually find the Advanced shot mode easier than the bar meter. You still have to line up your shot, compensating for any breaks, then to set the power you tap X to start a blip moving away from the ball. When it reaches the desired location you tap X again to set the power. On a flat green with no break you can literally put the blip on the cup to sink the ball.

Admittedly, I tried to hold out as long as I could and kept using the old bar meter along the bottom, but eventually you get those challenge games that require you to use advanced shots and when you go online you’ll find that most of the other golfers are using the Advance shot. Some games allow a mix of traditional and advanced shots while other online matches require all the golfers to use the same style. So as gimmicky as it is, buck up and learn it or get left behind.

As with the past games, you can also execute subtle tweaks to your shot by adding spin to the ball with the D-pad. The level of spin is based on several factors including your character, clubs, balls, and even your character loyalty. The more you play with a certain character the more experience you gain and the more loyal they become. Each new level of loyalty adds new perks like rising shots, improved spin, and backdoor bonuses. Putting spin on a shot requires a two-tap input on the D-pad while simultaneously performing the 3 taps of the actual shot. If you want backspin you need to press Up as you set power and then tap Down as you strike the ball. If you happen to get perfect power and perfect impact you can get some impressive results.

You also get special power shots, the number of which increases based on loyalty and whether you are playing 9 or 18 holes. The way these work is that you must get a perfect power and a perfect impact after selecting either the red or blue power-up. Blue power is reserved for the 1W and will get you some added distance off the tee, while red power can be added to any shot with any club for extra distance.

With all of these subtle gameplay elements Out of Bounds can be as easy or as challenging as you want to make it. You can 3-tap your way to the final hole or you can strategically play each of the holes, taking into consideration wind, weather, and placing the appropriate spin and extra power on the ball. Front spin can skip you across a water hazard and backspin can keep you out of a sand trap.

There are more than 15 stylized golfers, most of whom will need to be unlocked as you make your way through the lengthy Challenge mode. They all have their own unique abilities and are sorted by skill levels, and you can increase their abilities by repeatedly using a character to build up their loyalty as well as equipping them with special clubs and balls awarded as prizes for completing the challenges. After you win a round you get to pick from six prize cards; each card has a reward like a new outfit, driver, ball, club membership or even a new caddy.

Before starting a round you will get to choose a character and their equipment as well as their caddy. The equipment bonuses offer their own sense of balance in that clubs and balls that offer the longer distance also offer the least accuracy. You can mix and match all of these variables to find a blend of golfer and equipment that fits with your own skill. They even have a club that offers perfect impact for those who just can’t nail the timing of that third tap.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds brings six new courses to the franchise, each with unique themes and challenging layouts. My personal favorite is probably the Africa course where you will be chipping past an elephant drinking from a pond or putting across a green while a giraffe grazes off the fringe. One hole even has several rally racecars driving across the fairway prior to your tee shot.

I found it rather ironic that despite the title, “Out of Bounds” there is very little in the game that truly is out of bounds. The fairways all interlock to some degree and you aren’t penalized for playing up the wrong fairway. On some holes this could even be considered good strategy, especially if the wind is working against you. Other than a few designated (white stake) areas, you’ll be hard pressed to get the O.B. to appear on your screen. Out of 60+ games I’ve played so far I’ve only seen it three times.

Out of Bounds takes you and your golf game online for the ultimate challenge in tournaments with up to 50 live golfers from around the world. The first thing you’ll need (other than a PSN account) is an avatar. This are cute little characters that you can dress and equip with a variety of costume options, much in the same way we got to dress our golfers in Open Tee on the PSP. Once you have your avatar you head to the online lobby which is designed like a giant clubhouse where you can see all the other players in search of conversation or perhaps a game of golf.

First and foremost, the lobby and between-hole leaderboard screens are severely hampered by a total lack of voice support. Break out the USB keyboards if you want to even attempt to communicate. And even if you do want to type you will find you are limited to a very short line of text forcing you to use shortcuts and IM-speak. Conversing in Out of Bounds is severely crippled and pretty much identical to what we endured in Hot Shots Golf: Fore! on the PS2.

Fortunately, the rest of the online experience is far more functional but not that exciting. You can setup and host your own game, join somebody else’s or head over to the desk and sign-up for a scheduled tournament. When the starting time rolls around you will be notified to enter the game or lose your spot. Once in an online match everybody pretty much plays their own game, hole by hole. Once you sink the ball you return to the leaderboard where you can text-chat with the entire group and a text-update of the progress of the golfers still playing.

Sadly, you cannot watch anybody else play. It would have been really cool for the game to determine the best (or most impressive) shot of the hole and let people watch a replay. Ultimately, the online aspect of Out of Bounds is a quiet and even a bit boring. My biggest game was with 28 other golfers and I’ve never felt so alone. Thankfully, everyone plays each hole simultaneous. I can’t imagine how painful the online experience would be if it were turn by turn.

The character design still leans toward the Japanese anime style only this time they are not the doe-eyed exaggerations of the previous titles. The golfers and caddies in Out of Bounds are more realistic and believable in their own stylized way. They even have their own bio to give them some background depth. Each golfer has their own signature animations that are fun and energetic, and the screen comes alive with colorful special effects, comet trails on the ball, flying blades of grass, powdery sand, and the signature CLAP icons above the applauding spectators.

Despite the overall technical deficiencies, the course designs are massive and gorgeous. The real-time weather changes and lighting are impressive. I was always taught never to stand on the green in such a way that my shadow blocked the path to the cup. Imagine the shadow of a giant hot air balloon as it lazily floats over the green. Each course has a theme that carries over into subtle details like the lions head markers in the tee box on the Africa course, indigenous wildlife, and realistic weather patterns. I miss my rainbow on the hole following a spontaneous rain shower though.

There are all sorts of cool camera angles including reverses, in-flight, and ground-level shots of the ball in the tall grass, sometimes with a ladybug perched on the ball. My favorite is the camera down in the cup. You can switch to a top-view of the course and pan the camera around while adjusting your aiming marker or use the face buttons to push into the screen and travel toward the pin. You can even get a view from the flag prior to your shot. Out of Bounds also automatically records impressive shots like Chip-ins, Eagles, etc. and offers you the chance to manually record any shot it doesn’t do automatically.

The speech can get a bit annoying after 60 games…or sooner. Each character has only a few lines of dialogue sorted by happy and angry reactions. The caddies also have a limited vocabulary, which you will have fully heard by the time you reach the back nine. Some of the voices are squeaky and annoying, a trademark of the franchise but nonetheless wear on your nerves. I did enjoy the applause of the spectators after some crazy chip-in, but the fans are far too talkative while I am lining up my shot. Where is that guy with the QUIET sign?

The Challenge mode is massive. I’ve logged more than 50 hours (including some online time) and am only halfway through the 7th tier of challenges. I’ve only unlocked half the golfers and half the caddies and half the costumes. I’ve been focusing on two characters so far, getting both their loyalties into double-digits. But even after I have won all the challenges and unlocked all the content, there is still the challenge of improving my scores, increasing my golfer abilities, and even my own personal stats that are extensively tracked in the areas of best average score, driving distance, driving accuracy (fairways hit), greens in regulations, par pace percentage, putting accuracy, average putt length, holes-in-one, and many others.

As much as I have been looking forward to playing Hot Shots Golf online, they really dropped the ball with the current implementation. The lack of voice chat and a very limited text input line really cripples the online experience. Obviously you can’t have 50 people talking all at once, but at least give me a voice chat option for a one-on-one or even a four-player match. When it comes right down to it, Out of Bounds has the same limitations and functionality that we got on the PS2 and Hot Shots Golf: Fore! So much for progress.

I would like to know what happened to my mini-golf. We had it on the PS2 and it was a blast, even if it was limited to only two courses. And we certainly need some mini-games, target shoots, longest drive/putt competitions, etc. Despite the endless replay potential of the core game, Clap Hanz really dropped the ball on extracurricular content for this release.

There is the promise of future content via the PS Store including new courses, characters, clubs, and clothing. Only time will tell if this is going to be substantial content or just a way to tap into your PS Wallet and drain your funds for slight variations in existing content. I do look forward to more courses though. That could keep me playing (and paying) for months to come.

The gameplay is as solid as ever, but the new Advanced shot mode is merely a clever visual disguise for the same 3-tap system we’ve always used, the graphics are good but no where near next-gen, and certainly don’t live up to the potential of the PS3 or the Blu-ray format. Tiger Woods will visually crush this game in a few months, which is a shame because Hot Shots has the opportunity for far more colorful and fun graphics.

And finally, the lackluster online experience is going to need a major overhaul before it gets any more attention from me. As it is, I’d rather play by myself and email you my scores. It’s that interactive and about as much fun.

For all my complaining, justified as it is, there is no denying that Out of Bounds is still insanely fun and totally addictive. Technical and online issues aside, you will spend days, weeks, and months playing this game and loving every minute of it. And who knows…there is nothing really wrong with the game that couldn’t be fixed with a future patch, so we can always hope. Until then, I need to go and finish that Challenge mode and max the loyalty of my golfers.