Friday, March 23, 2007

PSP Game Review Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee


Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee is the PSP exclusive edition of this Hot Shots Golf. This game has everything I love in a game. It plays for a very long time, unlike some games that you can beat in a matter of hours. It has tons of fun unlockable items. The controls are very simple, and the graphics are amazing. That isn't even the beginning of why this game is so great.

This PSP version plays just like the Playstation 2 version "Hot Shots Golf: Fore!. Basically, you choose which character you would like to start with, play the different courses, and try to unlock all the extras that the game has. This game is so popular because the controls are very user friendly, and the graphics are like you are watching a cartoon. I really love this game!

Hot Shots Golf doesn't have any kind of story involved in it. It is very similar to an arcade kind of game where you just play. I love this about the game. When you start the game you have 2 characters that you can choose from. As you play through the game more items and equipment is opened. You can play the match-play mode to unlock the really cool stuff and even unlock new characters that you can use. Some of the items you will be able to unlock are; golf clubs, golf balls, cool outfits, and accessories. New golf clubs and golf balls increase your characters stats, like how far they can drive and how much control they have over the ball. This game does a great job of being able to tell the difference between different accessories. A lot of times in other games, you can't really see the difference when you have unlockables, but in this game you can really tell the difference when selecting the different items. Some of the items you unlock are really silly, like the trucker hats or the sunglasses. The unlockable outfits and accessories have no real bearing on the game other than changing the appearance of you character.

I would just like to mention at this point that the ad-hoc play in this game is great. This game has a great multi-player mode. You can play with up to 8 people in one game. In the multi-player part of the game you are allowed to heckle and try to distract your opponents. It really is fun and I would recommend trying it out. It just makes this game even more great.

The graphics in this PSP version are very similar to that in the PS2 version. In the golf courses themselves you can see great distance. You can change the camera angle to see exactly what you need to in order to make your shot. I really enjoy the way the camera angle changes on it's own while it is showing you where your golf ball is going after you hit it. The frame rate is very smooth and the, and it has very tight, clean lines making the graphics in this game great.

As I mentioned before you will unlock other characters as you play through the game. There are unfortunately a limited number of caddies to choose from, but your caddie doesn't really affect your game much, so it probably doesn't matter. The caddies do offer some encouragement, they say things like "Good Shot", or "A Little Right". The sound effects are fun too. The game has different noises for the sound of hitting the ball, or going through a tree, or landing in the water, or hitting a rock. The sound effects are pretty realistic and fun too.

Overall this game is great. You can set up with either a 3 button action swing or on auto mode to make it so you hit it straight every time. There are lots of different menus and game play options, which makes for a great gaming experience. The sound isn't amazing, but for a golf game it definitely isn't bad at all. I would say this game isn't difficult, just long, which I really like. It takes a while to unlock everything, and that is half the fun of it. There are over 250 unlockable items, and you can only unlock one item per round of golf, think about it. This game is also great because it is really fun and cartoonish, but at the same time it really is all about the golf and strategy. I would say get this game, you can pick it up anywhere for 20 bucks, and it is totally worth it.

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