Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 Review
by Chris Reaper at Jun 23, 2008 3:26am
To start off the new week here’s the first review for a handheld title on Ve3tro. And what a way to kick off the start of portable system reviews with non other than Sony’s Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2! Now I’m not usually a fan of sports games, but this title has really opened up my eyes to the fun that can be had when any game regardless of the genre is done the right way. The graphics are phenomenal for a handheld title, and the gameplay is just as great. And unlike most titles on portable systems, this game will keep you busy for quite a while. I usually finish most handheld titles in a couple of days and store them away to never be played again. But even after a couple of weeks of playing this one, it still has me hooked! There are all sorts of items to unlock throughout the game, from more characters and different outfits, to clubs and tons of accessories.
So, to start off the review let’s first talk about:
Gameplay – As previously mentioned, gameplay in this title is done very well. It’s really fun and addicting and will have you playing for hours without even realizing how much time has gone by. Usually if you aren’t already a sports game fan, then the thought of a title like this will immediately put you off from wanting to even try it out for a couple of minutes. But believe me, that would definitely be a mistake to do. As simple as it may seem with the easy one push button mechanics for the shots, it’s actually quite fun. After trying it out a few times, you’ll soon be addicted to perfecting your hits and trying to get a perfect shot every time you hit the ball.
When making your shot, you’ll have to go through two meters to determine how well you hit the ball. The first one will focus on how much power you put in to your hit to determine how far your ball will go, while the second will be for accuracy on how well you hit it. For example, if you do well on how much power you put in to your swing and expect it to go far, then you’ll also need to do well on the second meter for your accuracy. If you don’t do so well on that one, then the ball will go nowhere near where it was expected to from the power, and will most likely end up in the water or sand. So you always have to pay attention to both meters and time them right to make sure your swing gets your ball where you want it to go.
You also have the chance to make a few power shots. If done right, they can help you out a lot during the game and get you on the green for the hole in only a couple of swings so you’ll be able to try for the birdie. If you make the shot in to the hole for the birdie you get enough extra points to usually put you in the lead of the game and give you the advantage over all your opponents, so it’s really helpful to try and make that shot as many times as you can during the rounds. If you miss it you go for a par, which is still good enough to keep you in a comfortable spot on the players board, and sometimes will even be good enough to keep you in first. If you miss the par though you get a bogey, which will usually put you towards the bottom of the board. Miss that, and you get a double bogey. After that comes the triple bogey, which is definitely something you never want to get.
To avoid being in danger of receiving a bogey you want to get to the end of the course making as few shots as you can. Putting as much power in your swing as you can and nailing the accuracy meter right on the dot will help you out with this, but you also have keep your ball from falling in to a sand ditch or sinking in a pond. If you’re not careful with where you hit your ball it might just end up in either a pond or some sand, giving you a huge setback in winning the round. So while it may do you good to try and hit your ball as far as you can with a swing, it might also give you problems if you’re not too sure where exactly your balls going to end up. So be sure to watch out for these inconveniences on the courses.
If you finish in first at the end of a tournament, you’ll get to select a card to unlock something. If you do really well you’ll get the chance to pick out two cards. Once you get 10, you’ll be able to face a new character, who you’ll be able to unlock if you beat them in a challenge. You’ll also be able to power up your character to a new level with loyalty points. You get more loyalty points by frequently using the same character during tournaments and challenges. So if you stick with the same one rather than changing every now and then, you can build up your character to better levels. So now that gameplay has been explained well enough, let’s move on to:
Graphics and Sound – The graphics in this game are simply amazing. For a portable system’s standards, the level design is phenomenal. The courses throughout the game are done very nice. The character models are each unique and different from each other, and all the accessories and different outfits all look great. There’s really nothing bad to say about the graphics in the game. Just like the gameplay, they are superb. I would have never thought that the portable systems would have been able to advance this greatly. But Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 definitely has some beautiful graphics, far superior to anything I’ve played on a handheld system.
The sound for the game is just as good as well. The characters all have their own unique voices and way of saying things. Even simple things like the wind moving through the trees and the sound of the leaves rustling were taken in to consideration. While most handheld titles will have that static touch of annoyance in themes and voices throughout the game, this title sounds great through the PSP’s speakers and won’t make you feel like your listening to the game from a busted speaker.
Conclusion – This is a fantastic title for the PSP and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a nice relaxing title for a handheld system, that’s fun enough to play for hours a day. Neither the graphics nor the gameplay will disappoint you, as both are fantastic.
Breakdown:
Graphics - 9
Sound - 8
Design - 9
Replayability: - 7
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 8.4/10
