Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds Review for PlayStation 3

System: PS3	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Clap Hanz	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Sony	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: March 18, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-4 (50 online)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Improving character abilities is also very easy and quite rewarding. The more you use a specific character, the more points go toward that player's Loyalty Meter. The heart-shaped container will fill until you reach the next level. Upon reaching the next level, you will be awarded with new skills and abilities. This straight-forward mechanic does away with tedious statistic tweaking, but still allows for a greater amount of depth via character development.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds screenshot

The visuals and sounds are really nice and soothing. The crisp look of the kooky characters will urge you on to open them all up, and the highly-detailed, varied environments of the courses will suck you right in. Accompanying you through your pretty walk around the links are course-specific music themes that don't get old. The music establishes a peaceful setting that is very appropriate for the game. In addition to the great music, the character comments are very nice, though they do become repetitive.

There is a lot of content to be found throughout this game. The courses are laid out really well and provide a very good challenge, especially later on. However, there are only a total of six courses and they can become a bit tiresome. Hopefully this will be augmented with the promised downloadable content in the future, but there really should be at least four more right out of the box. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds is a very user-friendly golf title that has enough depth to appeal to a large group of people. However, if you are a hardcore gamer that enjoys extreme realism, this game probably won't be for you. This is not a replacement for your favorite golf simulator, but it is a very well made title that hits on almost every level. If you're still a kid at heart, this is a great game to share with friends, children, and even your spouse or significant other.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Lead Contributor / News Director

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.2

Graphics
The unique characters and challenging courses look sharp and clean on the PS3.

4.0

Control
The controls are very user-friendly and should please a very large demographic.

3.9

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is very soothing, but the character comments are repetitive.

4.2

Play Value
Simplicity and depth come together in a way that is very appealing!

4.2

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

New Shot System - Focus on the swing and not a power meter. Players will closely monitor takeaway and impact zone, taking into account distance, club selection, and weather. Of course, players may still opt for the traditional shot meter if desired.

Online Action - Customize a tournament and square off with up to 50 others, or create a match with up to eight players and follow the action of each player. Enter the online lobby and customize your character with more than 300 options including hair, masks, clothing, and numerous other entertaining options while sending messages and setting up matches.

Six Immaculate New Courses - Adding to the wide variety of existing courses, Hot Shots Golf 5 introduces a set of new courses that bring players to unique and dramatic locations including links along the coast, in the desert, among the mountains, and in the woods.

Crazy Characters and Caddies - Choose from 15 different playable characters and six different caddies, each with their own distinct look and characteristics that embody the fun and spirit of the Hot Shots franchise. Customize characters in a variety of clothing options, and monitor character attributes including power, control, and accuracy.

Downloadable Content - In between rounds, head to the PlayStation Store to download exciting content including playable characters, new courses, clubs, and clothing.