Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds

In between viewings of TDK and Hellboy, I managed to pick up Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds for the PS3. I played the hell out of the original Hot Shots Golf on the PS1, but I never played any of the sequels (maybe I played part 2, I don't recall). Strange because I loved the original. If not for Gabe picking up the PS3 version, I probably would have skipped it as well.

The Out of Bounds demo was fun and rekindled my interest in the series, plus the thought of playing a few rounds online with Gabe sounded like a blast. And I was right. After a few initial bumps trying to connect online (pretty long update needed to install) and Gabe and I fumbling with the lobby interface and how to get into a match together, we eventually figured it out and had a lot of fun. The game is completely lag-free, which is very important in a game like this where precision timing is needed.

Even though I only had about a day of experience with the title and Gabe has owned it for over a month now, I gave him a pretty good whooping in the two rounds we played. The first one was close, but I think he still has sores from the second game. I'm ready for that rematch anytime Gabe! =)

From what I can tell, not much has changed in the series. Graphics are better, controls are tighter, and there are a few more modes to play, but this is still Hot Shots Golf. Since it has been so long since I've played this series, I am really enjoying the game. I get the feeling though that if I would have stuck with it and played every iteration, I'd be complaining about the lack of innovation right now. I can tell by the average review scores that many reviewers feel that way.

Either way, I am glad I picked it up. I'll continue to polish my golfing skills and continue to beat-up on Gabe online.