As the series’ fifth console game in 10 years (spanning three generations of PlayStations), Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds doesn’t look to drastically re-imagine the formula; for better or worse, what we’ve seen so far clings fiercely to the straightforward mechanics that made the original a splash so many years ago, while embracing the incorporation of online play, and making sure to look just good enough to keep you happy.If you’ve never touched a Hot Shots, you wouldn’t know that the control scheme stands in stark contrast to Tiger Woods titles. In the Tiger series, your swings are purely analog, relying on the control stick and a fair bit of thumb magic to pull off good shots consistently; in Hot Shots, you’re simply asked to hit the X button three times — once to start the horizontal meter’s cursor shooting towards the power setting, once more to stop it as close to the end as possible for full power (or stop short if you need less), and a final time to set accuracy on the other end of the meter. It’s clean, comprehendible, and visually recognizable. Once you factor in the various types of spins you can put on any shot and start paying attention to the wind and lie of the course, you quickly realize just how deep this cutesy game is, and why the series is so beloved by fans.
Feb 21