Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Our Rating
9.1
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Your Rating
N/A
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Screenshot Galleries
The recent buzz of the U.S. Open has golf enthusiasts congregating around the water cooler. What better time would there be to review Hot Shots Golf 2 for PSP? This easy to play, visually appealing golf game is one of the most enjoyable games I have played for PSP this year.
Hot Shots Golf 2 appeals to all ages and players because of its excellent game design. One can spend a quick 10 minutes and finish an entire round of golf, or one can spend hours online in competitive tournaments. It is this game’s ability to offer short term play coupled with character depth that makes it an excellent PSP game.
There are two different modes of game play in single player mode; Challenge or Stroke play. Challenge is organized into several experience levels in which you compete in tournaments to win character cards. When enough cards are earned (normally 5) the player’s attributes increase and different characters are unlocked. These characters can be challenged to a head to head competition. Win this competition, and that character can now be used by the player in the future. Since there are many characters with different abilities to unlock, one could play for weeks before all of the characters are available.
There are three kinds of cards to win; head (control), body (power) and accessory (spin control). It is not necessary to win all of these cards to move onto the next level in the game, but collecting them all increase the player’s stats dramatically. It is this steady character growth that makes the game play addictive.
To play the game, the X button must be pressed twice: once to set the swing’s power, and then a second time to set the impact. If the impact is not perfect, the ball will veer either left or right. The computer suggests what club the player should use, but the player can feel free to choose a different one. As the players level progresses, the game play increases in difficulty. The wind gets stronger, the courses get more and more difficult, and the slope of the green gets more and more pronounced. This increasing difficulty has yet to make me frustrated, but it has made me more and more interested in finding different ways to complete each and every hole. Nothing is more fun than banking a drive off a small paved golf cart path and watching your 220 yard drive extend to almost 300 yards!
Within the challenge mode there are two main types of game play; head to head play and tournaments. In head to head play you compete directly against another character in best stroke game play. At the end of 9 holes (or if one character goes up by three holes) if you are ahead you win the match and an attribute card. If you win the match decisively (by more than 2 strokes) the game will award you a bonus card to select.
The other kind of game play is the challenge tournament mode. The 20 tournament players are stack ranked according to both their strokes and points earned. The game will award points for fairways hit, excellent pin approaches, pars, birdies and eagles. The game will also subtract points for water hazards, lost balls, out of bound balls and bunkers. In tournament play it is better to be consistently around par than to have several birdies and several double bogeys. If the challenge mode doesn’t keep your interest, a one on one stroke play match, a chipping mini game, or a training mode are also available.
The game’s graphics are surprisingly excellent as well. The player has the option to zoom in and look closely at all of the obstacles on the course. It provides the player with ample opportunities to be creative with a bank shot off of a mountain or even a roof top. The multiple golf courses with various climates make this game very pleasing to play and also generate a different experience on each hole as it is played again and again.
The combination of excellent graphics, character development, and simple yet addictive game play has made Hot Shots Golf 2 one of the best games I have played this year to date. Even if you are not a golf aficionado, I recommend that you give this game a try. I know that I have yet to put this game down in a week.
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Our Score - Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
9.1
overall
- Gameplay
- 9.2
- Visuals
- 9.3
- Audio
- 8.0
- Fun Factor
- 9.5
The Good: Addictive gameplay, a round of golf takes only 10 minutes.
The Bad: Lackluster sounds effects
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