Hands-On with Hot Shots Golf Fore! Preview

Developer	Clap Hanz
Publisher	SCEA
Genre	Sports
Release Date	8/17/04

We recently had the chance to sit down with Sony’s new installment to the very successful Hot Shots Golf series, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, and fans of the million-selling franchise have nothing to worry about: The fourth installment is everything a Hot Shots game is expected to be, and this time, with online play added to the mix.

For those looking for an overloaded character roster, there are certainly a lot to choose from in Hot Shots Fore!. There are 34 characters in all, ranging from all-new wacky golfers to a few old favorites returning for another round. But there are even a few recognizable PlayStation characters looking to hit the links too, like Ratchet (with Clank as the caddy) and Jak (with Daxter carrying the clubs) from Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter respectively. There are more to be revealed later, but rest well knowing that there will be more than a few interesting golfers to choose from; this is the largest roster the series has seen yet. Old faves like Tiffany, T-Bone, and Mel make an appearance, and there plenty more where they came from. Caddies from the past reappear as well, such as Bertha, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of new ones to go along with the old. One in particular – a guy named Greg -- who sounds a lot like Sean Connery, is hilarious. Once we got a taste of him, he remained our caddy every time we’d pick up the game to play.

“Hot Shot Points” make a return as well, allowing you to redeem points to buy new equipment, characters, courses, and more. The system is quite addictive, and keeps you playing for far longer than you may have originally intended.

Hot Shots Fore! will be host to 13 courses, ranging from exotic and challenging 18-holers to demanding par three courses. But easily the best gameplay addition is the return of mini golf, a mode absent since the very first Hot Shots release on PSone. We had the chance to play around on one of the mini golf courses, and needless to say, we are very pleased so far by what we’ve experienced. Those who played the first game’s mini golf mode may remember that the majority of the holes were made up of layouts that simply demanded you didn’t go too far off course. Mini golf here though is more obstacle-based, containing some real physical obstacles, like statues, rocks, tunnel ways, and more. While we only got to mess around with one mini golf course (which consisted of 9 holes), the potential here is very big. We’d prefer even more obstacles on the course (and maybe a higher difficulty level too), but the mode shows lots of promise, and we can’t wait to see more.

Hitting the full size courses is as fun as ever, though there hasn’t been anything new that has introduced itself. We noticed that nailing perfect shots take a lot more concentration that in earlier titles, but the offset seems to be that the putting game is a lot more forgiving: we sunk a few putts that we swore were too “off” to make it, but lo and behold, we sunk them. The physics remain just as true-to-life as they always have, and the controls are just as intuitive. Surprisingly, Fore! hasn’t adopted the analog swing that some golf titles have been utilizing as of late. Graphically, the game looks very crisp and clean, but again, there really isn’t anything in particular that has stood out as outstanding in comparison to the game’s predecessors. Special effects look a bit more creative, and the water has an even more realistic look to it.

One of the biggest additions to Hot Shots Golf Fore! is the inclusion of online play, but our version didn’t support the feature. Fore! plans to have one-on-one’s and foursomes, as well as tournaments to compete in, though the exact number of participants able to compete in a single tournament is still unknown. Also to be determined is whether or not Hot Shots Golf Fore! will support voice chat, though with the feature quickly becoming a standard in online games, it’d be quite a blow to the game if it doesn’t. And besides, voice chat would open new doors in taunting, which has always been a Hot Shots staple.

Overall, Hot Shots Golf Fore! hasn’t surprised us yet, but is sure to please its following with its bevy of new features. The return of miniature golf is already our favorite new addition, and online play is a promising new venture for the series that has the potential to become something very big. Hot Shots Golf is already considered to be the king of the links, and with Fore!, the series could be taken to incredible new heights. We’ll all find out once Hot Shots Golf Fore! hits store shelves August 17th.

Preview by Brendon Hivner