Hot Shots is sort of a big deal. One of the only internationally popular sports titles, Hot Shots has been an extremely popular (and good) franchise no matter what console it happens to come out on. Recently, the team released Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 on the PSP, the sequel to the original PSP greatest hit title. I had the chance to chat with Chris Hinojosa-Miranda, an Associate Producer at SCEA working on Hot Shots, and ask him some questions about the series, Open Tee 2, and virtual women.

I noticed playing Out of Bounds and now Open Tee 2 that the games’ are fairly different stylistically, despite how similar they look. It’s almost as if Out of Bounds is a more serious Hot Shots, while Open Tee 2 tries to keep the original zaniness in terms of unlockables and animations. Was that intentional, was it something that just sort of happened, or am I crazy?

It’s been my experience that someone who is crazy generally doesn’t ask if they are crazy… so you’re safe I guess (for now). As far as the games go, I’m really glad you experienced the difference between the two titles, its something the team has been aiming for since the start. We realized how important each version (console, portable) are to the players, and we really wanted to make sure that everyone experienced something new when playing each game…

Was there a reason for the non-inclusion of the new advanced shot method from Out of Bounds in Open Tee 2? Is that purely going to remain a console Hot Shots feature, or was there just not enough time/manpower to get it implemented in Open Tee 2?

It’s not really a matter of console exclusivity or time; the ultimate deciding factor was, as it always is, “what is best for the title.” Hot Shots Golf has had a long history across all PlayStation home consoles, so its history and player expectations were considered heavily when developing Out of Bounds. When it came to Open Tee 2, we wanted to make sure that the player walked away with a “new experience” rather than a mirrored one, so be able to create that sort of authenticity, we had to pull back a bit from Open Tee 2’s sister title and concentrate on items that would make it stand out both as a PSP title and as a Hot Shots Golf franchise title such a the global 16-player matches, new courses, new characters, new game modes, etc. As a PSP game, Open Tee 2 is intended for people on the road (airports and such), and we didn't want to complicate the game mechanics. Also, the game is structured for shorter length of gameplay for each session, by introducing more 9-hole games, faster game progress, etc.

One thing I’ve always loved about the series is the differences between characters, their back stories, and just their general behavior and the way they carry themselves on the course. How much work went into the development of the characters and their personality that we see in Open Tee 2?

I would say the character design, how they appear on screen, their temperament, and voice over work, and actions/reactions are a large part of the Hot Shots experience… so obviously Clap Hanz spends a good amount of time creating their digital existence. What was really fun is tying the first Open Tee characters to the new ones in such a way that you can unlock them (the old ones) with only certain new characters. A lot of that character bleeds through the screen and in a way, becomes part of the player, specially after you’ve played a couple of rounds and have unlocked some cool gear to customize your characters… in a way, making it an extension of you, its very meta.

Do you feel that since this game doesn’t have the PGA licensing like Tiger Woods does, that it’s more important you focus on elements outside of just the gameplay?

In a way, I feel that the PGA license is more of a handicap, a crutch so to speak, that both helps and impedes that title. Hot Shots Golf is free of such limitations… if we want to make a character have pom-poms, a panda outfit and pigs for pets, we can. If we want there to be a happy dance after a birdie, we can… we’re free to explore golf outside of a traditional golf environment.

How many of you are avid real life golfers? Be honest!

There are a fair number of us that hit the links from time to time… can’t make a golf game without actually living it!