Transforming the often aggravating and frustrating experience of playing real golf into a fun, downright easy-going game is nothing short of a miracle. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds manages to do just that even though the fundamental gameplay hasn't evolved much. Out of Bounds is arcade golf at its finest.
The game carries with it a range of single and multiplayer modes. Challenge mode lets you take on computer-controlled rivals across various tournaments and head-to-head matches. Naturally, winning events unlocks new courses and characters for play. Any new courses, characters, and equipment can be used in stroke play which enables you to tee off against an opponent in a one-off match. Stroke play rounds award a point for the player with the lowest stroke total for that hole; in short, winning a round means taking the majority share of holes. Support for up to three additional players locally makes it a great competitive offering.
Out of Bounds contains a wealth of community features and options that put it among the most finely-tuned multiplayer experiences on PlayStation 3. Humongous tournaments with upwards of 50 players can be arranged online all the way down to simple head-to-head challenges against a friend. Virtual lobbies allow interaction with other players via in-game avatars, going well beyond text-based chat lobbies found in most other online games. Of course, full statistical tracking ensures you can brag about your win-loss record, tournament standings, and even total stroke count. While there's nothing particularly innovative about the online component, it exudes a level of quality and polish that few games manage to achieve.
Beyond its laundry list of features, the game packs in solid gameplay. It's clear the adage "if it's not broke, don't fix it" has been taken to heart in this fifth installment. The core mechanics remain untouched, aside from the option to use the traditional swing mechanic or a new advanced shot. Traditional swings use a standard meter to set the power for your shots. Advanced swinging, however, employs a more visual approach to shots in which you determine the power of your swing based on how far back your golfer pulls his or her club. A yellow flash lets you know when the swing is at half power, whereas a red flash is full power. Once you've set the power of your shot, you must then hit the X button again to determine the accuracy of the swing. Depending on the club and ball lie, a set of parentheses outline the area in which you need to time your button press. Hit it too early or too late and you'll slice or hook the shot.
Initially, the advance shot mechanic is cumbersome in comparison to the more definitive traditional method; however, sticking with it for a few rounds will have you hooked on this new swing. Not only is it far more intuitive, it affords greater control over your shots. The precision afforded by these new controls is surprising. Of course, you always have the option of reverting back to the traditional swing. This is ideal because it offers the best of both worlds for those not willing to try out this creative new swing mechanic.
An enormous jump up in quality from the PlayStation 2 games, Out of Bounds possesses a gorgeous, colorful presentation. Courses feature realistic grass swaying in the breeze, ponds that ripple as you foul a ball into their blue waters, and amazingly vivid sand traps that spray granules when you chip your ball out of the hazard. Breaking the realism is the cast of characters, which is filled less with realistic figures than caricatures. That's fine, since much of the series' charm comes through these often cheesy characters. All of this runs smoothly, save for momentary freeze frames that pause the action during head-to-head rounds against the computer. The first time it happens, it appears that the console has locked up; but, it's actually an annoying flaw that has no lasting consequence on the overall experience.
Ultimately, this version continues the series with an excellent new installment that doesn't stray far from what you'd expect. Minor additions and amazingly details visuals keep the experience fresh enough to justify a new game, but they aren't great enough to provide an evolutionary leap forward. Fantastic online gameplay will keep you playing for months, though, making Out of Bounds more than worthwhile purchase.
