Sony’s Hot Shots series has a long history on the PlayStation family of consoles dating all the way back to the PlayStation One. It’s not surprising then that an entry in the franchise launched alongside the PlayStation Vita. Hot Shots World Invitational brings the anime inspired golf series to a new platform with several improvements that Sony hopes will make the game more accessible to new players. Does this latest entry in the hotshots franchise live up to expectations?
Golf game seem to fill a very particular niche, there are those of us who find the sport less than appealing on television but will happily pick up a set of clubs on the virtual course and vice versa. Hotshots World Invitational appeals to existing virtual golf fans by utilizing a series of time tested gameplay mechanics while implementing ways for even the most casual fan to jump right in and play.
Playing a round of golf or two in Hotshots is rather simple. You’ll begin any of the single player modes by selecting a golfer, who are rated in several different categories including control, impact in spin, and then selecting the course you wish to play on. Once you’re on the grass the objective becomes getting the ball into the designated hole. This is where some of Hotshots Golf’s mechanics can differ from other golf titles. One such mechanic is the power shot mode, by pressing the square button you can choose to use a powerful swing once per hole. Comically when the power shot is used the ball and your avatar will set on fire. Another aspect where Hotshots differ from other golf games is the loyalty counter, loyalty is earned after successful hole Your loyalty level can be used to upgrade your characters various statistics.
There are several different ways to control your shots and manage the ball in Hot Shots. A lot of these will be familiar to golf gaming veterans, such as the familiar grid that shows the slope of the course when approaching your final putt or the swinging power meter that you use to judge your distance. Interestingly the game also offers three different methods for measuring your power when taking shots. There is the now standard swinging meter, which was used while writing this review, but the game also offers an advanced shot mode where you rely on characters swing animation to inform you of your shot’s power and an old-school horizontal power gauge.
The single player campaign in Hotshots Golf is divided into two modes, challenge mode which pits you in a turning against several other virtual golfers for the chance to face off against a locked character and strokeplay which allows you to play single round while tweaking various settings. The problem with challenge mode is that you only earn stars (the currency used unlock new courses) by coming in first place. Should you come in second, third or fourth you’ll not be given the opportunity to face off against the locked character and forfeit your chance at the Gold star. The initial course offerings in Hotshots were appealing, four varied nine-hole courses, but having to play the same tournament over and over again in order to unlock more content can get annoying.
When I failed to reach first place in a tournament three times in a row the game offered me the chance to use “easy mode”. At first I felt that this would be detrimental to my review but in all fairness as a newcomer to the series easy mode made my hotshots golf experience 10 times more enjoyable. Essentially easy mode removes any penalty for missing the mark on the power meter when aiming your shots. This doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make perfect shots, as it does not correct the ball’s path, but it will remove any chance of fumbling – which would normally cause your character to send the ball flying in an unintended direction.
Hotshots rewards you with currency at the end of every tournament and session of strokeplay. This currency can be used to buy courses, new characters and concept art. Unfortunately the asking prices in the shop are just not realistic. I had finished unlocking all of the basic courses after playing 15 to 20 different tourneys and had amassed about 25,000 credits. Unfortunately I was short 5000 credits from buying the first locked character (you can also unlock them by completing tournaments). This seems a little out of reach for casual players to might not be interested in pursuing the single player tournaments but still want to jump in and play a round of golf and eventually unlock something.
On the graphics side of things Hotshots looks great especially for a launch title. Character models have a wide variety of different apparel options and the anime aesthetic looks great in three dimensions. The color palette for character outfits and the courses themselves are as vibrant as you would expect, it’s almost as if a golfing manga was brought to life. Unfortunately, there are some small areas where Hotshots Golf could have improve: The menus look like they were designed for a smart phone and I would have just rather used buttons instead of touching the screen. Well the ground textures and skyboxes look great foliage and small trees do not pass inspection when viewed up close. Overall these minor complaints don’t detract from the consistent and vibrant feel that Hotshots Golf’s graphics bring.
In conclusion Hotshots Golf makes a pretty good Vita launch title especially for fans of the sport. Casual players may find the requirements to unlock new courses and characters a little daunting especially if they decide not to pursue the single player career. This barrier to new content however is not a deal breaker as the game does offer easy mode for those of us new to the genre. Fans of Japanese animation and golf in general will find an enjoyable experience in Hotshots Golf. As long as you don’t mind grinding a bit to unlock new content you’ll find a deep golf experience that will keep you coming back to your Vita time and time again