I’m a fan of the Hot Shots Golf series in general and logged many hours on the first PSP version, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee. Now, along comes the long-awaited follow up, Open Tee 2. And the only real problem is, there’s not really as much new content as one might expect.
The same formula, the same control scheme, most of the same courses, the same collectable gear and even, to some extent, some of the same golfers appear in OT2 as appeared in the original. While there is new content, there’s simply not as much new content as one might reasonably expect from a sports sequel that took over two years to make.
The formula is pretty much unchanged; you have to compete a lot to earn prizes like better clubs, better balls, better clothes and accessories, and so on. You work your way up in ranks and work loyalty up in your characters to improve their skills and abilities until they’re just how you like to play them.
One element new to challenge mode, however, is actually kind of fun; in your course overview, you will sometimes spot a glint off the beaten path. That sparkle indicates a rare hidden item to uncover, such as better clubs or balls.
They’re so far off the beaten path that it’s often not worth going after; however, if you blow a round early on in a match or tourney, tracking down those rare items is a way to inject a sense of purpose back into playing out that event, rather than just hitting the reset button and reloading the game.
While playing Open Tee 2 long enough might cramp up your shoulders significantly enough to require some light massage therapy, other than that, the game is pretty much all good. The game is fun as ever, has better online multiplayer support, and integrates into a WiFi area more smoothly.
And now, Sony is even releasing extra characters and courses via the PlayStation Network, so despite a lot of recycled content, Open Tee 2 does have enough new features and some new content, so that it’s not a complete waste of time buying the new version.
In the end, it’s worth a buy if you’re a series fan; but if you’re more casual about the series, and you already own the first Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, there may not be quite enough reasons to buy it again. It’s a must-have only for series completists.
