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Tag Archives: Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2

The game that keeps on giving

My videogame budget’s gone on a severe diet over the past year; since I’m no longer affiliated with DigNews.com, I get a lot fewer reviewables to peruse. Still, there are upsides, like being able to finally play some of them through to the end before moving on to the next one.

One game that keeps me thoroughly entertained over time is Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 and its predecessor, both for the Sony PSP Slim. I’ll just say it: I love ‘em because they’re easy to pick up and play for a couple holes, and easy to put down if you have to stop what you’re doing suddenly.

Tonight I played about 72 holes waiting for my dentist appointment to begin, and it certainly took the bite out of a potentially nervous wait. There are a lot of other great games on the PSP Slim, but I’ve played more hours of these two golf games than anything else combined.

Review: Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 (PSP)

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.

Cartoon sports videogames… eh.

Sometimes writing about cartoon sports videogames can be about as fun as taknig a strong dose of herbal acne treatment; it’s not enjoyable and convinces no one. You either like cartoonish sports titles or you’re over the age of six.

The one exception is the Hot Shots Golf franchise, which seems to have found just the right mix of serious golf sim and cartoon antics to remain interesting to older gamers who love real sports, not “kiddie stuff.”

I recently reviewed Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds for PS3 and really enjoyed the game; it’s a keeper. Now, after over two years of playing Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee on PSP to death and back again, the sequel is out: Open Tee 2 has a good mix of old familiar coarses updated since their last appearance, as well as plenty of new courses.

Look for a full review soon.

Open Tee 2 and Siren 2 coming in 2008

Sony recently announced their main titles set to release across the PS2, PSP and PS3 channels in the second half of the year, and I must admit that while there are some predictable headline grabbers, like the sequel to Resistance and Killzone, as well as the predictable NBA titles, I have to suggest that the most intriguing titles to me are none of those.

Instead, one of the two Sony first-party titles I’m most looking forward to is Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 for the PSP. A game that belongs in nearly everyone’s golf bags, the first title is still a favorite that I pick up regularly for a couple hours at a stretch, and yet I’m more than ready for a second dose.

But the most overlooked game could end up being Siren 2: Blood Curse. Although the original PS2 title had its gameplay mechanic problems, it delivered solid chills and the sequel, to be sold exclusively via the PlayStation Network store, promised to be just as blood-curdling. Count me interested!