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Hot Shots Golf trailer brings green screens to PS4
This morning Sony published the reveal of the brand new Hot Shots Golf for PS4, as first broadcast during yesterday's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference in Japan. Don't be fooled by that Bob Green fellow at the beginning, this really isn't Fat Cat Simulator 2014. Someone should make that if that hasn't been done already, which it probably has. The debut footage gives us a glimpse into the how Sony's oddball sportsballer looks on PS4, and the cutesy Shuhei Yoshida cameo suggests the series' super-deformed style isn't going anywhere anytime soon. During yesterday's stream, Yoshida said (as translated by Sony) the game features "open world entertainment focusing on golf." Interesting, even if we're a country mile from knowing what it means. Check out the trailer below the break.
New Hot Shots Golf swinging to PlayStation fore
A new Hot Shots Golf - or as its known in Japan, "Everybody's Golf" - is in development for PlayStation 4, Sony announced during their pre-Tokyo Game Show conference. According to Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida (as translated during the stream by Sony), the game will feature "open world entertainment focusing on golf." The Hot Shots Golf series has been off the green for some time now; the last major entry developed for console specifically, Hot Shots Golf 5, appeared on PS3 in 2008, while Hot Shots Golf World Invitational took golf on the go by way of the Vita before coming to the PS3 later. No release window or official name was announced for the new game. [Image: Sony]
Hot Shots Golf 5 online service looks set to retire to clubhouse
Cutesy-but-crazy golf sim Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds may see its online play become out of bounds by the end of October. After five years of super-deformed multiplayer fun, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the online service for the game's European variant, Everybody's Golf: World Tour, will end on October 31. Both versions access the same servers, so it seems likely the discontinuation will affect North American copies, too. We've reached out to SCE America to clarify. Out of Bounds' multiplayer lets golfers either compete in ranked tournaments where they can win prizes for in-lobby avatars, or take to the fairways in a range of friendlier golf-offs. The good news is Vita entry Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational landed on PS3 via PSN last month, and features much of the same online tomfoolery.
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational PS3 drives onto PSN next week [update]
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational drops onto PS3 in next week's PSN update in North America, a treat for those awaiting the console port of the Vita game. Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment quietly mentioned a while ago the PS3 version, released in Japan last year, was in the works for the west. Similarly quietly, this week's PlayStation Blogcast spills the beanies on the arcade golfer's PSN arrival - there's no news of a physical version. In Japan the PS3 port, which supports cross-platform play, features additions including two new characters, two new courses, and two new modes, including one completely devoted to those short-but-sweet Par 3 holes. We'll keep our ears to the fairways for further details on the western version. Update: World Invitational PS3 will cost $19.99, a PlayStation Blog post reveals. It also notes the PS3 version offers local multiplayer for up to four, features PlayStation Move support, and downloadable content is cross-buy between the two versions. As per the Japanese version, cross-platform online play is available too. Finally, Europe is getting the PS3 version next week too, where it'll be priced €14.99/£11.99.
Two 'Hot Shots Shorties' PSP collections rated by ESRB
The ESRB has revealed ratings and content information for two "Hot Shots Shorties" minigame collections for PSP. Hot Shots Shorties Green includes a boxing game, a minigame about a "a sword-wielding salt shaker that jumps around a kitchen counter to slice up rogue vegetables," and a third unidentified game. Hot Shots Shorties Blue contains a game about kicking a soccer ball to break objects, and two others. These games (and six others) were originally released in Japan as part of the retail game Minna no Sukkiri ("Hot Shots Refresh"). In our TGS 2009 preview we said, "If the individual minigames were offered as PSP minis, they would almost certainly go ignored." Good thing Sony has decided to bundle them into groups of three instead!
Preview: Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip
Playing Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip at E3 gave me a small taste of the frustration 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer must have experienced after failing to beat his rival, Rafael Nadal, the past several years. Regardless of how prepared I felt going into a match, Hugo (clearly the greatest computer-controlled tennis player of all time) found a way to not only achieve seemingly impossible comebacks, but to make me look like an uncoordinated fool in defeat. I've never been this bad at a tennis video game, leaving me to wonder if Get a Grip is supposed to be a precise simulation, or if something's wrong. %Gallery-96116%
Everybody's Tennis (aka Hot Shots Tennis) serving on PSP this summer
Everybody's Tennis, which will be known in the States as Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, releases this summer on PSP, according to an announcement from Sony Europe. The game appears to follow the Hot Shots tradition of cutesy graphics with accessible gameplay mechanics. Players will have access to 500 customizable items to spruce up their avatar. The game also comes with the expected campaign and four-player multiplayer modes. Despite there being no official announcement for North America, GameStop has a placeholder date of Tuesday, June 1.
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Minna no Sukkiri
The latest Hot Shots title from Clap Hanz isn't about golf or tennis. Minna no Sukkiri is more Hot Shots ... baseball! And karate! And ... vegetable fighting! And book sorting! And other things that I didn't get to play in my short demo session! Sukkiri (something like Hot Shots: Refresh) is a minigame collection featuring twelve wildly different games. If the four I played are any indication, the descriptions for all of them would include the phrase "and that's it."
Hot Shots 'Refresh' revealed as a minigame collection
First teased by developer Clap Hanz a couple days back, IGN reports that the latest casual sporting game in the Hot Shots franchise is actually a collection of 12 disparate minigames. Minna no Sukkiri ("sukirri" is Japanese for "refresh") does feature some sports -- karate, baseball, soccer, boxing, racing -- but only in bite-sized servings. The remaining seven games are ... well, they're odd, comprised of book-organizing, vegetable fighting and vacuuming, to name just a few. We can see this minigame jumble getting a strong push for PSP Go in the States -- under a completely different name, of course. The Japanese version is slated for release this fall and a demo will be made available on Japan's PlayStation Store this Friday, July 3.
Clap Hanz working on new Hot Shots sports game
The Hot Shots series has seen golf and tennis. What's next for the franchise? Well, we're about to find out, as Sony and Clap Hanz are working on a brand new sport for the franchise. A brand new teaser site hides the full name of the game, but we'll find out soon enough: a playable demo will be released simultaneously with the game's reveal this Friday.The demo will be available for PSP, and will most likely be downloadable through the Japanese PlayStation Store. (So you'll need to register for a Japanese PlayStation Network account, folks.) We can't wait to get our hands on the next Hot Shots game. Hot Shots Bowling? Hot Shots Soccer? Hot Shots Curling? All will be revealed soon enough.[Via andriasang.com]
Voice chat patch now available for Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
Though common golfing etiquette dictates that respectful silence should often be observed whilst "hitting the greens", Clap Hanz has included voice chat functionality in the latest patch for Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds -- a missing feature which many reviewers were none too happy about. While many of you will likely see this as a chance to jeer your opponents with finely honed "smack talk", we urge you to respect the cordial nature of the game. Perhaps your newly afforded vocality could be used for good -- by commending a fellow player on a nice shot, warning players ahead of an incoming ball with a resounding "Fore!", or by sharing the story of when you caddied for the Dalai Lama. Gunga Galunga!
Reminder: Siliconera and PSP Fanboy present the Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 charity tournament
Hey, Hot Shots Golf fans! Siliconera told us about a great promotion they're doing, and we couldn't help but join them! Pick up a copy of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 and you'll not only be eligible for some prizes, but you'll be helping a good cause too. There's a lot at stake: signed copies of the game from Clap Hanz and other swag provided from Sony Computer Entertainment America. Are you ready? Setting up an online Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 tournament is a bit tricky so please read the rules carefully. %Gallery-20551%
PSP Fanboy review: Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2
It's not easy reviewing Hot Shots Golf. Why? It's not because it's particularly bad -- no, in fact, the game is quite good. The franchise has a long legacy of high quality titles that date back to the PS1 era. However, how does one explain the merits of a game that has so subtly changed? Each iteration adds a bit more functionality, and refines the gameplay. However, the core mechanics have remained largely unchanged for a decade. Open Tee 2 expands upon the original Open Tee game by adding more courses, more customization options and the biggest selling factor, online Infrastructure gameplay. For those that are familiar with the franchise, these additions may be enough to warrant another purchase. However, those that want more than the series' traditional 3-click swing mechanic have no reason to upgrade from the already-excellent original Open Tee. %Gallery-20551%
This Open Tee 2 vid is all about online play
Here's a pretty video clip showcasing some of that online gameplay from Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. There is a robust 16-player online mode for gamers to take part in, and there's also an 8-player ad hoc mode. Of course, if you're planning on not doing any of those things, then there's still the single player game -- it's not going to just get up and run out on you. Open Tee 2 comes out this June 3, so it won't be long before you start hitting the course again on your PSP ... or have the urge to buy yourself some plaid pants.
Meet Hot Shots Open Tee 2 cast in these here vids
With a US release coming up soon, there's definitely an influx of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 media coming in. Have you noticed? Anyway, these two gameplay vids we have right here show off some of the game's cast of quirky characters pulling off snazzy, yet unrealistic, special moves. Take the blond guy's par at ten seconds into the clip for example; that move is so explicitly cheap we have to shake our heads in disapproval. Of course, when we get to pull that move off for ourselves, trailing behind a few holes, then it doesn't seem so bad to use that ace up the sleeve. Check out the second clip after the break. What's in it? Watch a poor old lady fail to clear the sand trap. Sad.
Hot Shots Open Tee 2 box art revealed, plus new screens
Click for high-resolution image. Here's a look at the North American box cover for Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. Isn't she a beauty? The boy in the red sweater does seem familiar though ... where have we seen him before? Oh! That's right, he looks like the kid version of the sleazy guy on the Out of Bounds box for the PS3. Son, what have you become. Anyway, the other characters are an interesting and eclectic bunch; there's a samurai character and a granny, too. You can see them all in these ten new screenshots from our gallery below. Enjoy. %Gallery-20551%
Look at the mini-games of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
When you want to take a break from golf, you can always ... well, play more golf. The mini-games of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 don't appear to stray far from the formula. At least, not according to this GameTrailers montage. Watch as this player shows us the many ways to avoid successfully sinking a golf ball. PSP Fanboy has just received their preview code of the game, and will be providing you impressions shortly. %Gallery-20551%
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 gets June US release date
It's been a long time coming, if you ask us. Hot Shots Golf is coming back to the PSP, sure, but until now we've never been able to pin down a date for the game. A three year hiatus between portable titles is enough! We have to alter our schedule to get a round of golf in, you know? Well, Open Tee 2 is coming to America on June 3rd, sporting some full-fledged online play and further character customization than its predecessor. We're glad to finally have a date and one so soon, too.
English language screenshots of Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Golf is the kind of sport that transcends languages, right? Regardless, SCEA has just released new screenshots of the upcoming Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. This PSP-exclusive follow-up to Open Tee features the classic Hot Shots gameplay we've all grown to love, but adds a key feature: Infrastructure multiplayer, so you can take your shots online. Check out our new gallery below: %Gallery-20551%
Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2: debut trailer
If the anime-inspired hijinks of the recently released Hot Shots Golf game on PS3 couldn't satiate your appetite for the sport, have no fear. SCEA is bringing over a new Hot Shots Golf game to the PSP, unsurprisingly named Open Tee 2. The franchise has been known for its easy, accessible gameplay, and we don't expect that to change in this iteration. It looks to retain all the wackiness the franchise is known for. Just look at that awesome penguin suit for proof!
