Hot Shots Golf gets the HD treatment as it enters the next evolution of its signature over-the-top golf action. New courses, controls, and golfers come together with improved visuals to present a fun golfing expreince.Gather you caddies, it time to play some golf.

Sony has finally translated their signature golfing game Hot Shots Golf into a next-generation experience on the Playstation 3. It has taken eight months for this zany golfer to hit the shores of North America after its Japanese release in July of 2007, so I’m expecting a polished and perfectly translated game... and guess what? Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds has that glimmer of perfection.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds gives Hot Shots fans another faithful edition of the popular game series. Coming in at number five, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds (OFB) is one of those games that progresses one step at a time while remaining closely in tune with what made the series a hit in the first place. In Hot Shots case it is solid golfing mechanics along with the cute visual style of the in game characters. At first glance Hot Shots Golf might seem like kids only game, but the truth of Hot Shots Golf is that’s a great golf game that can be enjoyed from beginners to the Tiger Wood pro-golfers. The cutesy cuddly characters might not have the golf enthusiast screaming for realism, however when it gets to the golf, Hot Shots can perform.

When you boot up Hot Shots Golf: OFB you are going to have the patience of sitting through another mandatory hard drive install. Like Devil May Cry 4, Hot Shots takes about ten minutes or so to install. Once the game is primed and ready to go, you should have no hiccups in the gameplay.  The main menu presents you with a bunch of modes including single player, challenge mode, stoke and training mode. The single player game is where most gamers will be spending the majority of their time trying to unlock new gear, golfers, caddies and courses. Entering tournaments can be gauged to your own difficulty level as you progress and gain more skill and confidence in the Hot Shots golfing world.

Taken from the land of Japanese cuteness comes the characters in Hot Shot Golf. 15 characters covers the full roster of golfers in the game, however in the beginning you will only have access to 2 characters, one girl and one boy, Jasmine the free spirit and Nick the Australian. Each character has their own attributes that are broken down by difficulty levels (novice, intermediate, and expect). During the game you also have the chance to upgrade the characters abilities and equipment. The new equipment that is unlock in the single player game can help you balance you weak spot, or exploit your skills. Using better balls and clubs won’t make you a better player, but it will give you a helping hand in scoring under par. one more aspect that is attached to the characters in game is their loyalty. The more use one character the more their loyalty will increase, in turn boosting their abilities in game.

For courses, Out of Bounds offers six locations to spark off at the tee, plus one practice course. Each course ramps up the difficulty between them providing a challenge for gamers who stick with the game. The designs of the courses never stray too far from a real life-like course and have all the variety you would want from a PGA sponsored location. The practice course has some fun challenges on the course that include hitting objects on the course, or the difficult task of hitting a ball into a paper cup. I would have liked a few more courses added to the mix. This isn’t a new feeling because I usually feel short-changed when it comes to courses in golfing games. Hopefully Clap Hanz gets to work on some free downloadable courses in the future to extend the life of Out of Bounds.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds introduces a new way to play hit the ball that gives you more control on your shot. This advanced mode has three steps of button presses. One to start, two for power and then one more time to hit the ball which involves good accuracy. This system isn’t as difficult as it sounds, you be amazed how easily it is to adapt. One aspect about the new controls is that it really penalizes you when you miss time the hit, the screen flashes and you’re ball will usually move on a few meters. It is a little strong at first, but like anything practice makes perfect. If you don’t like the new controls and want to play Hot Shots with its traditional control scheme, hat option is available. After using both control options, I really enjoyed the new system. Its makes the game more interesting and rewarding for making that perfect shot.

Remaining the same is the grid based overlay that lets you know the level of incline/decline and wind direction on the course. This is a beautiful helper that can make or break a shot. It’s always important to take in every factor when hitting or putting the ball. Wind can be a simple thing to forget, but thankfully it’s all visually clear with Hot Shots layered grid. That’s about it for innovation. Hot Shots Golf holds it tighter on what made the game a success originally. I would have liked to see the development take a few more chances, maybe some motion controls, or new gameplay modes. Besides a new swing, if you haven’t liked the Hot Shot series in the past, the new version won’t change your mind on its charming arcade styled golfing.

Multiplayer supports up to eight players in a single event, or up to 50 people in an online tournament. Yes, 50! All running in real-time simultaneously. This is an amazing feet and feel great to get online and participate in a tournament that size. The best part is that you don’t have to wait turns with the other players to finish a whole; you can go through the whole before you prompted to wait for all the other golfers to finish. This makes the whole experience enjoyable along with an excellent lobby system with avatar support. Strangely the only thing missing is voice-chat, so besides hooking up a USB keyboard, or the simple quick messaging system the have games feel a little longer when you’re playing in a room alone.

Hot Shots Golf’s PS3 premier with Out of Bounds is an addictive, fun, golfing game that can be enjoyed by all ages. From the golfing fanatic, to the casual non-gamer, Out of Bounds can put a smile on your face. Hot Shots Golf: OFB has been upgraded and expanded past the single player game to include support for golfing online with an outstanding number of gamers. Out of Bounds might not be the most innovative golfing game on the market, but its rates up with one of the most enjoyable.

Gameplay:8.5, Graphics:8,Sound:7, Innovation:7, Mojo: 8 Final: 7.7 / 10