 Nothing has captured the charm and absurdity of golf quite like the
movie Caddyshack, but Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 comes close. For
anyone who doesn't understand the appeal of a sport that demands
putting a tiny ball into a tiny hole hundred of yards away, this is a
light hearted revelation. Anime styled characters meet simple,
addictive game play in one of the most enjoyable portable games of the
year.
What
makes Everybody's Golf 2 a fantastic game isn't its assortment of modes
or options; rather, it's in the masterful way in which it molds to the
portable for a near flawless hand held experience. It isn't
revolutionary or mind blowing, but it manages to deliver gameplay that
works perfectly on PSP. You can spend a quick few minutes and finish an
entire round of golf, or sink several hours in online tournaments. This
balance between short-session play and depth is one that few hand held
games ever achieve and here it's done with panache.
The biggest thing, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 brings to the table is
online play. Two modes are offered: Tournament and Match Play. Up to 16
players can participate in ranked tournaments, each person completing
holes on their own with scores compiled at the end of each hole.
Naturally, at the end of the match whoever sits at the top of the table
is crowned the winner.Match Play has you competing head to head for
individual holes, the player with the best stroke count winning the
hole. At the end of the match, whoever has taken the most holes wins.
While the two modes available here aren't exactly new, international
servers allow you to take on a diverse range of players.
Both Tournament and Match Play are also allowed in Ad-hoc mode. A
maximum of 8 players can sync up for stroke-based competition, which is
undeniably generous. Tournaments work best online, where extreme
distance has everyone playing on their own, whereas Match Play is well
suited to local play. Competing for each hole with your buddy right
next to you lends an intensity to the game that just doesn't come
across quite as much when engaging in match play online.
A
dozen new characters and half as many original courses join the added
online functionality in Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. Unlocking them all
for use in multiplayer, however, can only be done via the game's single
player Challenge mode. Almost like building a digital golfing career,
you complete various challenges in an attempt to climb your way up from
rookie to seasoned pro.
Challenge mode
is organized into levels within which you earn cards by finishing
events. Once you've accumulated the designated number of cards for a
level, a head to head match unlocks. Beat that character and you move
up to the next level. With 11 characters to unlock, it's the epitome of
a long-lasting single player game. It's possible to play for weeks
without even touching any of the multiplayer modes and still not have
fully completed Challenge mode.
Along
with opening up character matches, earning cards unlocks items and
increases your character's attributes. Cards come in three flavors:
head, body, and accessory, that correlate to control, power, and spin
abilities. You don't have to earn every available card in a level to
open up the character match; however, getting every last card is
beneficial to maxing out your character's stats. Even more, you only
unlock items which customize your character through the cards. If
character customization doesn't drive you to compete in Challenge mode,
single player Match Play against the computer is available;
additionally, there's a hole-in-one mini-game.
Everybody's
Golf 2 doesn't necessarily have the best selection of modes, but it
more than makes up for it in the quality of its gameplay. It's
accessible, customizable, fully featured, and well balanced. The
attention paid to tailoring the game for portable play sets it apart
from so many other PSP titles, even if it has slipped under the radar.
Final Score: B
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