PS3 Fanboy

The game of golf is all about precision, patience, and looking swank in plaid. Unquestionably, this checklist of golfing requirements was on the developers' minds when they started designing Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. If we take those three terms and translate them into the context of videogames, it would sound something like this: precision comes in the form of an intuitive yet complex gameplay; patience describes the progressive difficulty and the game's longevity; and lastly, plaid symbolizes a stylish design. Well okay, plaid isn't that stylish, but you get the point right?

As Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds introduces a new style of play, it still is more or less true to its roots. We've enjoyed the game immensely and we've got to clap our hands together for Clap Hanz. Nice shotto!

Not a lot happening this week. Nor, really, for the next couple of weeks. You could call this period of time "The calm before the Storm." The "Storm", in this case, being Lair. Here are this week's PlayStation 3 offerings.

US Games

• Nascar 08

EU Games

• No new releases

Asian Games

• Minna no Golf 5
• Wangan Midnight
• Major League Baseball 2K7

Oh yeah. How could we forget. This week sees the release of Minna no Golf 5 (you might know it better as Hot Shots Golf 5} and its bundle pack. Interestingly, this game currently resides at number 7 on Famitsu's top 20 most wanted list, with over 300,000 preorders of the title in stores. Could we be seeing a huge surge in PS3 sales in Japan over the next few weeks?
If you fancy playing some Minna no Golf 5 this week, then feel free to order it from Japan to play on your US/EU PS3. It won't mind. Release dates are fickle and subject to change at a moment's notice. Contact your local shop before potentially wasting a trip into town.

Japan loves making crazy ads ... and Sony's Minna no Golf 5 gets the same quirky treatment. This latest campaign from Sony takes place in a spa, and there are balls everywhere. Is this some not-so-covert attempt at terrifying innuendo? Or, are our American minds simply reading far too much into this?

See also:
Awfully disturbing Ape Escape ad

The Japanese love their golf. In particular, they love Minna No Golf (you might know it better as Hot Shots Golf). They love it so much, in fact, that to date there have been over 300,000 pre-orders for the latest iteration of the series on the PS3. Seeing this as an opportunity to boost system sales in Japan, Sony have announced plans to release a Minna No Golf 5 bundle pack.

Interestingly, the bundle will come in both 20GB and 60GB form, so there's no sign that the 20GB system is being dropped yet as it has elsewhere. The bundle allows a saving of almost 4000 yen when compared to buying the system and the game separately. That works out to about £16 or $32, so nothing special. Still, that coupled with the light and airy box art (as opposed to the "forbidden evil" design that the boxes have now) may allow for a surge in console sales.

Japan is an important market for the PlayStation 3 and, as of yet, the decent game offerings have been a bit western for their tastes. With FolksSoul released tomorrow and Minna No Golf 5 next month, we could be seeing the real start of the Japanese PlayStation adoption taking place quite soon.

[Via IGN]

Golf games are relatively simple. Line up your shot, charge your power meter and slam that funky white crater-ball as far as possible. Then you get to the green... and you have to putt. Not only do the dynamics of the game ostensibly shift, but the complexity and threshold of skill are both increased exponentially. Putting requires an avid desire to sink the shot in one go, often making you consider the wind speed, the tilt of the ground, the distance to the hole, the power behind your putt ... there's a lot more to consider, basically. Check out the trailer for a nifty putting montage courtesy of Hot Shots Golf 5, if not for a tutorial on how to get your act together whilst putting.

For those of you who don't play golf, it's a game with a ball and a stick. Many games begin that way, but their evolution takes them on very different paths. Isn't it amazing how a ball and a stick, along with a unique set of rules, can become a multitude of recreational activities? Bonus points for naming as many as you can! These bonus points can be traded in for props. Not stage props, but a tip of the hat props.

If you've followed our coverage of Hot Shots Golf 5 and downloaded the demo off of the Japanese PS-Store, you know it's a pretty darn fun title. Now we can tell you about the online basics of the game, thanks to Famitsu magazine. Online lobbies will support 50 players and you can customize your player with a multitude of clothes, gear, etc. Playing a round with friends is fun and all, but hopefully it's not with all 50 people -- a 9-hole course could take hours!

There are slated to be about 14 playable characters in the game, including Japanese golfer Shigeki Maruyama. We might see some changes upon the stateside release, which has yet to be announced. Eventually, though...