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!

Even though we'll miss the adorable Japanese voices in the game, we still get all those adorable golfers hitting those adorable balls into the adorable holes. Well, we don't know that the Japanese voices are gone, but there's certainly no yelling in this trailer -- just action and lots of characters. Enjoy.

Also politely known as Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds outside of Japan, Hot Shots Golf 5 is getting a host of new features on February 7th in Japan. Hopefully, these additions will appear for all of us when the game is released in March. The free update adds two online modes: Stroke and Match. The former allows stroke play for four players. The neat thing is you can run around the course freely while chatting away with your friends. Match mode is a one-on-one battle with several predetermined rules set by you and/or your opponent.

The update also lets you tweak rules in the game, like forbidding the use of certain skills in certain missions or holes or whatever. The online lobbies get a facelift too, allowing you to make it so only friends can get into your lobby, or people at similar skill levels. This update is free, but priced downloads aren't far away -- two new characters will appear across February and March, with a new course to be offered in April. Sounds like we're getting the game just in time!

For some reason, SCEA wanted to give Hot Shots Golf a new subtitle for its upcoming PS3 release. In Japan, it's simply titled Minna no Golf 5 (Everybody's Golf 5). But, SCEA wanted to get the number out and go for a different moniker. According to a new PlayStation.blog entry, it was a rough decision (we bet!). "Working on this title has been tough. Imagine my situation: it is sunny and warm here at SCEA Santa Monica. The sun is shining through the office window with a hint of Pacific blue off in the distance. A typical perfect day to be out hitting the links, but alas, there's work to be done – c'est la vie."

We've been playing with a near-final complete version of the game, and hope to provide a preview for you shortly.