Hot Shots Golf Fore! takes what was found in HSG3 (Click Here for the review), and kicks it up a notch or two. The graphics are much more detailed, there are a ton of new courses, characters and items to unlock or discover, along with additional gameplay technique to master. SCEA also tossed in that all-important online functionality and brought back the popular mini-golf mode.

Visually, the game looks quite similar to the last installment at first glance. The textures and lighting are definitely of a higher quality, and some of the new environmental and special effects are up there with the very best PlayStation 2 games. Along with all the courses from the previous games (all of which have had a facelift), ClapHanz created a few new ones which look and play quite nicely. The courses are stocked with various little details, such as foliage, leaves and trees which blow (correctly) in the wind, insects and animals wandering about, airplanes and birds in the sky, various water features, and much more. The characters are all of the large-headed stereotypical variety, and most of the favorites have returned once again, along with a number of newbie duffers. SCEA slipped in some fun unlockable characters from their other games as well. Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank make notable appearances, though Sly Cooper would have been an awesome addition as well. My one pet peeve regarding the series has to be the “westernization” of some of the characters by SCEA. The original Japanese cast of Hot Shots Golf 4 was definitely more Asian-influenced, and a good portion of the replacements are fairly ugly stereotypes. Of course it doesn’t affect the game in any way, and is merely just a personal observation and annoyance.

The sound effects, voices and especially music, are very well done. Each course has it’s own very pleasant, calming background tune, and there are loads of ambient and environmental noises and effects. Some of the character voices in the U.S. version, in similar fashion to the character designs, are on the stereotypical and obnoxious variety. But overall they are well done.

Where Hot Shots Golf Fore! really excels is in the gameplay department. While other golf titles have moved on to different control schemes with varying results, HSG sticks with the tried and true 3 button click method. Once to start the swing, again to set the power, and finally the last click to determine the ball contact. It’s definitely not broke, so I’m glad they didn’t not to fix it. The game still features a few distance and approach settings for each club, along with power and super powershots (the latter being only for a driver). The ability to put a variety of different spins on the ball remains identical to before, and is one of the most useful techniques available on the courses. Additionally, HSGF utilizes the PlayStation 2’s pressure sensitive buttons to determine exactly how perfect the contact is. Hitting with just the correct amount of pressure will ensure true contact and the most accurate path. I haven’t seen it make a huge difference in many cases, but a few of those rare chip-in eagles were definitely helped along by the feature. The game is a pleasure to play, and just like real golf, there are some instances where you just fall into a rut and end up hooking/slicing everywhere, and others where you are just dead-on perfect. As a result, scores are quite realistic.

Besides the mini-games, training and online play, most players will spend a most of their time in the two main modes, Tournament Mode and Vs. Mode. Tournament pits you against a field of other competitors on a course. The better you play, the more Points and Course Experience you earn. The Points are then used to purchase everything from balls and clubs, to characters and costumes, to pinch-hit coupons and game tips/techniques. The Course Experience is used to unlock additional courses, which can be accomplished by completing a certain “challenge” event when your experience reaches a certain level. The Vs. mode allows you to challenge new characters in a win/lose one on one 9-hole match. If you win the match, you unlock the usually more powerful character. Regardless of the mode, the better you play, the more options, items and assorted features will become available to you. Additionally, the more you play with a caddy or as a character, the more loyal or attached they become to you. That also influences what new stuff you may acquire. There are many tiny details such as this, that really keep the game interesting and varied. The depth is definitely there on all counts, and it will take many hours to unlock and see everything the game has to offer.

One of the primary reasons for looking forward to Hot Shots Golf Fore! to begin with, was the online play. Online play in the game is definitely more simplistic than was expected, but it works well thankfully. HSGF requires a broadband connection, first of all. When you connect to the lobby, you are presented with a colorful and simple interface. Here you can see the various rooms, which include the number of players in each room, and of course the ability to chat via on-screen or real keyboard (nope, no voice chat support!). After joining a room, you then either look for a game to join, or create your own. Online, there are only 2 play modes, Tournament and Rival.

Tournament pits you against up to 50 other players simultaneously in a fully configurable game. Each player plays on the same exact hole, at the same exact time, with identical parameters such as wind settings, weather, course conditions, and others. Each hole has a play clock or sorts, which is usually 120 seconds, and if you happen to take too much time you are tossed out of the entire tournament, literally. The clock can be adjusted by the hosting player, but regardless, I found the sentence is definitely too harsh, especially on new players. Maybe just forcing the player to quit that hole and take a triple bogey would have been severe enough. If you just spend 30 minutes playing a tournament, are on the 18th hole, in first place, and accidentally take too much time on that one hole, you are ejected back to the lobby. Once you understand the rules, it definitely speeds things along, but I’ve seen way too many people just drop out for no reason other than taking a bit too long on a hole. After each hole, you are re-united with the other players in a leaderboard-style interface, which allows you to chat before the next hole begins.

The online Rival Mode is most similar to the offline Vs. mode. You and one other person duke it out, attempting to win as many holes as possible. Simply, whoever wins the most holes, is the winner of the game. Unlike the Tournament mode, Rival mode is played in real time… meaning that you see exactly what your rival is doing, and vice versa, and you play in your typical alternating fashion. Of course, not long after playing my very first Rival match, I witnessed someone using a cheat or hack. Sigh… They shanked a tee shot, and the ball landed out of bounds; The ball then mysteriously reappeared in perfect position somewhere else on the course next to the green, and the score was not affected. I asked the player, he said it was a hack. Oh well. Hopefully the same does not happen in the Tournament mode. Regardless, the gameplay is smooth as butter, and it’s not at all apparent that the person you are playing against is not sitting right next to you.

Hot Shots Golf Fore! is definitely on the top of my videogame golf list. The online gameplay is somewhat less inspiring than I hoped, but overall it looks and sounds great, plays extremely well, and most importantly is a ton of fun for single and multiple players.