Hot Shots Golf 5

, known in the PAL region as ''Everybody's Golf: World Tour'', and in North America as ''Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds'', is the seventh game in the ''Everybody's Golf'' series and the first game released for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan on 26 July 2007 to make the 10th anniversary of the series debut on the PlayStation. Additionally, the game was sold in bundle deals with the PlayStation 3 in Japan.

A demo was made available on the Japanese PlayStation Network in May 2007. The European localized demo was made available on the Australian PlayStation Network on 14 February 2008. The demo arrived in North America later on 26 June. The North American release has mild censorship, replacing the panties of the female players with biking shorts.

Gameplay

''Everybody's Golf 5'' introduces a modified version of the "3 click" shot system. Instead of relying completely on the gauge at the bottom to estimate the strength and slice of the shot, the new system encourages you to use the actual character's golf swing to select the power. Once the strength of the shot is determined, the gauge disappears, and the accuracy of the shot relies on the player's timing when the club hits the ball.

Initially, there are six courses in the game, five beginner characters, five intermediate characters, five advanced players, and seven caddies. Shigeki Maruyama will become the second real-life golfer to become a playable character and caddy.

There is a challenge mode where you compete in various tournaments and against other computer controlled players to increase your ranking and unlock various items.

The game has had a large graphical overhaul, with nearly every visual aspect becoming more detailed and realistic.

PlayStation Move support was added to the Japanese version of the game in September 2011, and support for English language versions was added on 23 February 2012.

Downloadable content

In May 2008 two additional characters, Alex and Gloria, were made available for purchase from the PlayStation Store in Europe and North America. On 19 June an additional course, Oceania Resort Course, was made available for purchase from the PlayStation Store in Europe and North America. In 21 August, the character Kratos from the ''God of War'' series was made available as a playable character.

In March 2009 Sackboy from ''LittleBigPlanet'' was made available as a playable character.

Other DLC for the game included Toro as a playable character and the Golfasaurus-Rex course as well.

Game launching

''Everybody's Golf 5'' is one of the few games that fully supported game launching in PlayStation Home, the PlayStation 3's online community-based service. With full support game launching, users were able to set up a multiplayer match in Home with advanced options. After they have set up their match, other users could join them or vice versa and then launch into the game directly from Home. The game launching feature had access in the dedicated game space for the ''Everybody's Golf'' series in Home.

Reception

The game received "favourable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

Chris Roper of ''IGN'' wrote: "''Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds'' is a tremendously fun golf game, one that should appease either casual or hardcore golf fans. It's an arcadey approach to the sport, for sure, but there's still a good deal of depth in the game that'll give veteran players plenty to work with. There could have been more courses, and the lack of voice support online is somewhat disappointing, but the overall package is a ton of fun and definitely worth picking up." Aaron Thomas of ''GameSpot'' wrote: "The ''Hot Shots Golf'' series has changed very little during the past 10 years, but there's no question that while still good, this is a franchise in need of a shot in the arm -- or at the very least, more courses. But that said, the new swing and robust online play freshen things up just enough to make it worth getting a tee time with ''Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds''." Reviewing the Japanese version, Dave McCarthy of ''Eurogamer'' wrote: "In spite of the fact that all you're doing is pressing a button three times, over and over again, it never gets boring. It would probably be too controversial to call it the best golf game, or the best PS3 game. But on both counts it's a remarkably close call." In Japan, ''Famitsu'' gave it a score of all four nines for a total of 36 out of 40.

Mark Salmela of ''411Mania'' gave it a score of 8.8 out of 10, calling it "a great addition to the franchise" and "a solid addition to the PS3 library." Gus Mastrapa of ''The A.V. Club'' gave it a B+, saying that the game "appeals to the stat nerd without sucking every last bit of joy out of the affair." '' Maxim'' gave it a score of four stars out of five, saying, "If you own a PS3 and haven't played a Hot Shots Golf game prior to this—it's the fifth game in the series—well, today's your lucky day, asshole. The notoriously lo-fi series gets a Blu-ray makeover, but still winds up somehow looking very much like its last-gen counterparts." Jason Hill of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' gave it four out of five, saying, "The wonderfully accessible swing system, the delightful Japanese golfers, the ever-cheerful and encouraging caddies, the gorgeous courses and the chance to play at your own pace combine to ensure this is indeed a game everybody can enjoy."

Stuart Andrews of ''The Times'' gave it a favourable review, saying, "The odd style of ''Everybody's Golf'' has been known to put off serious golfers, but beneath the cute-looking surface, this series has always played an excellent game." However, Earnest Cavalli of '' Wired'' gave it seven stars out of ten, saying that the game "retains what fans love about the series and refuses to make any drastic changes. Long time fans will be absolutely ecstatic at this news, but for those of you who never got the appeal of ''Hot Shots'' in the first place, you certainly won't find it here."

References

External links

Official website (Europe)

Official website (US)




Official website (Australia)
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{{Everybody's Golf video games

2007 video games
Golf video games
PlayStation 3 games
PlayStation 3-only games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Everybody's Golf
Video games developed in Japan
Multiplayer and single-player video games