Product Description

Sony's offbeat Hot Shots Golf series tees off on the PlayStation 2 with 15 playable characters on six fictitious golf courses. Graphics are rendered entirely in 3D and courses are playable in four different seasons, which alters their appearance and overall difficulty based on weather and wind. As in the two previous games, a horizontal meter is used to determine power and accuracy. A variety of single-player and multi-player modes are featured, with four-player support in Stroke Play and Match Play.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9084 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony Electronic
• Model: P2SNY 711719713029
• Published on: 2002-03
• Released on: 2002-03-13
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .75" h x 5.25" w x 7.50" l, .35 pounds

Features

• VS. Mode pits players against one of the 12 hidden characters in a Match Play format.
• Defeating a character unlocks him or her for play in the other modes.
• The courses are appealing and the game moves like a bullet with no load times during the action, even when pulling back the camera or after hitting the ball. Characters are simple but clean, with exaggerated features and amusing expressions.

From Amazon.com
Hot Shots Golf 3 certainly isn't the most revolutionary addition to this popular series, but it does a good job of retaining the classic gameplay while updating the series to take advantage of the PlayStation2's more powerful hardware. The courses are beautiful, the animation is excellent as always, and the way the ball reacts to the wind, course elements, and irons and woods is realistic. When you screw up, there's never any doubt that it's your fault, not some flaw in the physics engine. Best of all, once a course is loaded, there's never any waiting around after a shot for a position update. The game is butter smooth.

Perhaps the best thing about the game is its immediate accessibility. Players of any skill level can immediately grasp (if not master) the swing meter, where one button press starts the backswing, another determines power, and a third determines accuracy. It's all about rhythm and timing, and pressing on the directional pad during the backswing lets expert players control topspin to finesse their shots, fight a strong wind, or guide the ball through some nearby trees.

As players advance through the tournament and other modes, they gain experience in addition to points for purchasing new equipment and other game enhancements. New clubs, balls, and other items significantly impact the way the game plays. New characters and courses open up as the game progresses, so there's always something new to unlock or master. If any complaint can be leveled at the game, it's that perhaps the designers didn't take the over-the-top theme far enough. Those looking for a strict simulation without the wacky characters and fancy special effects might want to look at Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002. On the other hand, that game's special effects are too sparse to attract people looking for a pure arcade experience, and the character designs are uninspired. Regardless, the game lurking underneath Hot Shots Golf 3's fantasy façade should appeal to any golf fanatic, and the varied course designs combined with plentiful equipment choices guarantee a great deal of replayability. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Once loaded, shots, replays, and course repositioning are instantaneous
• Beautiful and varied courses with especially good water effects
• Plenty of equipment, characters, and other items to unlock

• Graphics are good, but probably don't tap the entire potential of PS2
• Could use more and better special effects to add drama to the proceedings

Amazon.ca Product Description
Forget tradition, collared shirts, and stuffy resorts--now you can express yourself on the golf course without the snobby attitude. Hot Shots Golf 3 offers nonstop, fast-paced golf action, with a smart-alecky, trash-talking cast of characters. The enhanced graphics deliver vibrant golf environments complete with simulated weather conditions that affect the flight of the ball and the speed of the greens. The new Swing Meter will test your skills with a variety of interfaces depending on the lie of the ball, whether it's in the fairway, rough, tree line, dirt, or sand trap. From the morning mist through dusk, the Time of Day feature provides a realistic approximation of a full day at the golf course. There are no delays between holes, and no delay between the time you pick up the game and the moment you can start playing. However, there is still plenty of depth for golfers of any experience level. Earn Hot Shot Points for superb performances, then cash in your points for equipment and insane gadgets.