Hot Shots Golf 2

"The best golf game ever?"

INTRO:
The sequel to maybe the best golf game ever to grace the psx. If you played the first version, this one has everything it had, and some more. The game breaks down like this, you hit the ball as few times as possible, trying to put it into a little hole. Pretty simple.

GRAPHICS (9/10)
This is the best looking golf game I have ever seen, and damn near the best looking sports game out there. Instead of taking the realistic approach like EA does it goes the opposite with more cartoonish looking characters. And does it ever work. Not only are the players near flawless, the backgrounds are too. A top notch job, graphics can't get much better than this. Near perfect.

AUDIO (7/10)
The effects sounds are great, but they are nothing too complex. Just some birds, a little crowd, wind blowing, and a club hitting a ball. The voices in the game are ok. Don't really need to be put down by a video game, but hey I'm not the sensitive type. The background music is thankfully not on by default. I didn't feel the game needed music, but if you want it, you can turn it on in the options.

GAMEPLAY (10/10)
This game has it all. It's really like most other games where there is a bar where a cursor slides to the left and that determines your power and accuracy. You can even put spin on the ball by holding the controller in the direction you want the spin during your swing. The physics on this game a very very accurate. There is different play options like tournaments, skins, match play, even a par 3 pitch and put course. Plus tons more. Winning some of the different events will unlock special courses, players, balls, clubs, etc.

REPLAY VALUE (10/10) I'm still playing this game two years after it came out. With tons of stuff to unlock and many play options it should keep you coming back for a long time.

OVERALL THOUGHTS (9/10)
This is about as close to perfection a golf game can get. The cartoonish looking players might turn a few people off, but believe me this game is very realistic. I wish it kept stats like a EA golf game would, and wish there was a few more golfers out there, even if you can't play as them. Those are just two minor details I would improve to make the best golf game on psx just a tiny little bit better.

FINAL SCORE (9/10)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/19/03, Updated 01/19/03