BY JASON ROBERTS
Published October 19, 2004
With a cast of colorful characters and a range of courses to
match, “Hot Shots Golf Fore!” attempts to bring a
refreshing breath of vitality to the static game of golf. While its
atmosphere and rich gameplay achieve this admirable goal, the
quirkiness of the characters overpowers and detracts from the
overall presentation.
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Initially much of “Fore!” is locked, unavailable for
play until the gamer works through several matches and attains
enough points and skills to unlock these special features. This
material ranges from the mundane, such as background images and
outfits, to the exceptional, such as new courses, new characters
and an improved selection of clubs. As the game unfolds,
“Fore!” presents itself as a true contender in the
sports-game genre.
Behind the cartoonish appearance lies a golf game with realistic
game play, dynamic camera work and an immense amount of
supplemental material, such as the unique miniature golf mini-game
and the par-3 challenge. Online play has even been added to this
installment, allowing golfers to challenge players across the globe
on one of “Fore!’s” 11 beautifully rendered
18-hole courses.
Despite its dynamic presentation, the developers seemed to push
the envelope a bit too far. The character’s in-game
voice-acting is supposed to add an air of goofiness and bolster his
or her personality, but they become annoyingly repetitive, turning
the characters into tiresome soundbites before the gamer has even
finished the first round. Their antics — such as little
Emma’s crying after she loses a hole — are amusing at
first but grow irritating far too quickly. Therefore, the most
disappointing part of the game becomes the characters themselves
– a huge part of the experience — which makes
completing a round with them a chore rather than an enjoyable
endeavor.
Clap Hanz, the developer of “Fore!,” has an
innovative and colorful approach to the standard golf game.
“Fore!” is a surprisingly deep game, one that can be
approached from a different way each time it’s picked up,
and, with an ability for characters to gain skill with experience,
allows for lots of replayablily. However, its frustrating quirks
keep it from being a truly enjoyable experience.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
