Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots Review: Arcade-Style Golf Makes for a Breath of Fresh Air in 2025

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I stand firm on my belief that arcade sports games are superior to virtual simulations of professional sports leagues. While titles like “Madden,” “PGA Tour 2K,” “NBA 2K,” “MLB The Show,” and “EA Sports FC” dominate the market, they shouldn’t. When a game focuses on the same sport but with fictional players, teams, and locations, it offers a refreshing change to a genre that is in desperate need of it. However, for these sports games to make an impact, they need to be exceptional. Thankfully, “Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots,” the latest addition to a series that has persisted since 1997, has given the genre the much-needed boost I have been waiting for.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pros Cons
Varied gameplay Disappointing art style
Progression of difficulty Weird voice lines accompanying bland characters
Simple, easy to master controls
Decent price point

Hot Shots Shines With Unique Golf Gameplay

What makes Hot Shots stand out among other golf games is its unique gameplay elements. While golf is generally about hitting the ball into the hole, the variations between each shot can make the game interesting. To enhance this experience, unconventional gameplay aspects have been integrated, such as holes affected by tornadoes where the ball only needs to be within a certain distance of the hole to win, and growing holes that simplify putting. It’s still golf, but with some unusual twists added for added excitement.

Instead of offering difficulty, it adds enjoyment to the game. It feels rewarding to achieve a score below the average instead of striving for a +5, even if extra aid contributes to the total. Additionally, the repetitiveness of golf is alleviated by the change in playstyle. Rather than focusing on accuracy to hit the ball at the perfect spot, you can let loose and swing freely.

Hot Shots Is Challenging, but Gets Progressively Easier

Improving your golf skills requires dedication and practice. While practice doesn’t necessarily make you perfect, it does certainly make you better. In the challenging world of golf, consistent practice helps you gradually improve. This fundamental principle is masterfully demonstrated by the game Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots. Initially, even after going through the practice levels, making mistakes and hitting the ball badly is commonplace. However, over time, it becomes progressively easier. Moreover, the addition of golfers and caddies to the gameplay contributes to this gradual ease of play.

In Hot Shots, your errors are met with realistic consequences, providing a sense of satisfaction. For instance, if you misjudge your swing, the ball will not travel as expected. This could result in it soaring straight up, losing a stroke and only advancing a few yards. Alternatively, it might skid along the ground for just 30 yards. It’s quite simple to botch a golf shot in reality, and this game captures that truth perfectly. One minor criticism is that Hot Shots appears to penalize human players more harshly than the computer-controlled opponents for identical mistakes, but this simply offers an incentive to keep honing your skills.

Despite a powerful swing that sets off delightful animations, indicating a well-struck ball, many other factors come into play in golf. Factors such as the wind direction, the type of spin on the ball, aiming correctly, and the shot’s direction can all affect the outcome, sometimes resulting in an undesirable result even with a perfect swing. Golf is incredibly technical, and the game Hot Shots does a commendable job at showcasing its complexities. If your aim isn’t accurate or you fail to consider wind conditions, things could easily go wrong.

Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots Doesn’t Bring Quite Enough Creativity to the Table

Regrettably, the artistic flair and setting variety in this type of game are rather limited. There was a chance for Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots to become quite eccentric and engaging, but it opted for a more conventional approach, primarily focusing on human characters with a uniform style. These characters might even be the game’s least appealing aspect. The dialogue they use tries to infuse mystery and character, but often falls flat and becomes repetitive and irritating. After prolonged play, hearing “I am calm!” at the start of each hole becomes quite tiresome.

Initially, there’s a limited selection of characters to begin with, specifically only two golfers and one caddie to start off. As you progress, a second caddie becomes accessible, but by then, you’ve developed trust and confidence in the first caddie, making it illogical to switch. Over time, caddies become more valuable, providing better insights, but if you change to a new one, you’d find yourself back to having minimal information on the greens. Additionally, by the time you acquire new golfers, there’s so much investment in the first one that switching would not be beneficial.

Hot Shots is Probably Worth the Purchase

The game “Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots” can be purchased for $40 across various platforms, making it both convenient and reasonably priced in terms of gaming costs. Compared to the initial price of $70 for “PGA Tour 2K25,” $40 is a more affordable option if you’re not particularly interested in playing as Tiger Woods or Scottie Scheffler. While $40 may seem expensive compared to some smaller games, it’s important to consider what “Hot Shots” offers for that price. All things considered, it appears to be a good deal.

The game offers several play modes, each with the same fundamental mechanics, ensuring there’s enough diversity to keep things interesting. On the flip side, a game like Mario Strikers: Battle League lacked such variety, making it an unwise purchase given its price.

Moreover, the game provides numerous unlockable content, encouraging extended playtime, thus enhancing the value of your investment. Another aspect worth noting is that it doesn’t tie in with specific individuals, locations, or objects, giving it a timeless appeal. Contrastingly, the $70 you spend on PGA Tour 2K25 might not provide more than a year or two of enjoyment. In comparison, your $40 investment in this game could be your last for golf games.

Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots Isn’t Groundbreaking, but it is Fun

As I delved deeper into the world of Hot Shots, my enjoyment only grew. The game’s advancement is impressive, keeping players hooked to explore more. Even though a great tournament awaits, there’s always scope for enhancement, and the thrill of pursuing that is quite engaging. At times, it can become repetitive, making extended play challenging, but its charm lies in its ability to draw you back effortlessly whenever you wish to continue your golf adventure. A must-have in every golf enthusiast’s collection, Hot Shots stands out for being entertaining, user-friendly, and budget-friendly, especially considering the high costs of games nowadays.

To put it simply, the game we’re discussing doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table – it’s just another golf game. This year, it may not stand out as the most remarkable title due to its lack of innovative features. If golf games aren’t your thing, this won’t convert you. However, if you’ve been missing the golf experience from games like Wii Sports, you might find it an enjoyable albeit unspectacular pastime.

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2025-09-09 01:49