You can follow your favorite blogs and receive updates here. Add some people Blogs you follow » | write a new blogmanage blogs view your pageblogging tips | commentsmessagesaccountlogout |
Look, I'm pretty good at videogame golf. I'm a seasoned veteran when it comes to Korean golf MMO Pangya, but I'm not half bad at Hot Shots Golf either. I've been an avid player of the series for 15 years now, so I'd like to think I'm pretty skilled at it. In fact, I've spent so much time with the latest in the series, Hot Shots Golf World Invitational on the PlayStation Vita, that I invite competition with confidence. But when I took on a Sony booth attendant at a 9-hole match of the PS3 version of this game today at Tokyo Game Show, I lost miserably.
I'm not sure if her adorable looks and sweet voice caught me off guard or something, but I was not at the top of my game today. I had no good excuse, as Minna no Golf 6 for the PS3 plays exactly like last year's Vita original, with the exact same button and stick mapping copied to the DualShock controller. Timing and controls are a perfect match, which should of had me feeling right at home. Instead, I was right in the bunkers.
Minna no Golf 6 on the PS3 looks a bit better than the Vita version, but it's more of a par shot than an eagle. They've bumped up the resolution to 1080p, and that's easy to appreciate, but while my lovely opponent was putting in birdies, I noticed that some background scenery objects look to have pretty low polygon counts, with closeups on things like mountains and fences looking a bit rough. Still, the game looks nice overall, with player models and UI objects seeing the biggest benefit from the visual upgrade.
The Everybody's Golf mode lets you hand off a controller in matches for up to four players. Her handing off a still-warm controller threw my game off slightly, while her giggles at my imprecise swings really threw a wrench in the works. But the main point that really had me off was how she was probably hustling me. Her first couple of swings were widely off from the targets and greens, and she laughed these off as if to say 'oh well' or something. After she saw my confident turns she swooped in with near-perfect swings, knocking in a couple of birdies. One very long successful putt had me shooting her the 'really?' look. She just smiled and giggled.
If I had a chance to play her again, I'd try out the game's new cross-play feature, which lets Vita and PS3 owners take each other on. Maybe I'd have more luck using a Vita. Maybe not.
Hot Shots Golf 6 will be released in Japan on November 22. It also brings PS Move support and all of the Vita's available DLC to the release. Cute booth girls not included.
Augmented Reality games are a neat thing, but there aren't a lot of them which have captured my interest beyond that. But I've finally found one that I'm really into in the Sony booth at Tokyo Game Show. Open Me is a game whe... more
A new video on Sony's Japanese YouTube channel teases a prototype head-mounted display set to be unveiled at this year's Tokyo Game Show, during the public days (Sept 22 and 23). They call it the Prototype-SR and it features... more
In theory, the idea behind Spirit Camera is brilliant. Exploiting the 3DS' augmented reality features to turn players into ghost hunters is a marvelous undertaking. I love the thought of scurrying around the house, pretending... more
One of the hooks of the upcoming Kid Icarus: Uprising is the use of AR Cards to play special augmented reality minigames. The game itself will come with six cards randomly drawn from a pool of 20, but there are still tons of ... more
On the GDC show floor Sony showed several working examples of Magnet (working title), a new series of demos showing off augmented reality technology that does not require AR cards or any other type of special markers to funct... more
Just in time for the PlayStation Vita's North American launch, a trio of free games bounced onto the PlayStation Store, hoping to demonstrate the handheld's augmented reality gameplay. You might notice that your Vita came pac... more
One of the neater aspects of portable gaming to come about in recent years is the advent of augmented reality experiences. We're seeing them crop up all over the place now, as every handheld device with a screen, a camera and... more
Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima has embraced a future where Cloud delivery and augmented reality take hold, joining a growing cabal of developers who believe that consoles are on the way out and game streaming is on th... more
Nintendo has a gaming lounge set up right next door to the San Diego Convention Center, where Comic-Con is taking place. In the San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis & Marina, right outside and to the right, is the N... more
The Dutch indies at Monobanda have created a true digital sandbox in the most literal sense possible -- one with real sand. Using manual labor, you shape and create an augmented reality landscape that is affected by, and proj... more
Conventions
3:30 PM on 09.20.2012
