Everybodys GolfWhilst agonisingly waiting to get hold of my copy of GTA IV earlier this week I thought I’d check out what the PSN store had to offer. There were a couple of PSP demo’s which I wanted to try out, namely Patapon and God of War: Chains Of Olympus but I thought I’d give the Everybody’s Golf: World Tour demo a whirl.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty it’s worth mentioning that this title is also known under a couple of different names. In Japan it’s known as Everybody’s Golf 5 and if you’re reading this on the other side of the pond from the UK it’s Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds.

Although initial impressions suggest this is going to be a lightweight golf game with its large headed cartoon-esque characters once you’re actually in the game it becomes apparent that there’s a serious golf engine running behind the scenes.

The demo allows you to pick from a couple of characters, either “Jasmine” or “Felipe”, each with their own set of stats such as power, control, and spin and once chosen the character can be customised using the limited number of outfits and club types available. It’s apparent that more outfits, clubs and ball types will be selectable in the full retail game but the few on offer here provide an adequate taster of things to come.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sega Superstar TennisA demo of Sega Superstar Tennis is now available to download from Xbox Live Marketplace, sized at a reasonable 677MB.

The demo allows you to try out a single player match choosing from either AiAi of Super Monkey Ball fame or Shadow the Hedgehog. Characters play slightly differently to oneanother due to a specialist skill and a signature “superstar” move. For example AiAi can curve shots more easily and can transform the tennis ball into a bunch of distracting bananas which boomerang back to the opponent with a bend “Beckham” would be proud of.

The game controls quite well and on first impressions felt very similar to the Virtua Tennis series of games I’ve played in the past. There are however a few differences to note when it comes to shot selection. The “A” and “X” buttons produce either a fast or slow shot respectively, but if you want to perform a lob or a drop shot then a simple combo has to be pressed, “A” followed by “X” gives you a lob whilst reversing the action will produce a drop shot.

Read the rest of this entry »