NEWS - Saturday, June 26, 2004
New Details On Outlaw Golf 2
The original Outlaw Golf started out as a cult hit, but word of mouth quickly spread this game that pioneered the innovative analog swing system, not to mention, throwing in some beat downs and lesbians to go with it, into the mainstream. For a time, it seemed like everyone was playing or talking about Outlaw Golf. That’s why it comes to no surprise that Take Two recently announced development plans for Outlaw Golf 2 (Simon & Schuster, the game’s original publisher, sold the rights to MTV, Take Two owns the rights to the MTV games). What did come as a surprise is the fact that the game will not only be released on both the PS2 and Xbox this time around, but will only cost $19.99. You might hear that price and think it’s just the same game with a 2 slapped on at a discounted price. But once again, you underestimate the Outlaw. The new game will feature eight total courses (the last game only had three), along with a wild 18-hole miniature golf course. There are also a variety of new game modes including the traditional games like Exhibition, Tour, Skins, and Outlaw Range, along with some crazy challenges with names like Bing-Bang-Bong, Casino, Vegas, and Baseball. All of the characters who you loved (or lusted over) will be back, including the popular Summer and Autumn who prefer to look at each other’s asses more than the ball, but who can blame them. There will be 11 playable characters (plus caddies) in total, even adding in some of your favorites from the Outlaw Volleyball series. In addition, there is an all new character attribute system, tracking everything from control and distance to putting, fighting, and even driving. None of the characters will be able to be fully maxed out (the girls will never be able to hit it as far as Killer Mike), but through a series of mini-games at the driving range you’ll be able to earn additional attribute points that you can spend on your character. The more skill you show, the more points you will be able to earn. Alternate costumes for each character are also back by popular demand, complete with orange jail jumpsuits and, of course, bikinis and lingerie. But if the game was only about polygonal pu…I mean, video game girls, it wouldn’t have enjoyed the success it had. Outlaw Golf was built on solid gameplay first, bouncing chests came later on. So gamers will be happy to know that the analog swing system is being refined even more, working on the physics to make each swing seem more realistic by taking into account every movement of the analog. When giving it a try, it was pretty unforgiving (just like the real game of golf) as any unsmooth motion on the stick led to the ball taking a bath or hitting the beach. But the more you play, the more you get used to the swing, and it didn’t take long before the ball was flying toward the green. It’s funny, though, because looking at this game and contrasting it with last year’s version of Tiger Woods, you would think the game based on the PGA would be the difficult game to master while the arcade-like Outlaw would let you stroke the ball for birdies every time, but it’s the complete opposite. Outlaw Golf 2 might not look it, but playing it you realize that it might just have the most realistic of all of the analog swings. Another factor worked into each shot is your character’s composure rating. Hit a good shot, and your composure goes up. Smack one into the woods and watch as your composure plummets, making life on the links even more difficult than it already was. To get your composure back, you can either kick a little ass like the original Outlaw Golf (Summer spins around a stripper pole, gives Amber a lap dance, then knocks her out with her big bresteseses), or try your luck stunt driving around the course on your golf cart. You might be challenged to jump through a number of hoops in an allotted amount of time, and if you’re successful, you’ll be able to earn some of that composure back, helping you hit the ball better down the line. You will also have the option to use what is called "The Ghost Ball" (one per hole). This lets you hit a ghost ball out on the course to see where it would end up. This is especially helpful when it comes to obstacles on the course. Sometimes you can’t tell if you can stroke the ball over a bridge or not without the ghost ball, and since the ghost shot doesn’t count, it saves you a shot on your score. There are also courses where it’s difficult to see up ahead at all, so instead of hitting a blind shot into a swamp or off a glacier, it’s advantageous to hit the ghost ball first to at least give you an idea of what’s ahead. The game is scheduled to ship this October for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and for only $19.99, is cheaper than your average round of frustration out on the real course. Besides, on the real course, they don’t let you drive the golf carts through hoops.Source: http://www.ign.com
