If you’re a fan of golf games, chances are you’ve already picked up on Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational for PlayStation Vita, one of the better handheld golf games out there. If not, well, not only is it on sale in the PlayStation Store (around $25), but you’ll also get a free update that will provide you with a number of new modes, starting today. (The update will be available for everyone, we just felt like adding some incentive. Ha!)
When you download the new 1.04 update for Hot Shots Golf, you’ll gain access to these new features, as taken from the PlayStation Blog page…
Invite friends to play in private tournaments
Whereas before you could only play in Real Mode tournaments that were open to all, now you can create private tournaments for you and up to seven friends, as well as private rooms in the online lobby space. Out on the course, you’ll be able to see your opponent’s ball after each shot, and between holes you can also use text chat to communicate with your friends, on the scorecard screen.
Stroke Mode (Head-to-Head)
Previously Ad-Hoc only. A head-to-head competition for two players, where the golfer with the best results at the end of a round wins. You’ll be able to chat with and heckle your opponent between holes.
Match Mode (Head-to-Head)
Previously Ad-Hoc only. This is also a head-to-head competition for two players, but this time it’s the first competitor to get to 3UP status during a round who wins. Once more, chat and heckling is possible between holes.
Introducing Rank for Real Mode tournaments
Players will now be rated G0 (strong) to G4 (novice) depending on their online performance. Rank will act dynamically, with players ranked according to their performance in official tournaments with more than ten participants. This way, novice players can play without the fear of being completely decimated, while experienced players can compete with other skilled golfers.
Introducing Seasons to Daily Tournaments
In Daily Tournaments mode, there will now be one game per day — a reduction from the previous three — so that each Tournament will be more focused and exciting. One season is equivalent to seven days, with a variety of rankings measured per week. These include a Weekly Champion and Top 10 rankings.
We definitely suggest picking it up. We’ll see you on the course!
