Outlaw Golf 2 PS2 Review

The shameless bunch from the Outlaw series return to the repressed world of golf with their outrageously twisted antics. Bodacious babes and deviant dudes take to the course again to tee-off and get teed-off. Having not played the original game in the series we do not know what additions have been added to make the “2” in the title worth your hard earned money. So instead of winging it and just pretending we know what we are talking about we will just take Outlaw Golf 2 on its own and not compare it to its predecessor and see how it rates on its own merit.

Even though we have not played an Outlaw Golf game before we are familiar with the Outlaw series of games and all the weird antics it brings with it so we are happy to tell you that Outlaw Golf 2 brings even more of this OTT action straight to your TV screen. We also know that under all these antics Hypnotix usually creates a very good virtual incarnation of whatever sport they choose to jazz up so once again we are happy to tell you that a great golf game lies at the crazed heart of Outlaw Golf 2.

Outlaw Golf 2 contains oodles of different modes for you to mess about with most of which have nothing to do with that version you can watch on TV with that Tiger fellow and his mate Vijay Singh (sing, sing, sing). There is a version of golf baseball! Then there is a pick-up sticks style play (where, when a player wins a hole, he or she can eliminate one of the clubs from another player’s bag). Then there is your normal stroke play, match play, skins, and best ball which will please all the normal folks, but fear not most of Outlaw Golf 2 is still on the fun side of crazy. It’s like that story you hear of that 21 year old lap dancer marrying an 85 year old billionaire, it does not sound natural but let’s face it their both going to have a great time and Outlaw Golf 2 is just the same, stuff that should not work does and it works very well.

Of course the game also has a career mode where you pick from a vast selection of characters and go on a tour through all the game courses with loads of different competitions to enter with loads of different foes for you to match your skills against. This mode can be very challenging and none of the other characters are walkovers. On your tour you can unlock new courses, clubs and costumes to mess about with, all of which you will actually feel like you earned when you eventually win them. Once you have won these items then the exhibition modes get a little more interesting as you have more stuff to play around with. If you get bored with that though there is also online mode to mess about with as well.

As I said at the start of the review, the gameplay mechanics are surprisingly refined for a game that is so OTT. The game uses the analog swing mechanic that seems the norm these days which requires you to push down, then up on either analog stick to propel the ball forward with the hardest swing you can muster. Putting is different from other golf games as it gives you the choice check the ball’s trajectory three times per stroke. The way it works is hard to put into words but there is no doubt that the system Hypnotix have crafted is unique and works well.

More unique features come in the form of the composure meter which affects your performance on course. If you play good then your composure will go up, which will help you play better, but if you play bad (hitting out of bounds and into deep rough) your composure will go down, making your character play badly. Of course, if you get really angry and you need to take this anger out on someone then your caddie is always close by to take a beating when needed. The mini game this beating brings up is a rhythm-based challenge which is fun to play but can get annoying after a while to such an extent that you may not even bother using it.

Graphically, the game is nice to look at. The characters look great and are animated well when they move about or swing their clubs. Some of the courses look ok too, although a few of them are a slight eye-sore and it is easy to see a lot more work went into some courses than others. Commentary in OG2 is provided by a stand-up comic called Dave Attell. I have never heard of him before but he seems to fit the game very well and actually got a few laughs out of me over the course of the game. Some of the music choices in the game are weird and do not seems to fit with the style at all. The rock tracks seem to fit the game a bit better than some of the funky, hip hop stuff.

Overall

All in all, Outlaw Golf 2 is a fantastic golf game which is a breath of fresh air against the traditional games like Tiger Woods, Links and others. The game is also a budget release which makes it very easy to recommend for anyone looking to walk the green but is tired of Tiger’s yearly update and wants to try something new without breaking the bank.

7.8 out of 10