Shot-Online review

Just when you think you can't get enough massively multiplayer online RPGs, or that you've seen it all, Shot-Online comes out and shakes things up. Well... sort of. The objective, just like the other MMORPG's, is raising your levels. And instead of slaughtering monsters over and over and over, Shot-Online gives you a different kind of grind: putting. That's right, swinging the club and having the ball land neatly in the sand might boost up your statistics. OK, so the concept is a little silly, but this strangely works out a little - just enough for golf fans. Let me repeat: golf fans; everyone else, there are better ways to spend fifty dollars on golf.

The best thing going for this golf game is, actually, not the golf. The stuff beyond, such as creating your own team and communicating with others on tour, is where you'll dig it. The leveling-up system is, as expected, not as grand and complex as World of Warcraft or many others, but it's deep enough to spur that sense of competition and addiction. As you become someone for newcomers to freak out over, you'll be able to have more fun. The game's tutorial is also a warm welcome for people a bit confused by how the world is set up.

Once you actually play golf in this game, however, you'll find that this is merely an OK alternative for when bad weather hits, and nothing more. Playing through tours takes the dedication to sit on your butt at the computer for an ass-long time. Assuming your schedule has nothing on it and you can dedicate a full day to Shot, it's still not very competitive. Winning involves a lot of luck and, simply, higher levels; plowing through the field's handicap is often embarrassing, and probably irritating to others. The whole process of swinging and selecting your clubs is basic and becomes boring very quickly. To mix things up, there are weather effects and a few other little factors that come in to change the likelihood of who will win in the end... but it's not fun; actually, even for the most skilled golfers, it downright obnoxious.