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Hot Shots Golf 5 Demo Swings For Spring

It's the most popular golf franchise in Japan, as evidenced by its latest two-page feature showing in the most recent edition of Famitsu. Currently, it's known as Minna no Golf 5 , or to us, Hot Shots Golf 5 , and after a brief absence over the past few months, they're preparing to release a demo in March. The final version is scheduled for July.

But if you're a big fan of the series and want to hit the links before July, Sony is giving you the gift of that spring demo, but only if you have a Japanese PlayStation Store account. Now, just for the sake of argument, we'll assume they plan to make the demo available in the U.S. as well…'crosses fingers' This download will be available from March 21 through May 7, and will include two characters (Jasmine and Conan) and nine holes from one course. You'll be able to select to play any three of those nine holes, and two players can even play against each other.

For those of you familiar with the series, you'll be happy to know the standard swing-scheme is back, but there is one significant addition to this new installment. It's called "true shot," which means that power/accuracy bar disappears, and you gauge your timing entirely on your character's swing animation. You must select your style at the start of the match, though…no word on whether or not you'll be able to switch during play in the final version.

Lastly, the magazine conducted an interview with game's producer, and he dropped a hint about another major topic of discussion: online play. He didn't go into details and he didn't officially confirm it, but he did say we can "expect" to see online capability in Minno no Golf 5 . And that's just more good news. We'll be sure to let you know when (and if) Sony plans to deliver the demo to North American PlayStation Stores.

Related Game(s): Hot Shots Golf 5