Music for Games: Game Analysis

Name:Hot Shot Golf Fore!
Development Studio: Clap Hanz
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Published Genre: Action / Sports
ESRB Rating:E Everyone


Background
Hot Shots Golf Fore! is the long awaited fourth version of the mega-hit Hot Shots Golf series from the Japanese developer Clap Hanz. Hot Shots Golf is also known as Minna No Golf in its original Japanese version.

Hot Shots Golf series are exclusively for Sony PlayStation. Hot Shots Golf and Hot Shots Golf 2 were designed for PS1. Hot Shots Golf 3 and Hot Shots Golf Fore! on PS2 platform were released in 2002 and 2004 consecutively.

Game Play
Hot Shots Golf Fore is a sport game for everyone. Its slogan “Golf for the People” describes it perfectly. Even though the characters in this game are not quite realistic, the golf playing aspects are very realistic as Sony puts it “true-to-life golf physics.”

In total, there are 34 game characters and their respective caddies, including a cheerleader, surfer, balding middle-aged suburbanite, ninja, detective bulldog and grandma in leather pants. There are cameo appearances of Jak from Sony’s Jak and Dexter and Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank.

CNN.com said "Hot Shots Golf Fore!" is tough despite its cartoon-like look. To play well, you'll need to pay attention to details such as wind direction, course topography, club selection and ball spin. Hot Shots Golf Fore! features 15 courses for you to play on. There are 12 18-hole courses (including five from the previous game), two putt-putt courses, and a nine-hole par-3 course.

Hot Shots Golf can handle up to 4 players in its multiplayer mode. It also has multiplayer online mode that players can participate in global competitions earning score and ranking. Sony Computer Entertainment had set up a number of dedicated servers for this matter. Up to 50 people can play in a real-time tournament but a player can’t see anyone else although players can type short message to each other. When you completed the course you have to wait for others to finish then it compares your score with others.

I’ve got a copy of Hot Shots Golf Fore! since first week of its released. I’ve been playing it ever since. It’s quite addictive. During this past week, I’ve spent a couple of hour everyday playing this game. When I have two free hours, I would go into tournament mode and play and gain my status. Right now I’m in “Seeded Pro” level which is only one level away from the top. When I have less time I would play on either nine-hole par-three course or putt-putt mini golf course. Short courses take only ten to fifteen minutes to complete.

Hot Shot Golf Fore! is a very good party game. People who don’t necessary play games can easily learn to play Hot Shot Golf Fore! in a few minutes. They can enjoy the game and play against experienced players. Players don’t feel they are totally lost. There’s no discouragement in this game.

With its many modes to play, I won’t be bored by Hot Shot Golf Fore! in the near future. I think I will continue playing Hot Shots Golf Fore! off and on during my pastime or at least until the newer version of Hot Shots arrives.

Game Music
I usually play Hot Shot Golf without any music. I prefer to turn the background music off completely and leave only sound effect and dialogue up. This week, I’ve been turning the background music on all week just for writing this paper. Here’s what I found out.

In Hot Shot Golf Fore! credit lists Shingo Okumura as their sole music person. Okumura has been credited on a game since 1999 and on games developed by the following companies: Polyphony Digital (Grand Tourismo 2 and GT3), Contrail, Matrix Software (Alundra 2), Clapping Hands (Hot Shots Golf 2) and Clap Hanz (Hot Shots Golf 3 and Hot Shots Golf Fore!.)

It is very interesting to find out that the two games (Grand Turismo 3 and Hot Shots Golf Fore!) that I love the most and play the most have the same music director. I usually play them without any music at all, just plain sound effects. I found that both of the games have quite similar in tone and pace.

Okumura’s style in Hot Shots Golf Fore! is pop and fusion jazz. It is very similar to Japanese fusion jazz band such as Casiopea and T-Square but more subtle and mild. In other words it is pop music with a hint of fusion jazz. The overall feeling of this music is very robotic-like probably caused by 100%-quantized articulation accompanies with synthesis sound and instrument selection.

There are about 40 tracks of music in this game. They’ve a music selection menu as part of the option menu so player can browse all the tracks included in this game and play any of them independently. Of these 40 tracks, about 3 of them are used mainly on main menu screen. I considered these tracks as their main theme because they are the music that player heard most often. The pace of this main menu music is very cheery and moving. Then there are score board music and save menu music. These two tracks are less active and very minimal in term of instrument. Only Celeste melody is noticeably audible and legato strings roaring in the background. Player can hear score board music every time the score board comes up and so does save menu music that comes up every time you save your game.

The rest tracks are assigned to golf courses. Each course has its own theme music. The pace of these themes in Hot Shots Golf Fore! are in mid range between 80 – 110 bpm. It never gets very fast or very slow. Sometimes I feel like ‘Muzak’ is playing in the background. One theme has two movements. Each movement can be considered a track on its own right. Each track usually has two loops randomly altered. One loop in this game is 32 bars long. At around 90 bpm, one loop is one and a half minute long in length. A par-4 hole usually takes 2 and half minutes to complete. This means player often hear two loops of music for playing a hole.

The composer tried to emphasize the theme by using instrument selection more than changing the music style. For instance, island golf course gets music with steel drum soloing in the foreground and Japanese golf course gets leading Koto on top of fusion jazz arrangement.

The music change when player is in putting phase. The mood becomes more intense and exciting. This helps players built up their excitement. There is only one music for putting in this game. So, no matter golf course you are on, when you putt you can expect this music. Another music adaptation to player’s action is in VS mode. When you play for a sudden-death game, there’s this arousing music playing with you until you win or lost that game.

Suggestion
If I were to develop music tracks for this game, I would focus more on each character. Rather than based the music theme solely on golf courses, each of the character should have its own style of music. For instance, I would assign alternative rock styles to a “dude-looking” character, and surf music for a surfer-looking character. For me, assigning a stereotype music to a stereotype character is not really political incorrect. It just helps people relating themselves more. I believe that player usually pick a character that mirrors themselves. Someone they can relate to. Video game can let people live in their fantasy and imagination. Why don’t they want to play and hear something relate to them? After all, composing music that can suit everyone’s taste is the hardest job in the world.

Conclusion
Hot Shots Golf Fore! is a very good game for everyone as ESRB rated it. It has the “easy-to-play: hard-to-master” characteristic that keeps playing coming back to it again and again. In term of game music, pop jazz is the genre that dominates Hot Shots Golf Fore! Its music is in a on-going pace very similar to ‘Muzak’. It has seamless looping. It also has some adaptations to player’s actions. It builds the moods for player. Actually, Okumura has done a very good job.All in all, I just prefer to play this game again and again without background music. Does this mean Okumura’s music is not working well with the game or it just simply doesn’t suit my taste? The later is a lot more likely.

References
Game Spot. (August 17, 2004). Hot Shots Golf Fore!. Retrieved October 6, 2004, from http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/sports/hotshotsgolf4/screenindex.html.
Padilla, Raymond. (August 18, 2004). Hot Shots Golf Fore!. Retrieved October 6, 2004, from http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/hot-shots-golf-fore/540010p1.html.
Saltzman, Marc. (September 6, 2004). Review: ‘Hot Shots Golf Fore!’ a swinging good time. Retrieved October 6, 2004. from http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/fun.games/09/06/review.golf/
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (August 4, 2004). Hot Shots Golf Fore!. Retrieved October 6, 2004, from http://www.us.playstation.com/games.aspx?id=SCUS-97401.