Shot Online

Regular Characters:

• Belzebuit – has good stamina and power, but has average impact and low skill.
• Erda – has high skill and is a well-balanced character with low impact, but average stamina and power.
• Shaoring – has high stamina and is balanced in impact, skill, and power.
• Wotan – has extremely high power and stamina, but incredibly low impact and skill.
• Zygmunt – has high impact and skill, moderate power, and low stamina.

Premium Characters

• Camila – high impact and skill, with moderate stamina and power.
• Albus – has low stamina, but high power and skill.

Shot Online Review

By Jayne Moss

Shot Online is a semi-realistic 3D golfing MMO developed by OnNet. It was originally released in Korea in 2004 and in the US in December, 2004. Fans of Pangya, another golfing MMO, may not like Shot Online as the two games are quite different. Pangya is an anime-inspired golfing game, while Shot Online aims to be realistic in both mechanics and appearance. It's worth noting that Shot Online has been in operation for over 10 years now. Despite the game not being super popular, it clearly has a loyal playerbase.

Limited Character Customization

Character creation in Shot Online is virtually non-existent. Players have the choice to pick between 5 premade characters, or 7 if they’re a premium member. Each character has their own unique stats, so players can pick one that suites their playstyle. For example, people who prefer being able to shoot long distances may pick Wotan. The only customization option Shot Online gives players is a choice between 3 color palettes for their clothing and a chance to buy a few different outfits in-game.

After selecting a character, players start the game with a short introduction, then the tutorial begins. It’s a fairly short tutorial, but does an amazing job of showing players how the game mechanics work. Players control their character through the arrow keys or point-and-click. The games controls are easy to learn, but hard to master. It can take a few hours before players can play the game efficiently.

Upon completing the tutorial, players find themselves in the main area of the game, the lobby, where players spend their time when not completing quests or golfing. The lobby is the main area of Shot Online that connects players to all the other parts of the game. Players can walk around, purchase items, talk to other players, and pick up quests from the lobby area.

Gameplay

Shot Online features 10 different game modes, along with quests that players can complete. It doesn’t take too long to level up, so players will gain stat points pretty quickly. Upon leveling up, players receive 2 points that can be distributed into any of the 4 stats: power, skill, stamina, or impact. Stats have a clear impact on the game, but raw-skill plays a huge part, too.

Shot Online’s gameplay is as similar to real-life golf as far as a video game go. There are many different clubs players can use and the weather even effects the ball movement – similar to how it would in real golf.

Players can use the tab key to determine where the ball will likely go, and then use a power meter, the common one that uses the space bar to stop it, to determine how hard their character hits the ball. Depending on which character players are using, the ball can move anywhere from a small distance to a very large distance. Those who have played other golfing games, whether on the PC or consoles, should be familiar with these mechanics.

Playing a game against another user requires players to pay in-game money to join. The winner receives their money back, plus the other user’s money. This was a great feature to add, and makes me wish other MMOs did the same. There’s something satisfying about winning another players money, instead of just getting more from the system.

Spicing Things Up

One area where Shot Online really shines is its variety. The game features 21+ courses and 10+ game modes, with the courses being divided in 3 categories: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Some of the advanced courses are only available to “Semi-pro and Tour Pro” players only. Anyone can become Semi-pro or Tour Pro by participating in regularly scheduled pro tests. Entering one of these pro-tests requires 250,000 in game currency, being Level 41+, and having a high skill rating on the course on which the test is being conducted. The top 50% of participants that scored 68 or under will be eligible for promotion. Players that lag or disconnect during this test won't have a chance to re-take it, so hope for internet stability – otherwise, you're out 250K.

Join a Tournament

Occasionally, Shot Online has tournaments that players can enter. The requirements for entering are different for every tournament, and all players that meet these requirements can join and play against other users. It’s a great feature that lets players test how well they’re doing compared to others and see how far they’ve come. Players who win also get recognized with a cool title stating which tournament they won. Winners also get an enormous prize pool from all those entry fees. Unfortunately, given the game's age and declining popularity, rarely do many people even sign up for these tournaments.

Item Mall

Players can purchase extra clothes with in-game currency while playing, but they can also access the item mall through the game's website. The item mall has equipment like clubs and balls, clothes not found in the game, and experience packs. There’s also a section that has free items. It’s pretty well stocked and has loads of convenience items that can make the game much easier, like balls that raise stat points.

Final Verdict – Great

Shot Online is a great sports MMO that any golf lover would enjoy playing, but players don’t need to know how to play golf or even like golf to enjoy this game. The graphics are great, it has a nice soundtrack, and there are many modes to play, making it easy to stay interested. The game even offers the occasional tournament so players can compete against each other. There are a lot of things that really make this game unique – the only issues I really had were the awkward controls and the nonexistent character customization options. The small playerbase also made finding matches difficult at times, but the game does what it aims to do very well. It's a solid golfing game.

Shot Online Screenshots

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Shot Online Videos

Shot Online Links

Shot Online Official Site
Shot Online Wikipedia

Shot Online System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Pentium 4 2 GHz
Video Card: GeForce FX 5700 or better
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Pentium 4 2 GHz
Video Card: GeForce 8800GT or better
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB

Shot Online Music & Soundtrack

Shot Online Additional Information

Developer: OnNet Co. Ltd.
Closed Beta Date: July 15, 2008 - September 17, 2008
Open Beta Date: October 25, 2004

Foreign Release(s):

South Korea: April, 2004 (OnNet Co)
Japan: June, 2004 (Excite Japan)
Taiwan: February, 2008

Several localized versions of Shot Online are no longer available. The GamesCampus version of the game is the most reliable.

Development History / Background:

Shot Online was developed by South Korean game developer OnNet Co and launched in South Korea in April, 2004 as a free-to-play game. The game was so successful that it was quickly licensed in numerous countries. OnNet actually created a US subsidiary, called GamesCampus, to launch the game themselves in the West. Shot Online is without a doubt the most profitable game published by GamesCampus. The US version entered into open beta in October 25, 2004 and has since remained open for 11+ years. OnNet Europe publishes the game for European users as well. The game is currently localized in Korean, English, Japanese, German, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, and French.