Camelot preps online casual golf

Online game-planning and marketing company Eleven-Up and Camelot--developer of Nintendo's Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, and the original Hot Shots Golf--revealed they are jointly developing an online entertainment service, according to an announcement on Eleven-Up's Web site.

The service, called G Planet Kousou, will target casual PC users and aims to make online gaming more friendly and accessible to people who rarely touch their computers.

The service's first title, Golf Daisuki: I Love Golf, resembles the original Hot Shots Golf and boasts a streamlined, mouse-based control system. It also has a feature that shows the screen from various perspectives and lets players compete at the same time, without waiting on the other to finish shooting. Eleven-Up said the game offers an abundance of modes but has a simple interface geared toward a casual online experience.

Eleven-Up will start accepting applications on August 4 for game testers, with an open beta scheduled for this fall. The company hopes to start the service by year's end.