Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09
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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Time to tee off with the latest editon of Tiger Woods PGA Tour!
Tiger Woods is back on the green! You don’t have to know a lot about golf to know who Tiger Woods is. Patterning themselves much like thee game’s namesake, EA hopes to add another solid chapter to the Tiger Woods series. After so many versions, one would wonder what EA has left in their sleeve (or khaki pants for that matter) in order to keep the series fresh and exciting. Birdie or Bogey? Keep reading to find out!
Gameplay
Like any longstanding series, the first thing you want to know about are the new features. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 brings a nice mix of unique and interesting feature. The most obvious one is the addition of Tiger’s coach Hank Haney. Haney plays an interesting role in the game: when you create your golf character, he’ll put you through a series of tests that will give you attribute scores in Power, Accuracy, Short Game, and Putting. How well you do on the exercise determines your starting scores in the four categories. Also, as you progress though the game, your various attributes will raise or fall depending on how well you do. I have to say kudos to EA for this feature – not only does it make the growth of your character very organic, it also becomes a very accurate representation of your skill level.
Another addition that truly makes your golfer “you” is the Club Tuner. This feature allows you to basically customize your clubs around your skill level and shooting tendencies. While you don’t have to use this feature, it gives the dedicated player to chance to tweak their character just a little more. These two features allow you to fully realize your golfer and adds a lot more depth to the game. It makes your character simply more than a creepy simulacrum of yourself!
Control-wise, the game handles very well. You use the left thumbstick to shoot and a new interface has been introduced that lets you see how you’re hitting the ball. A nice thing about the controls is that you really feel like your driving into the ball when you’re pulling on the thumbstick. However, sometimes the hitting just seems down right unpredictable due to the somewhat touchy nature of the controls. A few times I thought I hit the ball fairly well but then it goes more of course than an Ashlee Simpson SNL performance. It’s not horrible but sometimes I was left scratching my head.
The game also takes advantage of the Playstation 3’s online capabilities with the EA GamerNet Challenges. As you’re playing, challenges such as long drives and putts will appear on your screen. You can tackle them or completely ignore them – it’s up to you. It’s a great feature is great as it adds some spontaneity to the matches. You can also create your own GamerNet Challenges and have others take them on. Completing them unlocks achievements as well as boosting your status on the leader boards. Unfortunately, there are no “tangible” rewards like new clubs or faces in the Create-A-Player mode.
There are also a nice variety of game modes that will make multiplayer a hit. Not only can you play regular golf but you can play funky variations of the game like Capture The Flag and T.I.G.E.R. A nice feature that helps speed up multiplayer tremendously is the ability to take your shots simultaneously -- youu can keep track of your opponent’s shots via colored streaks through the air. Pretty…and informative!
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are very sharp. The water in particular is simply stunning and everything looks lush and clean like a real golf course. However, there was a little clipping during the opening shots of the courses. The character models are pretty accurate – especially the game’s namesake. However, the custom characters model seem to be a little lacking. Maybe it’s because they’re based on, well, nobody, but there just seems to be something empty about them. You could add your own mug to the game but prepare yourself for an arduous task that may not be worth it in the end.
The sound effects are clean and clear – the fx when you hit ball is very true-to-life with that nice metallic crack we’re all familiar with accompanied by that nice “swoosh”. However, the commentators get a major thumbs down. Sure, you get some nice dry wit from the British guy but overall the commentary is listless and so anemic you’ll eat your 5-iron just to stay alive.
Value
Like most EA sports title, determining whether to get the latest iteration is somewhat subjective. The new features are welcome additions and add enough to the game so that you’re not buying an uninspired re-hash of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08. The deep character and skill development gets you invested into your character, which will make you want to play over and over in order to improve your skills. The addition of the GamerNet challenges will also help keep the game fresh.
Conclusion
Like the game’s title character, EA keeps coming out on top. The additions add a lot to the game and it’s nice to see a unifying theme- the ability to organically develop your own golfer. Other than the lackluster commentary and a few graphical hiccups here and there, this game is definitely, well, the Tiger Woods of video golf games.
Pros
- Attribute development throughout the game
- Club tuner feature is a welcome addition
- GamerNet Challenges keeps the games spontaneous and fresh
- Beautiful graphics, espically the water
Cons
- Boring and uninspired commentary
- Controls can be unpredictable at times
- GamerNet points not entirely worthwhile
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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