I love playing golf – at home. With
the exception of mini-golf, I don’t enjoy the sport much, and play it as much as
I dislike it. So, why be given a golf game to review? Because I absolutely love
playing golf on various platforms. You can play it anywhere via a portable
device such as a GBA or even cell phone … or hook it up in high def at home
and invite over some buddies to go head to head for all-day tourneys. It offers
loads of challenge, and the skills required are usually something that have to
be honed over a long period of play. Unlike shooters that are merely
look-and-shoot, hitting the sweet spot and reading a green takes a lot more
skill than some would appreciate.
Tiger Woods has been the household
name in golf for many years, now. However, there are a lot of his peers that are
excellent and win tournaments all over the world. On the cover and in the game,
you’ll see Mark O’Meara, Ben Curtis, Thomas Bjorn, Sergio Garcia and many
others. These are all great players, and deserve to have their chance to be on
display – alongside Woods. With so much talent involved, it’s almost odd
to have such a lack of actual courses in which to play. What they lack in course
reality it more than made up for in player control. After all, as far as course
authenticity, how many of us get to see/play the real things – so they all look
the same to me. Ignorance is bliss!
The player control in this game is
more advanced than any I have seen, before. As usual, I was anxious to play so
opted out of reading pesky instructions before jumping in with both cleats. For
the life of me, I could not get a decent swing – no matter what I did. This game
allows you to tweak every small nuance to a swing that you can imagine. The only
thing I think it’s missing is the ability to have a bead of sweat roll down your
nose! You must adjust your foot position, swing and precisely where you want to
make contact on the ball. There’s more, but trust me in that if you are a
stickler for authenticity, you will like the micromanaging of the "simple
swing." If you manage to get that far, the greens are usually easy to read,
though hitting the hole can sometimes behave in an unpredictable manner. You may
think all things will be the same when approaching a seemingly identical shot on
a new green, but your stroke may take a totally different turn. In all, it is
fair and realistic enough for me. I would be more agitated if the greens were
too easy and there was no challenge. After all, it is golf – and the point of it
is to challenge and keep you on your toes at all times. On the greens and
throughout the course, you have to act with equal caution and watch your swing.
I never felt bored or took it for granted. Mostly due to the complex needs of
teeing off.
The graphics take a dive into the
days of yesterday’s graphic cards. Where similar games excel in their lavishly
detailed terrains, Prostroke Golf blurs and blends the fairways way too
often. The player creation is also a let down. You can decide what kind of pants
to wear, and your shirt colors, etc… but there is very little else to do to
make the character feel like…. "you." Since the point of the game is to play
well, and not look good, I didn’t get too bothered by that shortcoming. It just
means you get to the action faster! Everything looks fine until the swing and
you make contact with the ball. Then, you enter a Peter Max world of colors and
wash. Once your ball settles, so do the visuals. In short, it is not very pretty
to look at.
The audio has some decent commentary
from a few fellows that do that job – in real life. I did not find too much
repetition as is common with any sport game. However, I also admit that I almost
always turn off any commentary for a game – as I never like it much to begin
with. If you are watching a sport and not in the game – hearing their two cents
is fine. however, it’s just plain ODD to hear someone whispering over your
shoulder about how you need to do this and that. Nice "whack" when you hit the
sweet spot. In real life, that magical sound will send a surge of adrenaline
through you like a phantom. In the game, it is just as effective for me. Unlike
boring commentary banter, I never get tired of hearing that "Ping!" from making
nice contact with that evil orb.
I think the game will appeal most to
people that want something new, but don’t feel the need to get Tiger’s release
year after year. I seldom get a game every year it comes out. I like to shake it
up, which makes going back to the usual game even more special. So far, although
it has many shortcomings, I think this is a worthy break from EA Sports for
2007. In fact, I will bet that some of the detailed swing features make
themselves into EA in 2008. There isn’t much else to copy, but that swing setup
is unique and challenging.
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Gameplay: 6.5
Don’t even try to play the game without using the swing tutorials or
manual. You’ll never get it. Or, by the time you do, you will be too weary to
play it much longer. Yes, it is that taxing to learn – to a good level of
comfort. Take some time to go through the learning, and the reward is
tremendous. The control you have is more than I have personally experienced in a
golf game to date. Once that feels good to you, the rest is a typical walk on
the links and you try to better yourself hole by hole.
Graphics: 6.0
The character creation is so minimal, it’s barely worth having the option in
the game. Maybe they plan on allowing a future download pack to enhance that
area of the game. As I mentioned, I don’t really care what I look like, anyway.
It won’t help my game in any way. I liked playing in first-person mode, so if I
had a lifelike character, I would have to overlook my desk-job belly to even see
the ball. Who needs that kind of realism?!! Once the ball hits the air, things
blur and if you squint, it will look like lawn mower with the bagger shooting
clippings into your direction. When the ball settles, things look better, but
the focus is on the play – not the look. It’s a trade-off that you need
to weigh when making a buying decision. Do you like to see every strip of bark
in a tree, or do you want absolute control of your swing?
Sound: 6.0
The environment sounds are just fine, but nothing to load on your MP3
player. The commentary was well done, as it should be considering these
guys are the real deal. But, I choose to turn that down or off. Things
will get repetitive – no matter how well it’s been produced. My focus is on the
game, so the chatter is a distraction.
Difficulty: Hard
I imagine this may be the biggest area of disagreement. By no means do I
intend to indicate that this is on the level with unbeatable games that can
never be mastered. However, the focus required to get a consistent swing makes
this a game with a long learning curve. It’s quirky, but so is the real thing.
Concept: 7.0
They took a lot of shortcuts in the graphics area, but made up for it with
their intention make the control more realistic than any other game. For that
aspect, it stands out. Otherwise, the generic courses leave you missing familiar
territory. But – you also get a unique opportunity to edit your courses,
which is dynamically fun. It takes some time and planning, but being able to
make things look the way you would do if you were in charge more than makes up
for the fact that the actual terrain can blur and get painfully…. ugly.
Overall: 7.0
The variances within this game are so great, it’s a difficult task to make
an overall opinion. Some people like a sports car because they want to get there
fast, and with flash. Other folks prefer a luxury sedan loaded with all of the
comforts of your home. Likewise, this golf game will differ and cater to a
variety of players. If you love Tiger and EA’s take on things, stick with that.
I don’t see anything wrong with that – I love those games, myself. However, if
you’re willing to try something new and get away from what you’re used to, I
encourage you to give this a try. The price is set at a "can’t miss" margin, but
the play is much better than the sticker may infer. Yes, there are only two real
courses in the game, but since you can edit your own course, you can literally
make any REAL course you like. I’m guessing you’ll need a map or photographic
memory to do so, but that is one benefit from playing this one the PC versus
another platform. You can share your course with others, so maybe someone else
will create Pinehurst, and you can just import it! The main variance is the
swing. From your stance, to how much you lean, your shot is completely in your
control. Back in the early days of golf games, you just had to hit the button
once to start the swing, then again to execute it. This game makes that
technology look like a Model T against a Viper. There’s a bit more under the
hood, here. If you’re a purist for how hard it is in real life, you need to give
this one a swing.
