As a kid, I
spent many Saturday mornings enrolled in golf school. It was never one of my
strong suits and I eventually retired from the sport at the ripe old age of
12. Now, I’m coming back! Sure, it’s a golf video game, but Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 07 presents the most realistic experience ever before seen on a virtual
course. Great care in detail has been spent by Electronic Arts trying to
capture the sport authentically. Certain parts of Tiger Woods 07 are whiffs,
but the game as a whole is an entertaining title that golf enthusiasts should
play.
One of the
first parts (and arguably best) parts of the game is character-creation. The
sky is the limit when it comes to making your own unique character, whether it
be a spitting image of you by augmenting subtle
features or a monstrous atrocity with a face not even a mother would love. You
can buy many things from the pro shop including new clothes, jewelry, and
clubs to add to your character’s golf bag. Besides how your player looks and
sounds, you can select between a wide variety of
swing-types. This really adds to the uniqueness of the character. When you
start playing with your created character, you don’t have much to work with.
You will need to gain skills by completing training mini-games like competing
with other golfers for best shot and race-the-clock, where you must earn a
certain amount of money for successful shots under a specified amount of time.
Whatever mini-game you choose will affect the type of attribute that will
increase. Playing putting contests will boost your short-game skills while
long-distance competitions will boost your long-game skills. The game has also
integrated a significant portion of gaining skills in tournament play. If you
win a pro tourney, your attributes will also increase. There is
a also a range to practice distance shots, but I
only spent a few minutes playing before I got bored.
Swinging the
golf club is controlled by pulling the left thumbstick
down and flicking it back up in the direction that you want the ball to go.
The “shot stick” is intuitive enough to pick up any variations of execution
including fades, draws, hooks, and slices. As any golfer knows, where your
ball is on the course will affect how the ball travels. Playing from the
fairway is a lot different than playing in the sand traps. The lie indicator
determines the percentage of distance the ball would take under usually
circumstances. This is important in deciding the right shot to swing because
the automatic club and shot setup is not always the best choice. The right
thumbstick is used as a “loft stick” to position
how the club will hit the ball, which will determine the height and distance.
To add power to your shot, press the A-button multiple times on the backswing.
Once the ball is in flight, you can add spin to the ball. Although this
becomes especially useful when the ball lands on the putting-green and spins
closer to the whole, it is very unrealistic (manually controlling the golf
ball in the air is something the professionals have yet to accomplish).
The aiming
system is comprised of a large circle covering a sizeable portion of the green
that can be adjusted depending on the type of club used and the directional
pad. But don’t be confused, this circle does not necessarily guarantee your
ball will end up somewhere within the vicinity. You need to adjust for
multiple factors including wind and environmental barriers (trees, bushes,
etc). When putting, a large grid will appear over the green showing you how
the level it is. You will need to adjust the direction of aim to account for
changes in slope. At first, it is challenging in determining the best way to
hit the ball but you’ll quickly learn the advanced techniques of the
short-game. One of the real pains of the game is after taking a long shot or
putt, the screen narrows indicating the ball will be perfectly placed. The
suspense is short-lived in some instances, for example, when not only did your
ball not land near the cup but you were so mesmerized by the wide-screen view
that you forgot to add spin to the ball!
The game
features a variety of modes and matches. These include the normal Stroke Play,
Match Play, Skins, and Best Ball that we are all familiar with. In addition,
the developers have included four brand new game modes.
Greensome is a two-on-two game where your team plays the best ball each
swing. Bloodsome is another two-on-two game where
your opponent chooses the ball you will use, most likely the worst shot
available. Both of these game modes are dependent on having good teammates.
There were numerous occasions I was stuck playing with a buddy who couldn’t
make a straight shot if his life depended on it. Battle Golf is a two-player
match where the player with the lowest shot count wins the whole … and then
removes a club of his choosing from his opponent’s bag (or adds a removed club
back into his own bag)! This is easily the most fun mode Tiger Woods 07 has to
offer. Imagine a tee-shot on a par five and the best club you have is an 8
iron. It’s rare to be in such a position, but you get the point. The most
challenging and frustrating mode is One Ball. Your opponent and you take turns
shooting one ball to the cup. Ultimately, only one of you will get that hole.
Strategy is the key in where to position your shot. Every shot, the player
must hit the ball inside the “Circle of Trust” or risk “Betrayal” where he
would lose his turn. This becomes a devastating blow if you get close to the
hole giving your opponent two shots to make it.
There are
many professional golfers available to play as and play against. Of course,
Tiger Woods looks and plays absolutely fantastic. Last year’s E3 press
conference from Electronic Arts demonstrated what was possible in character
likeness and reaction. Virtual Tiger Woods was shown to the astonishment of
the crowd with his patented-grin. Just like I hoped, Tiger looks just as he
appeared in May. Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Vijay
Singh, and John Daly are also playable, but none of them look (or play, for
that matter) as good. Annika
Sorenstam, the LPGA legend, also makes her first appearance ever in a
golf video game. Besides the pros, the developers have thrown in some wacky
characters to unlock including an old-timer named Pops Masterson and a
linebacker-sized player named Big Mo. Tiger Challenge utilizes these
characters early on in a competition to beat all the top golfers in the world
and eventually Tiger Woods himself. Training your player is very important, so
practice the different mini-games offered to gain attributes. The difficulty
settings you choose vary quite a bit. Easy mode, for example, makes even the
most seasoned professional play stupid to the point of absurdity. One time, a
game against Mike Weir completely went awry as he hit three balls into the
water back-to-back-to-back. I was also able to sink a hole-in-one and a couple
birdies the first day I started playing. I’d like to think that is all skill,
but the PGA has yet to send me an offer.
Tiger Woods
07 offers 12 real courses including Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Glen Abbey,
and Firestone Country Club. There are also a few developer-created courses to
add to the variability. The lack of any kind of golf course creation, however,
is very disappointing. With the power of the Xbox 360 and the nature of the
game itself, I question if the course-maker was cut out somewhere along the
development process.
Gameplay
value is added with online play on Xbox Live. Three out of four attempts to
connect to a game failed, but once you are in you will find a good match with
quality opponents. There are even daily tournaments to join. Once the game is
done, however, you must navigate back into the multiplayer screen from the
main menu which gets frustrating. One bonus feature of Tiger Woods 07 is the
inclusion of different ESPN media functions. You can read top sports news from
ESPN.com and listen to live ESPN radio clips straight from your Xbox Live
connection. I liked EA’s attempt to jazz up the
sports franchise, but the ESPN integration is rather scant to be considered a
valuable feature (ESPN radio only plays in menu mode). Picture-in-picture was
also added where one cameras follows the ball while the other camera is on
your character to gage their reactions. It looks pretty cool despite the
repetitive one-liners that come out of their mouths (If I hear “get on the
fairway, GET ON THE FAIRWAY” one more time, I’ll take a sand wedge straight to
my subwoofer).
Like I said
before, the developers have spent a lot of time and effort
making the characters look great. The courses also look and play nicely
with only a few iffy graphic choices in the environment. To add to the
realism, spectators line the fairway edges to watch the masters at work and
give them their support. Besides walking/running to your ball location in
between shots, there is no real interaction. They will stand straight with
arms at their sides. If you are about to swing and position yourself aiming
right for the fans, you will see them squirm and cover themselves. Even
better, hitting them will elicit a negative reaction such as rubbing the
newly-created swollen spot or down-right fainting. The spectators don’t vary
much in character modeling and can be pretty plain. At least you never feel
alone when playing.
The sound is
less impressive, mostly because of the less than stellar commentary
performances by David Feherty and Gary McCord.
They often give out their opinion of a shot before it’s even close to deciding
how the ball will end up. If you think this is just expert analysis with just
some kind of advanced forecasting, you will be shocked and confused when their
comments are directly opposite of how the ball plays. Sometimes good shots get
negative feedback while bad shots are met with positive remarks. The sound
effects vary from heavy wind to chirping birds to rustling trees, which are
great to listen to in surround sound.
Unlike a lot
of golf video games that emphasize crazy gameplay
elements to make a stale game fun, Tiger Woods 07 presents golf in an
authentic fashion. It really is the way this game was meant to be played. It
has some shortcomings including lack of a course editor, online difficulties,
and sound issues, but any golf enthusiast (or sports enthusiast for that
matter) would be wise to try this title out.
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Gameplay: 8.4
The
old way of pulling back the thumbstick to hit the
ball is still the best. I don’t care for the unrealistic ability to add spin
to the ball in mid-flight and the AI of opponents can be silly, but I am
generally impressed with the gameplay.
Graphics: 9.0
Tiger Woods looks
absolutely fantastic. The other characters come out nicely as well.
Spectators, unfortunately, don’t follow in step.
Sound: 7.0
Character voicing
generally sounds good although they are repetitive, but the commentary work is
pretty rough. Sound effects do add to the ambiance of the game.
Difficulty: N/A
There is such
variety in how the game can be played. Unfortunately easy mode is too easy
while harder modes can be impossible.
Concept: 9.0
Tiger Woods
helped revive golf; Tiger Woods 2007 may just have
done the same.
Multiplayer: 8.8
It’s
great playing against your buddies in Tiger Woods 07, especially in teams of
two. Seriously, give it a try. Online play stumbles a bit though.
Overall: 8.5
Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 2007 is the most realistic golf video game I have ever experienced. Sure,
there are some issues that affect the overall game performance. But there is
nothing quite like playing golf in high
definition…well, unless you go outside and play the real thing (but who has
the time).
