If there’s
anything we learned from Wii Sports (the game that comes packaged with
the Wii console) it’s that the Nintendo Wii can definitely do justice to our
favorite sports whether you like to play a game of tennis or tee off with a
friend in a game of golf using the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk. EA Sports
certainly know a thing or two about sports and so far their offerings for the
Wii haven’t been amazing but still decent enough with each attempt. So far
Madden NFL 08 has shown major improvement (positive ones, at that) but
somehow Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 sees very little in terms of improvements
and thus making it a slightly better version than the 07 game.
Just like anyone
else who bought a Wii, I imagined what the wonders the Wii Remote would do for
my swing on the virtual greens of Pebble Beach and so far the Tiger Woods PGA
Tour series wasn’t a complete disappointment but golf fans couldn’t help but
feel that the experience could have been better and the controls a lot more
tighter. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 simply fixes a few of the last game’s
control flaws while adding a few new game mode types and an interesting gameplay
feature. Think of these additions as a patch for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
… or an expansion pack that doesn’t change the core game but simply includes
some minor tweaking of the controls and adding some extra padding to make it
worthwhile. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t make it a bad game but for those
returning Tiger Woods fans that look forward to a fresh new game each
year will be greatly disappointed.
As far as the
new changes are concerned, they’re actually pretty good and improve the 07
design. One of the interesting new chances is the Confidence Meter that affects
your created golfer’s overall confidence when you’re ready to swing.
Essentially, the meter goes from low to high depending on your last swing so the
next time you’re ready to putt you’ll either gain a boost or make a shot even
more risky depending on your previous performance. It’s an interesting feature
that actually works well. Then there’s the Taunting feature that’s used to
distract (no, make that annoy) your friends when they’re playing against you. By
shaking the Wii Remote while pressing the A button you can blur the screen when
they’re about to swing or press the A and B button to blow a loud and startling
horn. It’s funny the first few times you use it but gets old fast and I would
recommend using it on a friend who takes his or her score seriously.
There are also a
few new game mode types that add more to do when you’re done with the lengthy
and deep PGA Tour Season and its accompanying FedEx Cup playoffs. In the
Mini-Games menu you can play a game of putt-putt with MiniPutt or create a team
of eight and go up against eight rivals in the new Elimination Mode. Here, the
object is to be the last remaining player and thus keeps things challenging and
interesting. Then there’s Best Ball and Four Ball, two new game modes that offer
new challenges to Stroke Play and Match Play games. The game’s PGA Tour Season
mode is identical to the last game and you can always play through familiar game
modes like the Tiger Challenge and mini-games that include returning favorites
like Target2Target or Capture. Yes, you can still create your own player with
the Game Face feature.
As far as the
controls are concerned, they feel a tad more refined but not by very much. The
standing- and sitting-style swing needs some work but it’s better in this
edition. The Wii Remote is responsive to the point that you can work on your own
swing style and selecting the shot is simply a question of pointing to your club
selection screen as well as other factors. If the Wii Remote is not your thing,
you can always use the Nunchuk attachment. Using the Nunchuck works just as well
as the other console versions of the game but the Wii Remote still does the
trick nicely.
The game’s
graphics still feel like they’ve been pulled from the PlayStation 2 version of
the game. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but this is a next-generation
console and we’ve seen Nintendo Wii games that look much better than this. Sure
you’ll be looking at blue skies, fluffy white clouds and a lot of green most of
the time but there are Wii games that do all three with more pleasing results.
Thankfully, the player models look really good and many of the animations make
each pro react the way they do in real life. I would really like to say that the
environments look really good but the textures look washed out and you can make
out a few jaggies here and there. The sound is nothing to write home about
either, but at least the licensed tunes are pretty good and the sound effects do
the game justice. The commentary is light, as expected, and decent enough.
Basically an
expansion of last year’s game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for the Wii isn’t
a leap forward but the improvements do make this a better golf game for
Nintendo’s console. I would like to say that the minor improvements make this
real Must Have for anyone who already bought last year’s game but there isn’t
enough here for returning gamers to buy. If you did miss it then you should
certainly pick up this better edition.
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Gameplay: 7.5
When it comes
to the controls, this year’s edition sees some minor improvements that make the
swing controls feel just a bit tighter but not to the degree Wii gamers will
like. Still, the many game modes and a deep Season mode still deliver the goods.
Graphics: 7.0
The graphics
are similar to last year’s game and last year’s game looked like the PS2
version. Still, the player models look fantastic and the green stays, well,
green. There are some smooth animations, though, but the Wii can handle the
graphics a lot better than this.
Sound: 7.0
Nothing much
has changed from last year’s version so you can expect to find similar licensed
music, somewhat decent commentary and light sound effects.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
If you thought
going up against Tiger Woods was hard, try going up against Super Tiger Woods.
There are a number of pros that will give you plenty to sweat about and on the
Wii your shots are literally all in the wrists.
Concept: 7.0
Virtually the
same game as last year, the new improvements (an interesting Confidence meter
and game mode types like MiniPutt) is a nice start but not enough. Online
multiplayer is a No Show again but there are plenty of courses to play through
and you can always design your own.
Multiplayer:
6.5
Once again,
online multiplayer is missing but you can always play against a friend or four
since there are enough golfers to play.
Overall: 7.5
The
improvements are minor but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for the Nintendo Wii
is a solid golf game that will please fans that missed last year’s addition. If
you did buy it last year you won’t find anything here that makes it worth
spending your money again. Hopefully EA Sports will bring us a Tiger Woods
game worthy of our new Nintendo console.
