With the technical wizardry of
next-gen consoles, one would expect the latest Tiger Woods release to play a
better round of virtual golf on those machines. Well, I’m here to say that
finally the Wii has the leg up this year. With finely tuned motion control,
near endless single-player options, and fleshed out online capabilities, this
iteration scores big (well, in golf terms, low).
EA has rebranded its Wii
version Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All Play. The last two words are key
here: anybody can play this version. But don’t think that this game is dumbed
down. Not in the least. The interface is cleaner, bubblier, and all-around
more inviting for casual gamers. The graphics, while significantly below the
Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, are still above average for Wii games.
There are three difficulty
options. The All Play option makes swinging as simple an action as possible,
with no fade or draw detection. The Standard option utilizes a fade/draw
mechanic that you control with the IR, not the Wii remote. Of course, the
Advanced option hardcore players will want to use is the most sensitive
detecting motion.
How are the motion controls?
Nearly 1:1, which is the best any golf game has done to date. With the recent
announcement of MotionPlus, a more advanced tech for the Wii mote, fans can
surely expect golf games to be even better next year. But until then, I’ll take
this version any day. Of course, the controls aren’t perfect. While swinging
drives and irons is a lot of fun, dialing in a specific distance is not always
as easy. And you can position your swing at halfway or full-power, the speed
and motion detection is not quite accurate enough to make it easy. It
definitely takes some practice, no matter what difficulty mode you’re playing
on.
While the swing is a blast to
play, the putting is not as much fun. It’s almost impossible to make a
successful putt without craning your head to the screen to watch the power
gauge. This distracts from the game. Also, the detection for putting and
chipping is not entirely accurate.
But despite those nit-picks,
Tiger is a great game. The Career mode is incredibly fleshed out, with Tiger
Challenges remaining intact. But now the skill upgrade system gives bonuses the
better you are. For instance, you smack a drive down the fairway; you’ll get
bonus accuracy points. It’s a great RPG mechanic that makes the game a lot more
realistic.
New this year is the Club
Tuning option. If you want to make a permanent fade to compensate for a draw on
your irons, do it. Want a lower angle on your driver? Go for it. In terms of
customization, the possibilities are endless. Tiger 09 also offers advice from
Tiger’s real life coach. He’ll give you tips and let you replay portions of
holes you’ve screwed up on, to rebuild your confidence meter.
Tiger also offers an extensive
online mode and multiplayer that will keep you busy till the next iteration
comes out. Seriously, the amount of content in the multiplayer is insane. From
mini-golf to capture the flag, the developers really got creative thinking up
some new games to keep the Tiger party going.
Review Scoring Details for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed |
Gameplay: 8.0
The 1:1 swing
mechanic is awesome this year, making Tiger All Play a blast to play. But the
draw/fade detection is still not quite right; and putting is very hard with
spotty motion detection.
Graphics: 8.5
Gone are the
brown tones of the earlier Wii Tiger games. This game has a new, brighter look
(and one that occasionally keeps up with its next-gen brothers).
Sound: 8.0
The mix of tunes
in this game is awesome. I would play a CD of this music in my car. Sadly, the
commentators are extremely annoying and rarely have anything new or witty to
say. Environmental noises are good, though.
Difficulty: Medium
Depending on your
difficulty setting, this game can be played by anybody, from hardcore to casual
players.
Concept: 9.0
A lot of
rethinking went into this title and now the Wii Tiger is finally on track with
All Play.
Multiplayer: 10.0
With so much replay value, this game is perfect for a family of golfer wannabies.
Overall: 8.5
Aside from a few
issues with the motion control,
this is the best golf game
on the Wii right now.
