Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 – PS2 – Review

Fall can be the most
beautiful time of the year. The cool air. The changing leaves. The unavoidable
onslaught of new video games. Yes gamers, fall is beautiful. What other time
of year would bring the latest installment to the most successful golf
franchise, Tiger Woods PGA Tour?

In Tiger Woods 07, players
will encounter (and control) 50 new golfers, including 21 of the world’s top
players. Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh – who doesn’t want to step into
their shoes? Twenty-one new courses have been added, including several that
are licensed by the PGA Tour: Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Riviera Country
Club, and The K Club, etc. The PGA Tour season mode is back with shootouts,
challenges, championships, coast-to-coast classics, and more. Fantasy courses
are also a part of the experience, adding a bit of fantastical fun to the
selection.

The Game Face feature has
been given a few tweaks, allowing players to more accurately define the shape
and size of their homegrown golfers. Facial adjustments are about where they
were at last year, just a little more precise. You’ll have an easier time
lining up the eyes, or spreading them apart if that’s the kind of character
you wish to create. (Halloween is coming up, so why not?) Facial hair is still
limited by pre-sets, while the hair on your golfer’s head may be expanded to
near-goofy levels.

New ESPN Integration
brings the ESPN ticker, ESPN Radio updates, and ESPNEWS. I prefer to use the
Web, but at least it’s there if I absolutely must know the latest updates and
can’t leave my PlayStation 2 long enough to access my computer.

Team Tour Mode is this
year’s biggest addition. Whereas other sports games only have a fixed season
mode, or a Dynasty/Manager mode that lets you fool around with dozens of
technical aspects, Team Tour centers on the action between you and your
opponents.

The initial goal is to
get out there and win. The long-term goal is to show Tiger Woods that you’re
the best golfer on the planet. You do this by traveling the world in search of
new competitors. This is done via a 3D map that lets you hop from battle to
battle with the press of a button. Once a few wins have been had, you’ll start
to gain a reputation. Players are expected to use their success not just for
bragging, but also to assemble the best team possible.

The top team is awarded
the EA Cup. When the time finally comes to face Tiger Woods (after dozens of
holes against golf superstars and a few nobodies), you’ll be ready. If not,
don’t sweat it – this is a game. You can’t make an omelet without
hitting the reset button.

Hoping to make the game
accessible to every type of player, EA has included a ton of difficulty
customization options. Adjust your swing (driver, short irons, putter, etc.)
and/or change the environment (green speed/hardness, fairway speed, rough
length, wind strength). The power, accuracy, and recovery of AI opponents may
also be increased or decreased.

Tiger Woods 07’s
mini-games and multiplayer modes (online and offline) have opened the door to
hours of replay value. Skillzone challenges your ability to hit the bull’s eye
in a number of outrageous situations. Targets are placed all over a fantasy
course. One mistake and your ball will end up in the water.

The arcade-style setup
for some of the multiplayer modes is cool, to say the least. Characters are
chosen via a selection screen that looks an awful lot like NFL Blitz. And
since this is a golf game, you don’t need more than one controller to
participate in four-player matches offline – just take turns passing around a
single Dual-Shock 2.

Confused about how to
perform a particular swing? No need to glance at the manual or look up info
online – if you need to know how to do something, check out the video
tutorials. "Oh no, not a tutorial." That’d be my usual response, but these
Madden-style tutorials give a brief overview of new and returning swings,
explaining how each is performed in plain English. You don’t get to try out
the move immediately following the explanation (an option other games have had
for years – let’s hope Tiger Woods 08 catches on). But if you can pick up a
controller, you shouldn’t have any trouble following (and remembering) these
mechanics.

I’ve got my clubs, but…where’s my camera?

I need to get a shot of that
sunset before making a hole-in— oh who am I kidding?
I’m gonna bogey this one
anyway. Might as well enjoy the eye candy.

Tiger Woods 07 isn’t a
massive leap over last year’s game. But the new content is great, and the
returning features have stood the test of time – they’re still the best in the
league. Anyone who enjoys golf games will find a zillion things to love about
this one. The Team Tour Mode is all the game needed to make it fly off
Blockbuster’s shelves. And the rest? It justifies a purchase.

Review Scoring Details for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07

Gameplay: 8.5
Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 07 features the best controls and game modes available. The real-world
licensed courses are great, as are the fantasy designs, and the dozens of new
golfers added to the mix. Players will be hooked on the Team Tour Mode for
hours – not just because it’s challenging, but also because you’ll want
to keep playing. And when the single-player fun starts to dwindle, you’ve got
a cornucopia of multiplayer options to look forward to.

Graphics: 7.0
I can’t tell the
difference between Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. There
wouldn’t be anything wrong with that if they were the exact same game made for
two different consoles, in which case both titles should look equally
impressive. As an update that’s come one year after the last, however, 07 is
graphically accomplished, but not anywhere near amazing.

Sound: 6.0
Pretty bland.
Commentary is repetitive and unexciting, the music is mostly ambient, and the
real-world sounds are barely there. I suppose golf is meant to be a quiet
sport… But if you’re going to bother including any music at all, the game
should at least sound entertaining.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
This one leans
more toward an intermediate difficulty rating, especially if you haven’t been
staying in shape by playing Tiger Woods 06. The analog swing mechanics are the
best in the biz, but will take some time to learn if you have yet to master
their most subtle techniques.

Concept: 7.0
Nothing new
that’s innovative, just a noteworthy amount of new courses, golfers, and play
types.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 07 has an abundance of entertaining game modes for you and your friends
to take on.

Overall: 8.5
Same innovative
control scheme as last year’s edition, now with a greater emphasis on using
both analog sticks to land the best shot. The new courses were designed with a
variety of layouts, ranging from easy to extremely difficult. Dozens of new
golfers have been added to extend the amount of interest among characters, and
it works. Team Tour Mode is not comparable to EA’s famous Dynasty modes
(featured in NHL 07 and other sports games), but that doesn’t stop it from
being a fun and entertaining way to take on the world’s best golfers.