Gaming Trend Review
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10
- Official Site
- Platform: Wii
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: EA Sports
- Release Date: 06/08/09
- Genre: Sports
Pros
Cons
- No online voice chat
- The Disc Golf game is bare bones
by Mike Repella
I’m going to start this review off by telling you what you want to hear. The new Wii Motion Plus control accessory works and it works really well. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii comes bundled with the accessory for a reason; without it the game would simply not be as good. Ever since the Wii launched with Wii Sports, gamers and non gamers alike have been excited about the idea of playing a full Tiger Woods golf game with true to life motion controls. While Tiger Woods 2007 was a disappointment because of the less than 1:1 swing mechanic, EA wasn’t deterred and made improvements to the swing controls each and every year. I’m happy to report that with the Motion Plus accessory, EA has created the closest thing to a true 1:1 swing mechanic seen in any video game to date. So much so, that the thought of going back to the three button swing method or even the thumb flicking method found on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, seems like a huge step backwards.
So why are the new controls so much better? The first thing players will notice is that simply rotating your wrists will cause the head of your club to rotate in kind. This holds true during the pre-shot preparation phase and even during a full power swing. For the first time players will be able to draw or fade their shots either intentionally or unintentionally based on their skill level with a real club. In real life I tend to push the golf ball to the right. In Tiger Woods 10 my shot reflects that as well, but this is still a video game and the effect is not as dramatic in the game as it is in for me in real life. Still, it demonstrates the level of control players have over their swing.
The next thing the controls allow you to do this year is determine the power of your shot. For the first time the on screen swing will follow your hand motions almost exactly. If you take a swing half way back and pause, the onscreen character will be moving right along with you and pause at the same time. When you swing hard the onscreen player will swing hard. It's not all roses - there were occasions where my on-screen avatar didn't swing nearly as hard as I did - but it works most of the time. In fact I found that if I played multiple rounds in a row I would naturally get tired in real life from of all the swinging. This resulted in my onscreen player hitting the ball softer. It wasn’t a conscious thing that I tried to do, it just happened naturally as I got tired. At that point I had to actually concentrate on my swings and try to hit the ball harder. This is when I knew that the new swing mechanics were really good.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for me with the new control system is the putting aspect. Once again the 1:1 and power mechanics really shine. For the first time you can fairly accurately control how hard you hit the ball based off of how hard you swing the putter. Just like real golf, putting takes practice and time, but once you get the feel for how your real life swing translates into the video game, the frustration level will go way down. If you mess up a putt, it will be because you didn’t line it up right or didn’t swing hard or soft enough, not because the game is cheap.
One of the key differences with this year’s version compared to previous years, is that players should not expect to start out in career mode and hit 12 under their first time out. The game does require some practice and adjustments to get used to the new controls and it is much more challenging to get birdies than it has been in the past. For players who can’t adjust to the new controls or find them to be too hard, EA brought back the All-Play option. This option was integrated last year and it essentially allows players of all skill levels to compete. So yes, your Mom can play Tiger Woods with you and make it competitive.
Don’t think that the new Motion Plus control system is the only selling point for Tiger Woods this year. EA has included so many different ways to play the game of golf that there is something for everyone. There is PGA Tour Mode, which allows you to create a player and take him from the amateur ranks all the way through a PGA Tour Season and into the chase for the Fed Ex Cup. There are several l different types of traditional multiplayer golf modes, including skins, match play, best ball etc. A fairly robust and fun party game mode is included. This mode allows for up to four players to compete head to head in a variety of golf based challenges. In each round players earn points and at the end of the set number of rounds the player with the most points wins. New this year is a classic challenge mode, where players are given the task to duplicate some of the most memorable moments in PGA Tour history. There are so many different modes that it would be impossible for me to review them all without rambling on for ten pages.
Screenshots
One of the most robust features this year is the online mode. EA has brought back the online fast play mode where you go head to head against another player, but you don’t take turns, instead you only see outlines of their shots. This really speeds up the online play and allows you to get more games in. Also included in the online component are daily and weekly tournaments where you can compete against thousands of players all at once. Rounding out the online component is the new Play with the Pros mode. This is a really cool mode that allows you to compete each week against the pros in whatever tournament they are in. Their scores get updated in real time and you can see how well you stack up. For instance, as I write this review the pros are playing in the U.S. Open at Beth Page Black. So, in the game I can go online and the game will load up Beth Page Black with the current real time leader board and - bam - I am competing against the pros. It should also be noted that the online component wisely uses EA’s own user names, instead of the ridiculous friend code system, so it is easy to hook up with your friends online.
Another cool feature in this year’s game is real time integration of the Wii’s Weather Channel. If you want to turn the weather feature on, the game will automatically adjust the weather conditions and wind to the real time conditions of whatever course you choose to play on. So if you are playing at Firestone and it is an overcast and windy day in Akron Ohio, then it is going to be an overcast and windy day in your game. This option is really cool, but be careful - it can really kill your scoring average if it’s raining. I found this out when I played round 1 of the US Open as it was pouring rain in real life Long Island.
Graphically Tiger Woods 10 is the best looking Wii version of the game to date. The courses have all received hefty graphical improvements, with more detail and better textures than previous versions of the game. Players will definitely not confuse the Wii version's graphics for a port of the PS2 version. Overall the look of the game seems to be sharper and less blurry than past versions. There is still a fair amount of aliasing and the course and model detail is not as good as the 360 and PS3 versions. But, for the Wii, Tiger Woods 10 looks pretty good.
I just realized I am this far into the review and I haven’t even mentioned the new Disc Golf game. That’s a sign of just how loaded this game is. Anyway, this year EA included a new Disc Golf (Frisbee Golf) game, which utilizes the Motion Plus controls. The mode takes the courses from the game and has you throw a Frisbee using the controller in a natural Frisbee throwing motion. The goal is to get the Frisbee into a metal basket with as few throws as possible. The mode works and can be fun, but at the same time it is a bit bare bones and I have a feeling that it will be back with more options in next year’s game.
The announcers do a good job of broadcasting the action and one will correct the other if they make a boneheaded call. For instance you might hear "Oh it looks like that one's going to be in the deep rough" and then when the ball barely makes it to the fairway the other announncer might say "It looks like you called that one too quick, it's in the fairway". It's a simple touch but it adds to the realism. The only downside to the audio is that there is no voice communication for the online portion, but this is the Wii so it's not really expected to have voice chat.
Did I mention that there are 27 courses in Tiger Woods 10? With 27 courses, an entire army of game modes, create a player, PGA Tour Season, online head to head play, online tournaments, Play the Pros, frisbee golf, party modes, improved graphics, and the icing on the cake, Wii Motion Plus controls, there is no doubt that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is the best version of the game available on any console. For $59.99 it is an absolute steal and anyone who enjoys golf should pick it up.
