Gaming Trend Review
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07
- Official Site
- Platform: 360
- Publisher: EA Sports
- Developer: EA Sports
- Release Date: 10/17/06
- Genre: Sports
Pros
- Lots of control
- Great graphics
- The only golf game for 360
Cons
- Adjustments after the shot
- Not enough courses
- The only golf game for 360
by John DeGiorgio
The king of golf is here again. Tiger Woods thrilled 360 gamers last year and is up for another whack off the tee. By thrilled, I mean given us some shaky gameplay, missing features and the only golf game on the 360. The proven EA track record for new systems is clearly in play with the Tiger franchise for 360: The first game was a scaled back, stripped down port with better graphics and missing gameplay. If history is to tell us anything, this year’s version of Tiger Woods should provide some improved gameplay, more features and even better graphics.
Much like Madden, there is a lot of hope riding on the Tiger Woods series on the 360 since we’ve yet to see any competition in golf games. There’s been no sign of Links and nobody else dares to step up and provide some competition. Does EA give us the 'second year bump' we’ve come to expect, and even if it does, is it enough?
As in years past, Tiger ’07 kicks off with the ability to fashion your golfer in your own image, or any other image you choose. I dug right in and created my golfing likeness with great accuracy. You could literally spend hours in here alone. I even found myself going back a few times after some actual gameplay to tweak my player after seeing something that didn’t quite look right. It’s a game in itself!
Once you build and outfit your golfer it’s time to head to the course and taking in the sights there reveals a lot of good and some bad. On the plus side, you’ll see a nice flyover of the hole you’ll be trying to tame and notice a good amount of detail is present. Step into the tee box and you’ll see that the animations and overall look of the golfers is very smooth and lifelike. It would be a travesty if this wasn’t the case. It’s not like you’ve got 22 players on the field like Madden. It’s one guy on the screen at a time, and he really isn’t moving all that much, but it doesn’t stop with simple swing animations this year. You actually have more of a personality this year with the implementation of facial expressions. Now the agony you feel after missing a four foot putt translates to your on-screen counterpart’s face too. It’s like your own little PGA voodoo doll.
The graphics on the course are just as good. The flyovers give you a great representation of the hole to the point that you can almost read the slope of the green. It’s nice to get more than just a blueprint of the holes. You might not remember everything from the flyover when you’re on the second shot of a long par 5, but you can always go back and run through it again if need be. I actually found the flyovers in this game more helpful than past versions and used them a lot more than I thought I would.
While we’re on the aerial looks of the course, there was one problem that I noticed more than a few times and that is the camera losing your shot behind trees. These were shots going from the middle of the fairway to the middle of the green, too. It wasn’t like I was digging a hooked shot out of the woods since these were good shots. The impact wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for some of the control options in the game (I’ll get to that later) but you may need to be doing things when the camera loses you ball, making those controls even harder than they need to be.
Another thing you will notice is that there are people that actually go to PGA events this year. Even ones that I’m playing in! Yep, that’s right - there are spectators in the 360 version. It’s nice to see and brings more life to a sterile sport, and even more to a sterile game. It’s not all good with the spectators, however, as there is some strangeness. The gallery does move around the course and seem to react to the ball by turning and watching in the right direction. You would think that this would make them aware of the ball itself but not really. I intentionally whacked some into the crowd to see what they’d do, and there was no reaction at all. OK, that’s fine. At least they’re present this year. Then I over shoot the green with a pitching wedge from about 6 yards away and, on two bounces, I hit a guy in the shin and he grabs his leg and starts hopping around. So nobody notices a drive into the crowd but someone takes a little two-hopper in the shin and he acts like he’s been shot? It doesn’t really affect the game but it stood out to me while playing and shines light on the hit-and-miss nature of EA when they attempt new things.
Unlike the PSP and past Tiger Woods games, the 360 version leaves the screen pretty clear of meters and indicators. It’s a nice clean look that has all the information you need only better laid out. This keeps with the broadcast presentation and is a good move.
Just to touch on some other things that stood out the water looked great, so great that I hit three into the drink on purpose (I kept telling myself this) just to take a better look. Along with the water, you can get a pretty good look at your lie without relying completely on your ball icon in the lower left corner. I wouldn’t recommend doing it solely on the ball itself, but it’s nice to see your lie represented both on the screen and in the indicator.
Overall, the graphics in TW ’07 are impressive and a big step forward from what we’ve seen in the past. This is one area that consistently improves every year in this franchise.
We’ve been given a Hip-Hop holiday!! For the first time in a long time there really isn’t any hip-hop in an EA sports game! The majority of the music in TW ’07 is a combination of some funk and dance. Not really my type of music but at least they mixed it up here. Speaking of mixing it up, there’s also the option of listening to a version of ESPN News while in the menus, but unfortunately you can’t actually listen to it when you’re on the course. It would have been nice to have some way to pull it up from time to time so you could keep track of the sports world while you were playing, but you can’t have everything. To EA’s defense in this instance, golf is a sport where silence is golden during play and having a Devil Rays score blasting over the PA at Pebble Beach would be miles from realism.
On the course, the sounds are as good as can be expected. Gary McCord and David Feherty return to the booth again this year to give you the play by play but sometimes they are a bit off on their comments. That’s made up for with the sometimes helpful comments and facts you get during the flyovers. Outside the commentary, you’ll hear birds tweeting, your club swinging, waves crashing and the roar of the crowd and even some helicopters and planes at times. As with most sports games there’s nothing you need to worry about or look forward to when it comes to audio.
Screenshots
You’re loaded up with everything you need to pull of every type of shot in the book. A little draw, some spin and a punch out of the sand can all be attempted with various button combinations. At times it’s just like making a real shot, all those arms straight/feet together/head down information that you are supposed to remember but never do. It’s easier than real life in most respects but there are still things you may forget in the heat of the moment.
As in the past your main weapon is the analog stick so pull it back, push it forward and let it rip. The range of motion you find in the left stick gives you the ability to shape shots with a draw or fade, but I would have liked the meter that’s present in the PSP version to give you some more immediate feedback. You’ll also get the right stick into the action by using it to determine your clubs loft. Pull the right stick back during a shot and you’ll get more loft on the ball, move it forward and you’ll get more forward roll and keep the ball lower to the ground. I’ll cover most of this in the gameplay section, because, unlike other sports, the control in golf games IS the gameplay. You have no teammates to rely on, and there’s no AI opponents having a direct impact on your success. You play most rounds all alone. Just you and the shot controls making up the entire game.
The shooting mechanics using the analog swing is back in business using the left stick. With that, you are given various ways to reach the green and tons of adjustments you can use to refine your game. Speaking of adjustments, there is a lot you can do with your shots including power in the backswing, punch shots and spin, just to name a few. As previously mentioned the right stick is also invited to the part as the 'Loft Stick' allowing for a higher or lower trajectory within the same club.
This brings me to a problem I have with the franchise. While I do appreciate EA giving us the means to take control of the ball in many different ways, I think the ability to make adjustments after the shot is going too far. The way that you put spin on the ball drives me insane. In order to put spin on a shot, you pump the left bumper or "A" button and move the analog stick in the direction you want the ball to travel once it hits the ground. You do all this AFTER you hit the ball. I don’t know about any of you out there but when I’m actually out on the course, what little adjustments that I can make all take place before the ball and club meet. I know it’s just a game and I should probably cut it some slack but EA is constantly harping on their realism and this just flies in the face of those claims. Like I said before, I do like the fact that there is the ability to use spin but the way it’s implemented leaves a lot to be desired. Why couldn’t it be a pre-shot option like a punch or flop shot? OK, enough on that. I just had to get it off my chest. With all that behind me, I’ll get to the usual TW gameplay and the usual issues. Much like Madden, you get a game with some new tweaks and options but consistent issues still plague the title.
The first is your level of competition. We’re all familiar with the term 'rubber band AI' in which you’re not 'allowed' to get too far ahead or too far behind the games AI. It’s most common in racing games but seems a little obvious here in golf. In one on one competition you’ll notice this on almost every hole. I hit one into the water then the AI puts one in the water. I launch one into the woods and the AI will do something similarly stupid. The same thing happens on the other side too. I rip a 200 yard shot within three feet of the hole and the AI will get it within two. It’s frustrating if you’re looking for an honest game of golf. If I’m going to win a tourney by 23 shots, it should happen. If I’m launching everything in the drink, I should get killed. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that in TW, and it’s been that way as far back as I can remember.
Along those lines, our old friend, the easy gameplay is back again. As usual, for most of my reviews, I’m playing on default difficulty and it starts off a little tougher than in past years but you’ll quickly outgrow what’s the challenge that any of the courses might represent. It’s not going to take much time for you to know exactly where you’re going to put the ball on any shot. The landing indicator is no longer that one foot bullseye that it has been in the past. It’s still there but just bigger this year. This gives the reality another black eye for EA. Any weekend golfer who’s ever gone out on a course knows that it’s a rarity that you ever know where the ball is actually going to end up.
While I’m not in favor of shooting 125’s every round and never being good enough to compete on a level with the competition that’s represented in the game, there has to be a middle ground. Without too much of a time investment you can upgrade your golfer to the point where you can usually be within about five feet of guessing where any shot will end up before you even pick up a club. This really takes the intensity out of the game and leaves you less than satisfied with your performance.
The combination of limited difficulty and rubber band AI does keep things close even though you’ll be putting eagle after eagle up on the scoreboard. It still feels like an artificial competition. It’s forced, and doesn’t really give you a true representation of what the sport actually does provide. Once again, it’s a shame that the developers at EA can’t quite get this right for the console world because the PC versions are able to handle most of these recurring issues pretty well, leaving us with essentially the same issues again this year.
The first thing you’ll notice when looking towards the game’s staying power is the inclusion of only 12 courses. This is up from the pathetic showing last year of only 7. Why not forget the licensing and make up about 30 more? Make some over-the-top hard or just plain goofy? It seems like the easiest thing to do if you wanted a golf game with far more legs, but they still seem to nickel and dime us with courses.
When hitting the links, you’re going to spend the bulk of your time in the career mode and with that there’s plenty to do and see. You’ll want to build yourself up to take on the best in the world and bury them. On the way, you’ll unlock videos, increase your skill and buy clubs and pants to keep you occupied. Even though there isn’t much of a challenge, there is a bit of longevity to the games main mode.
Online is another boost to the length of this game. You can play all the standard modes online (skins, stroke, etc.) including the new Greensome and Bloodsome games that provide some different alternate shot games if you have four players in your group. This presents a nice little change of pace for an otherwise stuffy sport. There’s plenty to do in this game if you feel like sticking it out.
This title follows the EA tradition to a tee (pun intended). This year’s version is a step up visually and kills some of the bugs and issues that were present in last year’s 360 debut. The game looks and plays well on most every level, but you still feel like you're playing a game that was made four years ago. I understand it’s tough to come out with a groundbreaking game when you have to pump one out every year, but the issues that are present with Tiger Woods ’07 are the same as they’ve been every year.
Instead of going deeper and deeper into the player creation, can we get some help in the AI department? I’d much rather do away with the rubber band AI than have the ability to further tune the sideburns on my character. We know they aren’t spending time beefing up the game's manual either, as it comes in at a hefty nine pages. What I’m really saying, and have been for years, is that Tiger Woods ’07 is better than last year but not as good as we want it to be.
