| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (PS2)
In life, there are many certainties. Night follows day. Litigation follows building work. And once a year, EA Sports releases a new batch of sports titles which are bought in vast quantites by the public. And yet every year, we find ourselves asking the same questions. Have there been enough improvements to justify another £30-£40 being spent? Have they sold out the game we love for arcade simplicity? And why DO they sell so many?
Thus we come to the latest in EA's attempts to bring golf to the videogame market. They've been doing it for a while, but the series arguably took off when they secured the lucrative licence (to print money?) of Tiger Woods, easily the most recognizable golfer in the world. He's probably the one golfer that most non-golfers would be able to identify, and for that reason, it's a marketing man's dream.
So what's the game like? It starts out promisingly enough, with Tiger telling us that "It's in the game" while showing off by skimming a ball along about 10 yards of water, with a grin on his face that suggests he's on a bonus for every tooth that's visible. The first thing we're asked to do is to create a profile. This contains simple details, the usual information like name, whether you're right or left handed, much what you'd expect.
Following that, however, we come to the first of the features that raise the bar in this sort of game. GameFace. Long a staple of wrestling games, we come across the ability to create yourself, and put yourself into the game. The engine is both easy to use and powerful in equal measure, and a perfectly passable rendition of myself was in the game within 3 minutes.
Next up is the pro shop, where you have a small introductory amount of cash to buy some stats for your player. These can be allocated to various areas, including power, accuracy, putting, recovery, and a few others. It costs extra to add each additional point, so don't expect your player to be world class anytime soon.
So you're in the game. Now, can you play? The only accessible mode on first loading is the first scenario, which is a tutorial on how to play the game. It's required to be completed before you can do anything else, and this is a good idea in my view, as it means that you do get a good grasp on the fundamentals of the game. You'll learn all the useful shots here, and it's time well spent.
The swinging mechanism deserves special mention. Previously, golf games involved clicking buttons to start and continue the swing, but no longer. EA have used the PS2's analog (yes, I know that's the American spelling, but it's written that way on the pad, so I'm using it) sticks to create a system that's both simple to grasp, yet hard to master at the same time. It seems child's play at first, pull back for the backswing, and then forward for the downswing. But it soon becomes patently obvious that it's not quite that easy. Timing must be spot on, and if the stick isn't swung strainght, then your shot's missing the target. The trick is to start the downswing at the exact moment the backswing ends.
The main mode that most people will play to begin with is the World Tour mode. in this, you travel to various courses across the globe, and try and beat a golfer there (Really? You do surprise me!). The golfers get more difficult, as do the courses, but at the same time, the money that can be won increases speedily as well. Beating a few golfers will give you the cash to boost your stats pretty well.
A welcome addition to this year's game is the opportunity to play a full PGA tour season. Well, 10 of them to be exact. This is another fine way to win decent amounts of cash, and if you do well enough, you'll also get sponsored by some companies to use their products. The top 70 at each event qualify for the final 2 rounds, and you can generally get about $300,000 for winning an event.
Of the other modes, most are much what you'd expect. All the expected traditional modes of golf are here, and EA have thrown in a few arcade modes like speed golf to satisfy those who demand their quick fix. Not that they're really necessary, though, since this game is not as slow as real golf. Any fool would know that, of course, since with it being a video game, there's no need to walk 300 yards to get to your ball. A round of 18 holes shouldn't take any more than 20-25 minutes though.
Graphically, the game is fantastic. All the golfers (many of whom are licensed PGA Tour professionals) are in full 3D, and they each appear to have a unique swing. The proof of this is in Jim Furyk, who has a swing that was once described as 'an octopus falling out of a tree'. Fire up the game, play against him, and what do you know, an octopus falls out of a tree (not literally). The courses all look perfect, and have certain weather effects that add to the atmosphere (courses by the sea have misty spray coming in).
The audio is amongst the best I've ever heard as well. Using David Feherty and Gary McCord is a stroke of genius, as both have senses of humour that ensure the lines they deliver criticising your performance never sound forced. It's very rare for them to pass inaccurate comment either, which is a first.
When we get to longevity, we encounter a split. Golfers who play this game will be kept occupied for a long time, with 20 distinct courses, a mixture of real and fantasy. The fantasy courses are realistic enough in their appearance, but also fiendish in their difficulty. These will not be tamed until your stats have been raised consderably. To the non-golfer, however, it may all seem relatively samey. "It's just golf", they'll cry. To an extent they'll be right, the game is golf, and there's no denying that. But while it's true that you'll enjoy this game more if you've played golf yourself, that's not to say that non-golfers won't enjoy it. Especially in a multiplayer environment, with a few people crammed round the console.
I've left the best aspect of this game to last, and with good reason. The AI is near perfect, and the best I've seen in a golf game EVER. Opponents will use smart course-management, and while they'll make mistakes, it's rare for them to fall victim to the curse of ego. I can guarantee you will experince this at some point. You know how it works, there's 250 yards to go, all over water. You KNOW you can make it, but you keep falling short. Pride kicks in, and you keep trying until you do make it, even if you do score 10 for that hole.
Best of all, the AI is not superman. Often in games, you'll be leading, and all of a sudden catchup logic, despite being denied by the makers, will rear its ugly head, and the computer player will hole out from 270 yards to steal the match. Here, it's all about momentum. if you can get your opponent down, then they'll start to take risks to get back on terms. But the further back they fall, the greater the risk, and the more likely they are to fail. Steady, sensible play is the way to succeed here.
I have only a couple of minor criticisms about the game. The rules are a tiny bit off in some cases, notably when dealing with penalty drops for unplayable lies, and some of the scenarios are unimaginably difficult. But these are minor points, and to be honest, I'm just being picky.
This is the Playstation2 version that I've been looking at, but I'm reliably informed that there isn't a great deal of difference on any other consoles. It's out now, and can be had for about £40 in the shops, although some online retailers are selling copies for £30.
I asked at the beginning of the review why it was that EA sold so many copies of their sports games. In this case the answer is simple:- It's because it's just that damn good. | |
