EA, In Fact, Makes Golf Exciting
The Tiger Woods PGA Tour series does at least one thing that other sports games do not do. It sucks you in. Every other game I can think of, NBA Jam, Madden, the NHL series, they all play as bursts of fun in single game doses, spread out across season and franchise modes. But Masters, like most of the other Tiger Woods games from EA Sports, actually has a true career mode.
Rivaling the intricate yet rewarding system that games like the original Tony Hawk series had, you start with basically zero stats in all categories. As you play more golf, play on more courses, and win more tournaments, you earn points you can use to increase you attributes. You can change everything from your golfer's beard hair color to his voice, and everything in between. But combining that level of intimate game design and the game of golf creates a package that is almost like a drug. A damn good one. Tiger Woods 2007 was admittedly the reason my brother-in-law dropped out of college.
Even if you are just playing as one of the dozen or so professionals included in the game, you could still play for hours on end. Changing the weather of any of the courses completely changes how you will play making the set number of courses feel like twice as many holes. There has always been a very good game of golf at the core of the gameplay. Along with the NHL series, EA does a very good job here of making analog controls feel accurate and not at all gimmicky as some games used to.
Another thing that EA does well is adding new features that, usually, do not get in your way. The newly included caddy seems a little bit abrasive at first serves as a great coaching tool. It functions very much like “Ask Madden,” from the long-running series of the same name, by automatically giving you a few shots set up for the current situation. Of course, you can completely ignore him and set up your own shot, but having the option certainly makes the game more approachable. But when the EA giveth the EA taketh away.
Navigating the menus feels a bit sloppy, which is ironic considering they tried to make it as simple as possible. Changing your input options, like switching to a traditional three-click control system, takes a few too many menus and button presses. Additionally, every time you change a setting, the game takes the time to auto-save it for you. It sounds nice, but waiting a good 45 seconds just to switch my control type, use it, then revert back to the menu and wait another 45 seconds. This is especially odd because just two versions ago, I could switch between analog and three-click controls by pressing the right-stick in. To be fair, those are really the only things holding the game back.
Anyone looking for a good game of golf will be blown away, without a doubt, and anyone looking for a sports game to waste countless hours on, has finally found their match. I feel like it is a tough decision to pay $60 every year for new sports games but Tiger Woods does a better job than any other sports game on the market of giving you your moneys' worth, in fact, this game feels like a deal at $60. Don't believe me? Wait until you hold you breath trying to make that eagle putt.
