Gaming Age


Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Author: Brian Peterson
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Machine: PlayStation 3 (US Version)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

The Tiger Woods series has been so good for so long that no one else has bothered to seriously attempt to make a great golf game. In fact, when you think of video games and golf, only Tiger comes to mind. It's easy to just rest on that fact and make the same game year after year, but EA has always refined instead of reinventing which is a great thing for fans of the series. You'll know exactly what to expect and look forward to any tweaks and features that come each new year. Well Tiger 08 is no different; there are new courses, new features, stronger visuals, and more of everything you love about this franchise. Par for the course is the knowledge that EA didn't try and reinvent this wheel, but has just made the best that much better.

The Xbox 360 version of the game is stellar with great textures for the players and courses, a solid frame rate, and even some scary real faces for actual pro golfers. The PS3 version suffers from some hiccupping both in flybys and in close ups, but nothing that will tarnish the game play. Even the Wii version looks sharp, just not as stunning as the "next-gen" systems (that's right I said it). I do wish that EA would work next year on spiffing up the presentation with some flashier overlays and screen wipes, as this year looks much like last year where presentation is concerned.

Tiger sounds great using a terrific surround sound implementation that makes you almost feel you're right there with the sun on your shoulders. Play by play has been touched up a bit, with some nifty inclusions of botched calls on the pitch and the other commentator calling him out on it. Twenty-on golfers now lend their voices and likenesses and we are getting that much closer to being allowed in the clubhouse after a match.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Gameplay is top notch this year catering to all walks of life. Whether you are a newbie or veteran, there are many levels of difficulty and settings that will challenge any golfing fan. New putting meters make things a bit less frustrating, but the shot confidence meter on the other hand will make your life a box of chocolates. Now your target circle is as small or large as your game on the pitch determines. This allows gamers to really work on certain rough spots on courses to improve their rounds and decrease their overall score.

New features have been added this year such as several new courses (including 4 from the Fed-Ex championship series), the Photo Gameface which allows you to use a USB camera or easportsworld.com to upload a face to create the most realistic create a golfer on the planet, and GamerNet, a feature that allows for you to relive a certain hole or round and share it with other gamers via the internet. These are all available on top of the already great features Tiger offers time and time again.

Since Tiger has been on the next gen systems for 3 incarnations now, it would be nice to see some new enhancements in the presentation so it doesn't seem so familiar. In the end, Tiger may be the only game in town and there is no need for anyone else on this course.

Brian Peterson

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