Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 Review
Tiger Woods seems to have the perfect lifestyle. A beautiful Swedish supermodel, a huge mansion, fame, money, on the Forbes celebrity list, an adorable daughter, close friends of Charles Barkley, thirteen major championships to his credit and his own video game.
Tiger Woods 2008 is the next iteration in the rather long series of Tiger Woods video games. If you are an avid fan of Tiger Wood games, you will feel right at home with the latest installment. Electronic Arts has been known for making arcade Tiger Woods golf video games to appeal to casual gamers, but their year looks different. Unrealistic scores (like 50-under) are virtually impossible to achieve this time around. The gameplay is similar to previous games in that it keeps the player immersed in the golf course. A new feature is a revamped putting system that allows you to anticipate the line of trajectory your golf ball will travel on the green. Although not as useful as Tiger Vision (which was introduced at Tiger Woods in 2005), it is still useful for lining up your putt. There is a limit to the number of times you can use this feature, so players should not expect to abuse other players with their putt. Your skill level and difficulty will determine how many times you can use the putt preview.
Another element of the game that can put some players off is the mechanics of the golf swing. Analog sticks are no longer used to hit the golf ball; however, the buttons are used. This disturbance may be due to a lack of challenge when hitting the golf ball with the analog stick. The new way to make contact with the ball is to press the button three times (a la Madden kicking field goals). Once to start your swing, twice to start your downswing, and a third time for accuracy. If it seems too complicated, it is actually quite intuitive. Madden fans can seamlessly transition with this gameplay mechanic. Photo face is another new feature of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008. It gives players the opportunity to generate their own face and put it in the game. This feature appears to be exclusive to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Electronics Arts has not confirmed a photo face feature for the Nintendo Wii. Sorry, Nintendo Wii owners. The create-a-golfer aspect is back, and it has the usual stuff you’d expect. You can create a golfer as skinny as Nicole Richie, or as putrid as Rosie O’Donnell. It all depends on the player. All the minigames remain intact in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008. The visuals in the game are brilliant. Everything from the beautiful golf courses to Tiger Woods’ million dollar smile will appeal to anyone. Shot Confidence is another original aspect of the game. In short, playing well gives you confidence. Playing poorly lowers your confidence. Many will be dissatisfied with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008, but others will be elated. Overall, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 is a solid improvement over Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007.
Final verdict 8 out of 10