EA’s Tiger Wood franchise has had its ups and downs, but it always manages to bounce back thanks to a loyal golf gaming fan base. Face it, there are plenty of golf games on the market, but only one has the official Tiger Woods seal of approval. Developer EA Tiburon has listened to the masses and for the first time included motion control gameplay via the Kinect, in hopes of delivering a fully immersed golfing experience. Does this make Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 a better game than it’s previous entries in the series? The answer is both yes and no.
gameplay
If you’ve played any of the past Tiger Woods PGA Tour games, the first noticeable difference in this version will be the new swing mechanic. It’s been rebuilt to be more precise; and the swing meter allows you to use the left thumbstick of your controller to feel the perfect swing range that you will need. When motioning your swing, a rumble from the controller indicates the sweet spot for a perfect stroke. There’s a slight learning curve, but once you get he hang of it, the more you swing the better you will get.
Another new features in this year’s game is the Tiger Legacy Challenges, which is basically a series of mini-games that allow you to play throughout the timeline of Tiger’s life from his first appearance when he was only two years old on the Mike Douglas show in the 70’s to his journey from winning continuous championships and becoming the greatest golfer of all time. This particular feature sort of has a Nintendo cute thing, as you play with a kiddie version of Tiger Woods and watch him transform from teen to adult. Going through these challenges also acts as a tutorial, so you can learn some of Tiger’s best techniques that you can use in the career mode.
All of the real juice of the game is in the Road to the PGA Tour career mode, which offers the traditional gameplay that is familiar to the Tiger Woods series. The create-a-golfer mode is back, and with some creativity and a lot of patience you can pull off some very accurate digital characters. You begin as an amateur player, and using the Rocky formula, the underdog must go the distance against all opponents to earn a place in The Masters.
Winning competitions earns you in-game coins, and you will need plenty of them, because this game gives you access to certain games out of the box, but if you want more you will need to buy them with coins you’ve acquired. If you want them quicker you’ll have to spend real-world cash using your Microsoft points. This may turn a lot of fans off because after paying $60 for a game, you don’t want it to become like Farmville or Smurf Village where you have to constantly shell out cash to keep playing. There are 16 courses on the disc and to play the other 20 you will have to hand over the loot. Come on, making us pay for DLC to finish the entire career mode sucks.
The biggest addition to PGA Tour 13 is the option to play it via motion control using the Kinect. A golf game is obviously one of the best ways to show off this feature, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. To use the Kinect features: when a player kneels down and crouches, the screen transitions to show how the shot will be lined up. When the player places a hand on their forehead to shield their eyes, they will get a complete view of the course. Players can also use voice commands to select the right club for a shot. The actual swing motion is where things get tricky. It is extremely difficult to get a precise swing, and actions such as putting will raise frustration levels. The main problem is that it is never consistent, and sometimes the Kinect sensor acts as if no action is done even after swinging multiple times. Being that the motion controller was one of the main selling points of the game, this should have been better tweaked, because after struggling through it players will quickly go back to using the controller.
Overall, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is more or less the same experience as previous games with some new features dropped into the mix. The new swing mechanic system when using the controller is good, but the Kinect motion control is a miss more than a hit. The career mode is well done and will keep you playing, but you may become annoyed when the course you want to play next demands you to fork over some money. This game’s target audience is obviously the armchair golfers who always say, “Seriously…How could he have missed that hole?” when they watch a golf game on TV and gulp back beers.
graphics
Most of the graphics seem to be directly ported from the previous titles in the series. The actual character design did get an upgrade and looks great, but the courses are just the standard big patches of green and brown. Background characters and onlookers feel as if they were cut and pasted in, and at times don’t even appear to be reacting to the player’s actions. The frame rate dips up and down at times, and there are issues with screen tear. The cute kiddie version of Tiger Woods in the Legacy Challenge mode may attract they little ones, but bigger players may desire more eye candy.
sound
Golf for the most part is a very quiet sport, but the background noises and ambience designed for the game is acceptable. The sound effects when a club swings and connects with the ball are spot on, but hearing the same dialogue over and over again will grow stale quick. This one is not a speaker crusher, but again in golf, silence is golden.
replay value
The career mode will keep you playing for a while, especially if you manage to earn enough coins, or you’re willing just to pay for new courses. Jumping online you can play with friends in the Country Club tournaments, and compete to work your way up on the leaderboards. Also note that playing online is one of the best ways to earn more coins without having to buy them. Players can also acquire boost pin packs, which are basically upgrades for your player that will give them a better swing and stamina. If you’re dedicated enough and desire to collect all the pins, this alone should keep you playing PGA TOUR 13 for a lengthy amount of time.
bottom line
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 does not break any new ground, it just adds some new shine onto the existing surface. Some of it works great such as the new swing control system, but other things like the added on Kinect feature leaves a lot to be desired. (Playing with a controller is still the way to play). If you’re a hardcore golf fan then EA’s Tiger Woods games are the best on the market. Despite it’s flaws, the overall look and feel of the sport of golf is solid; and if you go the distance and can get a lot of coins, then you will be ‘The Master.’
Review by: Johnny McNair
Posted: 04/12/2012
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Gameplay:
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7.5 |
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Graphics:
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7.5 |
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Sound:
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7.0 |
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Replay Value:
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8.0 |
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Bottom Line:
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7.5 |
