OK, we’ll be honest from the beginning. Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘06 follows in the footsteps of each of the other sports titles released this year. It’s still a good game but the new additions don’t really add too much over what you had last year. Then when you take them away, all you have left is the 2005 edition. Even with the addition of the fleshed out Rivals mode and a Dual-Analog swing, there is the endearing feeling that the game is too similar to previous versions. That and the game is still way too easy.
How many points if you hit the rock?
The biggest addition to the game is the Rivals mode. It’s something of a dynasty mode, where you begin by creating your own character using the game-face feature. This is a lengthy but very rewarding process. The options available to you make it conceivable that you can create a very photo realistic character that bears a lot of resemblance to a real-life person. From there, you partake in numerous challenges against both fictitious and real-life players. The real-life players include current day players and quite a few past greats. The point is that you beat everyone along the way to become the greatest golfer of all-time. The challenges can range from a driving competition to a full match play scenario.
There are a couple of things about the Rivals mode that aren’t quite right though. Despite having access to some great competition, in the form of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Bob Hogan, they are merely shadows of their former selves. These players would have never made such embarrassing blunders in reality as they do in the game. Unfortunately, the AI issue doesn’t really get any better until much later in the mode. Even then, its not skillful, only computer driven. That and the presentation makes for some cumbersome navigation.
Outside of that, it is pretty much an enhancement of primary single-player modes from past years. You can buy all your gear and unlock all your characters and goodies through this mode. While it is something relatively different and does provide in that manner, at the end of the day, it is a dress-up of previous modes. Still, this isn’t the only thing to do in the game. You’ve still got your tour modes, Calendar, single and multiplayer (online for PS2 and Xbox) games and mini-games. They’re all good and work well, especially the skills 18 mode, which is an enhancement of previous targeting games.
In terms of actual gameplay, there have been a few changes. The ingenious Analog swing is there and remains somewhat intact. The change here is that you control swing and spin with the right-analog stick. Before you play a shot, there is a ball in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, which has a dot on it. The right analog stick is then used to move it to indicate the direction you want it to go. It takes a little time to get used to but in all, it adds something different. The learning curve has a degree of steepness about it, especially on the Xbox. This is because your power boost is controlled by the white button and trying to spin and boost is virtually an impossible task, unless you take the initiative and hold the controller in some bizarre manner.
He still can't find the ball
If the aim of adding this control mechanic was to increase the games challenge, it does for a while. For most Tiger veterans, it will only be a very short amount of time before they get into the full swing of things. Once the mechanics are figured out, there really isn’t too much that goes astray. Things that do go astray, they seem to do so on pure chance, more than on the fault of the player. The issue is that this is a change that doesn’t unanimously make the game better. Some people will like it, others won’t. If you have an Xbox, it makes the controls cumbersome where as before they were more comfortable.
There have been a few other changes that try to increase the game’s challenge. This includes changing the putting back into a grid. It shows the direction that the ground is sloping and there is a camera that shows the best path for the put. After a bit of tinkering, this will eventually become second nature. The game has also added the gamebreaker from other EA sports titles. It’s good because you have to perform very consistently to build it up and you can only use it sparingly. It can be used to drill a drive of sink a long chip. Thankfully, it can’t be abused too much.
There is still a good game of golf to be found here. However, just like a lot of the other EA sports titles, it’s very difficult to get a long-life out of this game. There simply isn’t enough of a challenge once you get through the initial learning curve. Even though the modes can theoretically keep you going for a long time, we wouldn’t be surprised to find that in reality, this one is shelved much quicker than past titles. The customization is still very robust and full of potential but it doesn’t help when most of the game’s courses are either rehashed or they aren’t very much fun to go through, primarily due to lack of difficulty.
Where do I hit it?
The games presentation is tip-top, despite the slightly disorientating feel of the Rivals mode. However, the in-game graphics are starting to age. They’re good and solid, with plenty of greenery, animations and some good details. It does get old when we start seeing those cardboard cut-out trees and the physics fail to impress. Sound-wise, the commentators are still some of the best in the video game sports but the sound effects in general are somewhat pedestrian, despite the fact that we really can’t think of a way to make them better.
While is may seem that we are coming across quite harshly, Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘06 is a good game. For those who haven’t played a Tiger game before, it’s a good place to start (unless you’ve only got an Xbox). For the rest, its unfortunate that the game doesn’t really offer enough to keep them interested, especially if they’ve already put hundreds of hours into previous games. The endearing issue with the game overall is that it doesn’t fit into either being a simulation or an arcade title, so we are left with a game that is still too easy.
This review is brought to you courtesy of Infinite Gameplay, with unlimited game rentals starting from $19.95 a month.
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