Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
Reviewed By Matt Roberts
The Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise from EA
Sports is back with its 2013 installment and I’m excited!
If
you’ve been a Tiger Woods player for a while and played most of the
editions, you’d have to agree that not much changes from year to year
other then graphic improvements and some additional courses/players.
The 2013 edition is quite the contrary. Expecting to just fall back on
my previous Tiger Woods experience and knowledge I was in for a
surprise.
All the main game modes are back; stroke
play, matchplay, stableford, skins, create your own player (still very
good) and many more that can be played solo or multiplayer. On
commencement of my first round I immediately noticed that they had done
a major overhaul of the swing system. Instead of just pulling the left
analog stick back then pushing it forward in a vaguely straight line
and hitting fairways regularly like in recent editions, the new swing
system is extremely sensitive to any slight movement.
Just before striking the ball an arc of the
golfers swing appears, you don't have to follow the arc with the analog
stick you just have to swing it straight which is easier said then
done. The sensitivity of the new swing system can veer your pull-back
and release ever so slightly causing you to slice or hook the ball,
which can cost you big time in the game of golf. It’s an added pressure
to the game which I suppose resembles actual golf, as any variation to
your swing in real life can be disastrous.
Another factor intertwined in the new swing system is the tempo of your
swing. To hit the perfect drive down the fairway or approach shot to
the green, your back and forward swings must be of the same pace and
with fluency.
Because of this new system the putting too
can be quite difficult as the backswing is so quick its easy to
overshoot the hole. It really requires you to concentrate, a challenge
Im sure the pro’s encounter often on the PGA tour.
Moving on from the swing most of the other
gameplay features are the same or similar. You have the options of
adding/reducing loft, draw/fade, back/forward spin and ball strike
position which gives you an in depth golfing experience.
Sometimes this can all be a little confusing
which is why Tiger Woods PGA 2013 has added the ‘Ask Caddy’ feature.
This gives you specific advice on the aforementioned stroke options,
telling you how much loft etc. Having this at your disposal can come in
handy especially when beginning as it trains you on how to set up to
the ball and take use of all the options.
Although it helps at the start, after a
while it felt like cheating because it was so easy to ask the caddy
what to do, instead of figuring it out for yourself. Fortunately the
‘Ask Caddy’ option can be switched off once your ready to fly solo.
Your favourite golfers such as Jim Furyk and
Rory McIlroy are back with 5 new players making their debut including
Dustin Johnson and Hunter Mahan. The graphics are fantastic, the
golfers faces are designed to a tee (no pun intended) and the courses
(5 new ones) are so life-like and marvelous they simply jump off the
screen. Included in these courses is the Augusta National Golf Club,
yes you can finally compete in the U.S Masters.
A new game mode featured on the 2013
installment is the Tiger Legacy Challenge. This allows you to re-live
Tiger’s golfing accomplishments from the age of 2 right up to his
estimated Hall of Fame induction in 2019 through a range of challenges.
Whether it be chipping intro Earl’s (Tigers father) backyard swimming
pool or playing amateur tournaments it gives you a thorough play
through of Tigers achievements.
Online gaming is back with the same ranked
and unranked competition world wide in the aim to increase your overall
skill level and I guess, online ego. An added feature to the online
gameplay this year is Online Country Clubs. You can create your own
exclusive country club and invite your friends, or join an already made
one. The country club allows you to compete against each other for the
club championship or team up with each other to unlock exclusive
courses easier.
Overall
I had a lot a fun playing this game. Once you get past the immediate
difficulties with the swing system and persist, it becomes very
rewarding. I believe the change in the swing is a step in the right
direction for this decorated franchise. To be honest they could of
included a thorough tutorial in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 to show you how
to use the swing system, unfortunately this was nowhere to be
seen!
I really
like the idea of the Tiger Legacy Challenge, it’s always fun to re-live
a signature athletes accomplishments especially if you’re a fan of the
sport. But this mode was let down by the pure monotony of some of the
challenges that were poorly designed and take forever to do. The
Country Club feature adds a social element which is a fun new addition.
Despite
some radical changes to the swing, I believe this latest installment is
a blast especially for the golfing enthusiast. Sometimes change is a
good thing?
Rating:
80%
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Game: Tiger Woods
PGA Tour 13
System: PS3
Developer/Co-Developer: EA
Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
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