Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007
As is the case with most sport games EA basically dominates the market. The Tiger Woods' franchise is the pinnacle of professional golf in the gaming industry. Other attempts from publishers mostly seem to do one of two things: either they copy Tiger's gameplay or they take a different spin on the sport (usually in comic fashion). It's because of this that I was surprised by ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 by Oxygen because it actually does neither.
Gameplay:
Where ProStroke Golf sidesteps from the rest of the golf experiences on home consoles is the fact that it tries to be as serious as possible. There is little fanfare and much of the game is designed around creating a title that is as realistic as possible. Because of this the gameplay is entirely different from other franchises and in many ways carries a bit of innovation with it. The problem is that the implementation of many of these concepts leaves much to be desired.
When you think of a golf game one control mechanic comes to mind; swinging. Many games have different takes on this seemingly simple concept but few franchises get it right. In ProStrike Golf they've taken a different approach to the whole thing.
Instead of viewing your player from behind and watching him swing the game lines you up with the ball and gives you a first person view as if you were looking down. From there a couple of things impact how your ball is going to sail. The right analog stick controls the power behind your shot as you pull it back and push it forward. This feels a little awkward to do but becomes even worse when you take into account the use of the left analog.
In order to line up your shot appropriately and adjust your angle the left analog stick has to be moved this way and that. Depending on how you move the analog your stance will change, your weight will shift and the angle of your club will change as well. This helps give you more air time or slice the shot to the left or right. Using this in conjunction with the right stick makes things much more difficult than they really have to be. Things get even worse when you have to press other buttons just to get a glimpse at where you are aiming.
The learning curve for ProStroke Golf is pretty steep and even when you do figure out these mechanics it still doesn't feel natural. Hitting a button wrong or slipping with the analog will result in you wildly pitching a shot and having it land in a sandtrap or the like. This set up gets even more frustrating when you're trying to line up a put since you're really not given the ability to aim correctly. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself completely blowing the par on a course by over 20 points thanks to complexity of this system.
I do have to give this game credit where credit is due. The weight shifting and swinging mechanics may not be the most playable but in many ways they mirror the real life sport. If not for the difficulty that is thrown at you as far as looking around is concerned this system would have been more rewarding.
Tying this game into the professional sport is the inclusion of many big names. Sergio Garcia, Ben Curtis, Justin Rose and Mark O'Meara are just a few of the players you can expect to see throughout the game. Several more become involved but that is basically just fluff because the rest of the game isn't particularly deep.
Any sports game lives and dies by the modes that it features. In ProStroke Golf you'll want to start out with the Tutorial but from there your options are rather limited. You can play a quick game, create a course, take part in a tournament or start a career. The only problem is that each of those modes essentially offers the same thing as the one before it and the depth just isn't there. Even more disappointing is the fact that there is no online play so you're stuck playing with your buddies from only your console.
Graphics:
I wasn't expecting amazing graphics going into ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 but I was surprised by how unattractive much of this game was. In most cases the graphics here are middle of the road but there are plenty of places that leave something to be desired. The courses are bland and static, the animation is chunky and repetitive, the character models are ugly and rigid, and everything in the game just lacks pizzazz. Jagged edges are another cause for concern and there is much pixilation to mar the visuals. All in all this is a below average looking game.
Audio:
With a lackluster round of commentary by Sam Torrance, Alan Green, and Ian Baker-Finch ProStroke Golf is a boring game to listen to. Their comments are less than insightful and often times the game just repeats the same line over and over again. Sound effects are kept to a minimum with some slight applause and the sound of a ball being hit by a club. Music is kept mainly to the menus and could be considered lame elevator music at best.
Conclusion:
In the end ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 just isn't a compelling game to play. The swinging mechanic may be realistic but in many ways that feature was achieved to a fault. It's not entirely user friendly and only the most diehard of diehard really need to apply. Casual golf gamers should stick with the more mainstream titles but you're looking for an authentic experience you may want to consider picking this one up.