Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Gameplay:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 features several modes of play that are great for on-the-go-gaming. The single player modes include quick play, PGA Tour Career, and mini-games. The multiplayer mode features both ad-hoc and infrastructure wireless game play. The latter is a big addition over the "2006" version that lacked online head-to-head competition. In general, "2007" feels a lot like "2006" in terms of game play and control. But as they say, what works, works. "2006" had great controls. A comprehensive discussion about the differences between "2006" and "2007" are provided towards the end of this section. There aren't really many in terms of game play. On that note, if you own "2006", upgrading is probably not worth the money unless you are a huge golf fanatic.
The first single player mode "Quick Play" allows you to play in a variety of solo configurations for a quick game. "Tutorial" allows you to play a walkthrough match that will teach you to drive the ball, aim your putts, shoot from the rough, etc. If you know how to play from "2006", there is no reason to play through the tutorial. Other configurations include "Stroke Play", play a basic round of golf against CPU player(s), "Match Play", you versus a CPU player, whoever wins the most holes, wins the match, "Skins", each hole is worth money, "Stableford", your performance is worth points.
Each configuration allows for course selection (Pebble Peach, St. Andrews, TPC at Sawgrass, Pinhurst no. 2, Bethpage Black, Spyglass Hill, Cog Hill, Troon North Monument, Pasatiempo, Fancourt Links, The Highlands, Central Park, and a couple other ones). In addition to course selection, you can pick number of CPU players (if applicable), hole select (all 18, front 9, back 9, random 3, custom), golfer select, and other options (mulligans, tee select, pin select, green speed, fairway speed, rough length). The benefit from playing the quick matches is that you can earn additional cash for the active profile.
Career mode is where you will spend most of your time playing. The idea is that you are new to the PGA Tour and you are a nobody. What you need to do now is build your playing skills, earn cash to buy better equipment, gain sponsorships, build your prestige as a player, and earn enough FedEx Cup points to rank as one of the top 30 golfers to qualify for the playoffs. You have three [game] years to complete your mission.
While in career mode, various events are listed on a calendar. Some of the events are tournaments geared towards gaining more prestige and/or FedEx Cup points. As your prestige rises, you will have more opportunities to complete one-on-one with other pro golfers. In addition to the regular tournament matches, random events will pop up as opportunities for you to earn cash or hone your skills. Generally, these matches give you experience in one of the following categories power, accuracy, spin, putting, concentration, and general. Experience is used to boost traits under each respective category, where general applies to any category. You will want to make sure you play through each of these opportunities.
Other aspects of the career mode, not necessarily related to the game play are the pro shop, journal, and scrapbook. The pro shop is the place to go to boost character stats (power, power boost, driving accuracy, ball striking, approach, spin, putting, recovery, luck) and purchase new equipment (clubs, apparel, accessories). The journal is a log that tracks the progression of the player's pro career. Scrapbook is optional. At the end of significant matches, you have the ability of saving JPEG images of that detail the important moments.
The last single player mode is "Mini-Games". Under the game mode option, you can play two of the exclusive PSP mini-games, "Putting Frenzy" and "Shooting Gallery". In "Putting Frenzy", you have a fixed amount of time to sink as many tough putts as possible. The distance, difficulty, and value of points change per shot! In "Shooting Gallery", the clock is ticking and there are many targets to hit! Aim your shots well and rack up the points.
In addition to the single player modes, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 features multiplayer modes via ad hoc and infrastructure wireless. In the former, you play against a friend who is in the same local vicinity as you. In the latter, you can play over the Internet. The gaming modes included are "Stroke Play", "Match Play", "Skins", "Bingo Bango, Bongo", and "Shoot Gallery". And if you like, you can place bets on the matches!
Overall, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 packs a lot of portable-fun for on-the-go-gaming. Like its predecessor, the game play is addictive and there is a lot to accomplish. The game should keep you busy for hours are you build your reputation, increase your stats, purchase better gear and apparel, and finish as number one. However, as previously mentioned, if you own the "2006" version, there is little in terms of new game play to make an immediate upgrade worth the investment. I would rent a copy of this before investing the money in a purchase if this is the case. However, if you are new to the Tiger Woods on PSP franchise, then this is a must own.
Differences between "2007" and "2006"
This version uses a different method to increase player stats. In "2006", player stats were increased with cash. In terms of game play, it gave you a big reason to accumulate cash by replaying certain matches. In "2007", the approach to increase player stats is more realistic. Instead of purchasing upgrades, when you play matches and competitions you collect experience points for specific stats or a general pool that can be applied to any of the main categories.
The game's controls are pretty much identical to "2006". There are only a few minor differences. First off, there are better controls to quickly switch putting distances and clubs. Another new feature, but not necessarily controls (but still helpful), is a swing path gauge. The gauge shows if you are hitting the ball straight on, pulling, or pushing your swing. It makes it easier to identify if you are pushing or pulling too much (or on accident). You can also use power boost when putting, which is a significant advantage. However, this improvement are all minor.
Some of the other new additions to the game include multiplayer mode: support for infrastructure wireless game play over the Internet (discussed earlier in this review), new courses: Bethpage Black, Pinehurst No. 2, Central Park, new mini-game: shooting gallery (discussed earlier in this review).
Another change is the addition of the EA Media Center. I thought this was a good move of EA's part--to an extent. The media center allows you to view video extras you unlock after beating various PGA Tour players in one-on-one matches, EA Sports video game trailers, and music control. With the music controls, you can select tracks to listen to and add your own MP3s to the collection. Unfortunately, you can only listen to your custom tracks during menu navigation. They do not play during game play.
The music provided includes the following:
1. John Morgan "Marisol Theme"
2. John Morgan "Snow Dream"
3. Ulrich Schnauss "Monday-Paracetamol"
4. Fort Knox Five "Blowing Up The Spot"
5. Rinocerose "Body To Body"
6. Hexstatic "Chase Me"
7. Stereo MCs "Don't Know (Instrumental Mix)"
8. Bad Apples "Everything To Me"
9. Way Out West "Fear"
10. 2 Bit Pie "Here I Come"
11. Hexstatic "L-Virata"
12. Buttrich "Meeting Dave Dish"
13. Fort Knox Five "The Big Score"
14. Fort Knox Five "The Brazilian Hipster"
15. Way Out West "Anything But You"
16. The Longcut "Holy Funk"
17. Stereo MCs "Paradise (Dr. Rubberfunk Remix)"
18. Caribou "The Bam"
19. Coco & Putnam "Third World (Chicky Mix)"
Graphics:
The graphics for this game are visually very good. It looks pretty much the same as its predecessor. The character models offer a good level of detail. The pro PGA Tour players look fairly realistic and the game also features a high customizable character model to make a person of your own design (facial, body, clothing, accessories, etc.). The environments are also represented fairly well, but really, how detailed can grass get?
Audio:
The sound in this game is good for golfing. The sound effects are fairly generic, but it is not like we need a lot of different noises for golf. The commentary adds realism to the game play. However, it can get slightly repetitive after a lot of constant play. At some point, I just turned off the sound. I was disappointed "2007" allowed you to you're your own MP3s, but would not play the music tracks during game play (music only happens when you are in the menus).
Conclusion:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is the third installment in EA Sports golf game series for the PSP. This addition does not offer any significant improvements over its predecessor Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 that was released about this time last year. Even so, "2007" features some exciting game play (just like "2006"). If you haven't picked up a golf game for the PSP, it is a must own. However, if you already own "2006", then I would only consider getting this game if you really want to play online matches against your friends over the Internet. But if that is not the case, I would suggest renting "2007" before dumping money into the game. There just isn't a lot between the two games that I could justify purchasing a game that plays and looks almost the exact same.