Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
3 years definitely makes a difference
Posted October 23, 2007
Tiger Woods on portable devices have always been a waning portion of the multi-million dollar franchise. Finally, Electronic Arts revamped the Nintendo DS version and gave it the touch screen love it’s needed since the release of the only other DS Tiger Woods title three years ago. It’s nice to see a developer give a bit of attention to a type of game that seems right at home on the NDS. Typical of Electronic Arts, the presentation is up to par with the console releases. While the number of presentation features are limited due to the cartridge memory, The motion intro video and the menu structure are all glitzy and well polished. Navigating the menu with the stylus is speedy and everything on the screen is instantly recognizable.
Gameplay
As you create your golfer persona when you load up the game for the first time, you will notice a dollar amount that comes into play. Money is used for upgrading the golfer, be it better clubs or an increase in stats. It also plays into the risk versus reward system that makes this version of Tiger so addictive. Tournaments and other matches cost money to enter. For instance, a major tournament will cost your player at least $25K just to enter. If you happen to do poorly in the tournament, there’s no going back to reclaim the entry fee. Alternatively, the reward for doing well is substantially more than the entry fee and will help pay for the stat boosts tremendously. Early in the game, this can be frustrating for gamers looking to jump straight into the majors, but it does force a slower, more rewarding route to success.
Tiger Woods 08 comes loaded with eight licensed courses, many seen in previous games. Popular courses, such as Pebble Beach and Sawgrass, are found in the game as well as sixteen professional golfers. Similar to its console counterparts, the NDS version of Tiger comes with a variety of single player modes. You can practice your swing in the mini-games to head right out into the career mode.
The swing control with the stylus is finally accurate and very much like a real golf swing. The stylus is moved backward to power up the swing and forward to knock the heck out of the ball. The direction of the forward swing also comes into play. Drawing a crooked path will cause the ball to veer to the left or right. This can come in handy when you need to slice the ball, but the straight and narrow is often the best way to play.
I have no idea how the putting system made it through the development process though. Putting, one of the most important aspects of staying competitive in a tournament, is highly frustrating with the stylus and often feels simpler with the directional pad. The player is given no solid indication of the path the ball will take, mostly due to the lack of dimensional depth in the green preview. It takes hours upon hours to master stylus putting control and it still sends the errant putt flying past the hole from time to time.
Fortunately for NDS owners, multiplayer doesn’t take a backseat to the single player modes. Tiger Woods 08 features online wi-fi matches for up to four players, but my favorite is 4 player matches via download play. It’s really nice to see EA not forcing players to purchase the full game to get your competitive groove on with your local friends. Online wi-fi matches were pretty much lag free, but the game is paced so slow that lag wouldn’t be an issue.
Graphics
I found the color scheme to be slightly drab for a outdoor golfing title. That being said, the course models were excellent and each professional golfer looked like their real-life counterpart. The character animations were solid as well, although there really isn’t much more than the motion-captured swing animations. The game loads quickly from hole to hole and the frame rate is acceptable.
Audio
I rather enjoyed the lack of commentary during the match. I’ve always found that to be distracting when watching a championship round on television. For the most part, the environmental audio is silent. Only the occasional wildlife emission from the trees or rustling breeze will make your ears perk up. Of course, the crowd does offer an appropriate response after a shot, be it groaning or applause.
Overall
Surprisingly fulfilling, Tiger Woods 08 for the NDS is an absolute delight to play. While the putting game still needs tweaking, the touch screen improvements are fantastic and it feels much more like a live game of golf. The lengthy single player career mode and the hefty multiplayer certainly enhance the replay value of the title. It’s the perfect distraction for golf enthusiasts and certainly an enjoyable romp for those seeking a new sports title. Feel secure in purchasing the new version of Tiger Woods, even at full MSRP.
Gameplay
As you create your golfer persona when you load up the game for the first time, you will notice a dollar amount that comes into play. Money is used for upgrading the golfer, be it better clubs or an increase in stats. It also plays into the risk versus reward system that makes this version of Tiger so addictive. Tournaments and other matches cost money to enter. For instance, a major tournament will cost your player at least $25K just to enter. If you happen to do poorly in the tournament, there’s no going back to reclaim the entry fee. Alternatively, the reward for doing well is substantially more than the entry fee and will help pay for the stat boosts tremendously. Early in the game, this can be frustrating for gamers looking to jump straight into the majors, but it does force a slower, more rewarding route to success.
Tiger Woods 08 comes loaded with eight licensed courses, many seen in previous games. Popular courses, such as Pebble Beach and Sawgrass, are found in the game as well as sixteen professional golfers. Similar to its console counterparts, the NDS version of Tiger comes with a variety of single player modes. You can practice your swing in the mini-games to head right out into the career mode.
The swing control with the stylus is finally accurate and very much like a real golf swing. The stylus is moved backward to power up the swing and forward to knock the heck out of the ball. The direction of the forward swing also comes into play. Drawing a crooked path will cause the ball to veer to the left or right. This can come in handy when you need to slice the ball, but the straight and narrow is often the best way to play.
I have no idea how the putting system made it through the development process though. Putting, one of the most important aspects of staying competitive in a tournament, is highly frustrating with the stylus and often feels simpler with the directional pad. The player is given no solid indication of the path the ball will take, mostly due to the lack of dimensional depth in the green preview. It takes hours upon hours to master stylus putting control and it still sends the errant putt flying past the hole from time to time.
Fortunately for NDS owners, multiplayer doesn’t take a backseat to the single player modes. Tiger Woods 08 features online wi-fi matches for up to four players, but my favorite is 4 player matches via download play. It’s really nice to see EA not forcing players to purchase the full game to get your competitive groove on with your local friends. Online wi-fi matches were pretty much lag free, but the game is paced so slow that lag wouldn’t be an issue.
Graphics
I found the color scheme to be slightly drab for a outdoor golfing title. That being said, the course models were excellent and each professional golfer looked like their real-life counterpart. The character animations were solid as well, although there really isn’t much more than the motion-captured swing animations. The game loads quickly from hole to hole and the frame rate is acceptable.
Audio
I rather enjoyed the lack of commentary during the match. I’ve always found that to be distracting when watching a championship round on television. For the most part, the environmental audio is silent. Only the occasional wildlife emission from the trees or rustling breeze will make your ears perk up. Of course, the crowd does offer an appropriate response after a shot, be it groaning or applause.
Overall
Surprisingly fulfilling, Tiger Woods 08 for the NDS is an absolute delight to play. While the putting game still needs tweaking, the touch screen improvements are fantastic and it feels much more like a live game of golf. The lengthy single player career mode and the hefty multiplayer certainly enhance the replay value of the title. It’s the perfect distraction for golf enthusiasts and certainly an enjoyable romp for those seeking a new sports title. Feel secure in purchasing the new version of Tiger Woods, even at full MSRP.