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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Review (continued)
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Manufacturer: Electronic Arts
Find all Electronic Arts reviews
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $59.99
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More User Submitted Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Reviews
Date: 2008-10-21
An excellent title with a few small glitches.
Others have commented at length about the core features of this game, so I will focus on some aspects of the single-player gameplay that struck me. My last Woods title was the 07 version, so that is my basis for comparison.
I agree with the other reviews that praised the graphics and controls; this is a game that looks and plays beautifully. The new features are excellent. The Club Tuner works exactly as advertised and it helped me clean up my swing. One thing that is a bit counterintuitive is that the more expensive "expert" clubs can hurt your score, as the increased distance you get from them is often more than countered by the decline in the "sweet spot" that they provide. In other words, the "better" clubs can offer penalties that outweigh the benefits. When I first started playing I upgraded my clubs as soon as I could afford them, only to find myself shanking balls wildly that had always gone straight up the fairway before. Many players will want to keep the beginner or advanced clubs until they can hit that narrow spot that leads to perfect drives. The clubs can all be edited, however, so you can go in and adjust them until you feel comfortable with them.
Another thing that some players may find frustrating is the way that the game rapidly ramps up in challenge as you move up the difficulty level. Having had experience with the 07 version of the game, I quickly found myself posting insane scores on the championship tour on the default difficulty (in one 2-round tournament I was at -30, with Tiger far behind in second place at -10). At the next "Hard" difficulty, however, the computer-controlled golfers suddenly started posting round scores in the 50s, requiring me to play flawless rounds just to stay in contention. I remember one tournament where the game was being played in gale-force winds (~30mph) and all the CPU golfers were still posting rounds of -12 or -13. The course records and such that you can get are nice bonuses for good play, but the computer players aren't counted when those awards are calculated (for example, I was awarded an all-time course record for one round, and was still in 5th place, with 4 computer golfers ahead of me). Similarly, I occasionally saw jumps in the computer scores that were almost impossible unless the CPU was hitting Double Eagles left and right.
The in-game Pro Shop offers extensive customization but has some negatives. The idea of selling bonus gear for Microsoft Points isn't that offensive to me, since you can just ignore it, but I've heard it creates some problems for online play. There are some silly items like pirate hats and Elvis costumes, but again, those can be ignored if you're looking for a more serious game (although some of the more ridiculous items offer the best stat bonuses). If you perform decently at all in the Tiger Challenge or the Championship Tour, you'll quickly accumulate more money than you can spend (unless you're someone who accumuluates every item available for your virtual golfer).
These minor glitches tend to reduce the game's impact as a golf "sim". But if you don't mind the occasional silly scores or unrealistic situations, and just want a fun, engaging game of golf, this game provides it in spades. When you're playing a round and you're at an 18th hole Par 5, two shots behind the leader, with a million virtual dollars on the line, you get a rush that even Madden or NBA 2kx can't equal.
Date: 2008-10-01
Fun Game
The game is fun. the coarses and game play are great, but i would like the golf coarses to be easier to unlock rather than havening to either buy them on X Box Live or beating the pros.
Date: 2008-09-30
Easier than the last.
This years Tiger Woods- the analog stick swing is a lot more forgiving- and the club tuner, is helpful.
What is totally annoying however, is the new voice overs/acting. They are NOT fun, they are lagging behind the action, and it is almost unbearable to listen to them- I miss the old guys.
Date: 2008-09-24
Better, but more of the same....
I didn't buy TW08 because it's always the same.. So, I thought TW09 would be better.. Right off the bat, I was happy.. Better game, better graphics, but that's where it stopped for me. My first tourney I played, shot -70ish.. Blew them away... Tiger Challenge? Even though it's different, it's just too easy.. And when I got to Tiger, beat him 9/8. What happened to all the fantasy courses? Was it 05 or 06 that had them? I cannot remember the course name, but when you finally got to Tiger, you played him on his fantasy course, Penguin something? That took me a dozen or so times to beat him and it was only 1 up, but man, to kick his butt the first time, it's just not that difficult. The tourney's are a joke and you win them all with scores of -80 or better. The better you play, the better they should as well. It's not fun when you know your going to score that low and the guy in second place is 60 or so shots back. I guess this game is more of an online player type game, because it's there where you get your competion; and the simulanious gameplay is cool.. It sucks that you have to pay to play online, that's why I am a PS3'er and only bought XBOX 360 because I am in the military overseas and didn't bring it with me.. Overall, happy, but it can be better.. You cannot even give your guy tat's or jewerly anymore.. Dunno, you would think after 9 or so years of TW, it would be even more fun and enhanced, but alas, it's not...
Date: 2008-09-23
Hole In One!!!!
Best Tiger Woods game to date. Worth every penny. Once you start playing you will not put the game down. Awesome game.
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