Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2007-08-31
• Platform: Nintendo Wii

Amazon.co.uk Review

While Electronic Arts' other sports games may be locked in a deadly rivalry with their competitors there really hasn't been a golf sim to go head-to-head with Tiger Woods for years. There doesn't seem to be too much laurel sitting going on though, especially since this is, like many Electronic Arts games this year, the first time the game has been designed specifically with the next generation of consoles in mind. Naturally that means the most realistic graphics yet, not only for the course itself but also for Tiger and the other real-world golfers. Their faces and expressions look totally life-like and on the PS3 and 360 you can use a webcam or digital camera to import your own face and graft it to your own in-game custom golfer.

In terms of gameplay the major new feature is the concept of "shot confidence" which monitors your performance through your whole career, adding an extra degree of tension to difficult shots but also allowing you to examine your game in detail to find out where you're going right and wrong. After criticisms that last year's game was a bit thin on options this new game has the greatest number of courses ever including Westchester Country Club, TPC Boston, Cog Hill and East Lake. There's also the expanded GamerNet mode which acts like a sort of YouTube just for the game, allowing you post in-game videos and challenge other people to a game in an online world dedicated to nothing but golf.

Manufacturer's Description
You’re facing a long putt for par on the 17th hole with Tiger Woods clinging to a one stroke lead. You’ve been in this position before, but that doesn’t matter now. Or does it? Whether you play it safe or go for broke, Play with Confidence in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08. The all-new Shot Confidence feature uses factors from your previous rounds--including club selection, lie, hole, and More--to determine your confidence heading into each shot. Play with the confidence of a pro as you battle the best golfers from the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour on the most courses ever in your quest for the coveted FedEx Cup Championship.

Customer Reviews

Bad user interface and no tournament save
Same as everyone else - we wanted to upgrade from Wii Sports golf and this had the best reviews.I guess if you like playing by yourself it could be fine but we want to play against each other once in a while and that's where the problems start. Firstly creating your own character is a pig and counter intuitive. We lost ours twice before we'd worked it out. Finally we get around to play and thought we'd do one hole of a tournament before bed - no can do. You can't save a tournament half way, all or nothing. E-mailed EA games to check and they've confirmed it which makes the game next to useless for us. Anyone wanna buy it?

Tiger 08 Wii
Got bored with the Wii sports golf very quickly, moved on to Tiger - i had played it a couple of versions ago on the PS2. Tiger 08 gets a little getting used to, had to be patient with the tutorial, getting hand positions right, but nailed it about 10mins later. Graphics are average, no crowd but still crowd noises. Began my own career on it and now find it extremely addictive. Well worth the buy, as it looks and feels a bit more upmarket than current Wii games which are more cartoony.

A Hate-Love Relationship....
I hate golf. I find it boring, long-winded and pointless. Its only redeeming features are the open air and the occasional murmur of nearby fauna. So imagine my surprise when, having acquired a shiny new Nintendo Wii, I became profoundly addicted to the Wii Sports golf game!

As other reviewers have mentioned, playing the same 9 holes over again is not so much boring as frustratingly limited, and I soon felt the urge to take my living-room golfing career to a new level. Bratz and Barbies are not exactly my cup of tea, so Panya Golf was of course out of the question, and I sought a more realistic, professional style of game. The most obvious option (and most likely the safest bet) was Tiger Woods 08. Fortunately I was not disappointed...

The first thing that struck me was of course the graphical realism compared Wii Sports. Ahh... I can almost smell that country air and freshly-mown grass. These highly-detailed graphics do tend to cause juddery images all too frequently, but that is more down to hardware than software. This also accounts for the lack of visible spectators (they cheer a lot, but are nowhere to be seen) but I don't wanna be looking at people anyway. The second thing that struck me was the rather unintuitive menu system, which uses the "-" button to backtrack through the options, whereas "B" would seem the obvious choice, and a cumbersome zig-zag layout of the icons. Still, it doesn't take long to get used to. Only Nintendo can make 100% user-friendly user interfaces, so EA can be forgiven for not quite hitting the mark here.

Gameplay-wise, EA have come up with ALMOST exactly what I was looking for. Sure, the Wiimote does not always respond as intended, you can't feel the club hitting the ball like in Wii Sports, and the ball seems preprogrammed to stop 6mm short of the hole on every putt (this effect diminishes as your "Luck" increases), but with eighteen full 18-hole courses and dozens of different championships, game modes and customization options, and even the occasional murmur of nearby fauna, TW'08 is sure to keep me engrossed for many, many months to come. The learning curve is fairly steep, but highly rewarding after a while as you win money and experience points that can be spent on improving skills and equipment.

The courses are beautifully recreated (I imagine) as are the picturesque landscapes (I suppose) and the real-life players (I guess - the only one I know is Tiger Woods. Wot no Sevvy Ballesteros?!?) The commentators' remarks are poignant to the point of clairvoyance and often dryly humorous, which makes for a more lighthearted feel to it all, but in no way detracts from the constant feeling of striving for professional perfection. I really feel compelled to improve my swings, pitches and putts, and after only a few days am already feeling that yearning to get on the links of an evening and work my way to the top!

Pro golfers would probably scoff at the tacked-on frivolities such as taunts, post-tee-off spin control, RPG-style levelling-up system and $1000 blue rinses, but for links-virgins like me the sheer enormity, variety and well-roundedness of this game are enough to justify spending 40 quid on the in-home green fees.

So did I mention I love golf? It's one of the most challenging, frustrating and satisfying sports in the world, and certainly the most addictive. And it's all recreated here in Tiger Woods '08, in the comfort of your own home. All, that is, except REAL open air and nearby fauna....