Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2656 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2007-08-31
• Platform: Xbox 360

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
Take on the world in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08. For the first time, every portion of your game is recorded--from your opening drive on the first hole in Play Now mode to your final putt in the FedEx Cup Championship. Post your most amazing--and unthinkable--performances on EA SPORTS GamerNet, a revolutionary interactive gaming hub that hosts user-created content online. Set the bar high by posting your top moments, and take on challenges set by others, to determine the world’s greatest golfer once and for all. Whether you’re uploading an unbeatable round or the craziest shot, take the world by storm with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08.

Customer Reviews

How lazy are EA?
There are a few contenders out there but lets face it, EA have got hold of a very large slice of the markeplace with their Tiger series. It's a sold game with a good range of all the usual shots and club selections, and the tiger challenge provides a well judged learing curve. This is the umpteenth iteration of the Tiger golf 'sim' and EA seem to know they will sell shed loads without putting in too much effort. Graphics are not the number 1 concern to me but the rendering of the scenery and crowds in 2007 is apalling, something you would expect to find on a PS1 not even a ps2 or xbox, and im looking at the 360 version here (i've checked out the ps3 and they are just as rubbish). Also I don't expect the crowd to show a level of AI found in something like Halo 3, but if i'm trying to make a pitch shot and have to play through a crowd then for goodness sake GET THE CROWD OUT OF MY SHOT LINE, you don't find the spectators at the open being allowed to stand between you and the green. it sounds like a small matter but in a competition of 18 holes where there are NO save points it can ruin a whole round, forcing you to take shots in order to get around the damn spectators.

Frustratingly Inconsistent
This game provides exactly what we've come to expect from the TW franchise, it's clear that there are some new features and some extras but overall it's not vastly different from any of the older games.

One of the best new features is EA's gameface, which allows you to upload photo's via the EA website and automatically create your own player. This is actually pretty cool, and the character you create will actually look just like you, although it can be a bit frustrating trying to get the EA website to recognise your gamertag (you need to use the game on xbox live before you try to create your profile).

The game itself plays pretty well, although one of the major flaws is the inconsistency between shots. You can play exactly (and I mean exactly) the same shot twice and get totally different results. This is the first TW I've owned on the xbox (having had a PS2 until recently), so maybe it's just the nuances of the xbox controller, but the swing accuracy seems to be a lot more unforgiving than on previous games. Personally I miss the 'caddy tips' that you used to get for putting on the earlier games, you would think they would at least give you the option of turning this on. Final critisicm would be the loading/saving times, especially with the autosave turned on, virtually everything seems to require waiting/saving/loading which drives you up the wall when you've just screwed up your first shot of a challenge and are trying to restart, this is pretty typical for EA though.

One other word of warning, be prepared to return this game to EA (or wherever you bought it) for exchange after a week or two. This seems to be one of the games suffering from the seemingly terminal 'unreadable disc' error which is afflicting a lot of new 360 releases.

There are a good selection of golfers to play against, and a good selection of courses. The way you grow your skills by training and playing well rather than by just winning and spending points is good as it forces you to concentrate on improving where you're weak rather than just buying your way out of trouble, the extra kit available to modify your player and his/her attributes is also pretty extensive.

All in all this a quality game, if you're a fan of TW games you won't be disappointed, but if you're the type of guy who throws his controller at the TV when it all gets too much then you might want to invest in a safety net too.

Why do I like this game again?
Ok, I hate golf and I have never played a golf game before it fact I have no idea why I brought this. However, I am glad I did. It is remarkably good and very addictive, but I have no idea why. Give it a go you will surprised I know I was.