With sports games, there seems to be two levels of effort put in. Some years developers will go all out and really make improvements, and some years they just coast and ride the success of the year before. Unfortunately, Tiger Woods 08 falls into the latter category. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is a solid game of golf with a couple of nifty gameplay improvements, but the graphics and sound and features list aren’t all that different from last year’s entry.
Quick Hits
- Title: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
- Platform:Xbox 360
- Publisher: EA Sports
- Developer: EA Tiburon
- ESRB Rating: “E” for Everyone
- Genre: PGA Tour Golf
- Pros: Three click swing option is back; looks and sounds nice; lots of features and modes
- Cons: Isn’t terribly different from last year; too easy
Features
The list of modes is pretty much the same as last year with a couple of new things and changes. You can play a career mode that also includes a PGA Tour season as well as training and skills modes along with the Tiger Challenge. In the Tiger Challenge you have to complete a number of tasks and beat other golfers to earn the right to play Tiger one-on-one. As of this writing, however, there is a bug that causes the game to crash at one point so you can’t actually finish the Tiger Challenge. Other game modes include standard things like stroke play, match play, skins, best ball, etc., and there are also a number of minigames such as this game’s version of H.O.R.S.E. called T.I.G.E.R. Overall, the list of modes is fairly impressive. We have found we would just rather play a standard round than all of the other fluff, though, which lessens the feeling of value somewhat.
As far as other features go, there are 16 courses to play on and 21 professional golfers to choose from along with a large selection of made up golfers. You can also use the Xbox Live Vision camera to put your face in the game, which is very cool and well worth the time and effort.
Gameplay
EA
The gameplay is the real sweet spot here, and it is just as good as ever. The main change comes from the return of the classic three click swing system. You can, of course, still swing with the left analog stick, but you can also activate the three click system by pressing in the right analog stick. That brings up a meter at the bottom of the screen that has you start the swing with one press, set the power with another press as the meter fills up, and then set the accuracy of the shot as the meter goes back to the start. I have personally always preferred the three click system, so this is a welcome addition. It is still fun to do the analog swing when I’m driving or taking a long shot, but controlling distance is so much easier with the three click system that I usually switch back and forth between the two styles when I need some extra precision. The three click system also makes putting so much easier because judging power and distance is so much clearer than it is with the analog swing. Overall, the three click swing makes things a fair bit easier than they were before, and Tiger Woods has always been a rather easy golf game, but it is still very fun and satisfying. Some extra challenge would have been appreciated, but I’ll take fun over frustration any day and that is what Tiger Woods 08 offers.
Graphics and Sound
For the most part, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 looks just like Tiger Woods 07. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it looked very nice last year. One thing that does look surprisingly nice is the game face feature. When you use the Live Vision camera to put your face in the game, it looks really really good. It takes a while for the process to finish -10 to 20 minutes – but the end result is worth it.
The sound is fairly good, but you can’t really expect too much variety in the sounds of a golf game. One area in dire need of an update is the commentary. It is just bland and repetitive and rather obnoxious.
Bottom Line
EA
Overall, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is a good game of golf, and if you haven’t played a Tiger Woods game before of you have skipped the last couple of entries in the series, it is definitely worth picking up. It plays fantastically and offers up a wealth of modes to keep you busy. If, on the other hand, you are a big fan of the series and already have Tiger Woods 07, it isn’t quite as easy to recommend. It plays very well, and I love the addition of the three click swing alongside the analog swing, but as far as features and modes and presentation go, there isn’t a whole lot different here. Play the demo or give it a rental to see if the full version is worth a purchase if you are a series veteran, but newcomers to Tiger Woods will absolutely love it.
