11-07-2006
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 (XBOX 360) - A game in review
Today is the beginning of something new here at BTTFM. that’s right: Attempted video game review-ings. Today’s victim should be non other than the latest entry in my all time favorite series, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. I have been playing this series since the ‘03 version, and haven’t put it down since. In this review, I will try and go over the basics, as well as my take on the additions, subtractions and multiplications of this latest year’s attempt.
It’s In The Game…(Well, actually, the game is in the 360)
Upon loading the game in the 360 console, the first thing that I noticed is that there is no intro movie, and come to think of it, not even any intro music. This stuck out to me like a sore thumb from previous years, but I still had the smile on my face from opening up the fresh package and preparing for another great season of virtual golf, so I let it slide and pressed start.
Off The Tee
The main screen is generally unchanged in options, but has had a presentational makeover. Gone is the static “Main menu” style HUD. Tiger (or your personalized Game Face character) stands in the background practicing ball-balancing tricks while you decide where to head next. The first thing that caught my attention was the new practice range, which you can use as a first-stop tutorial, as well as throughout the game whenever you’re having difficulty beating a certain challenge, or want to engage in exercises and contests to improve your attributes. This was one of my most favorite innovations this time around. Gone are the days of simply buying your skills. This year, you actually get to earn them, either by playing exceptionally well in a round, or beating a challenge on the practice range. For example, if your driving distance is a little weak, you can challenge a competitor to a longest drive contest and earn a 5% increase of that skill if you win. If your putting is a little lack-luster, see if you can get it closest to the pin in a 3-round putting challenge. It made upgrading my character more challenging, as well as more entertaining.
Game Face
One of the first things I look at for improvement over the previous year is EA’s character personalization system, “Game Face”. I wasn’t disappointed with ’07’s offering in this area, but I wasn’t blown away, either. Pretty much the same as in ‘06, this year adds a little bit of extra room, but with it comes added confusion. My favorite improvement was the color palette. Instead of having 6-8 colors to choose from for hair, eyes, and skin tone, ‘07 provides you with an entire palette, giving you hundreds of color and shade variations to choose from, thus making your character look that much more like you (or your cheating ex-girlfriend who now bares a strange resemblance to Jamie Farr from “M*A*S*H*”). Thank you, EA. Thank you all…
On The Green
Once you have the play mechanics down, and you have made and dressed your golfer like a pro, it’s time to make your next move. Do you want to head straight into a four-round PGA championship, or go head to head against the classic TWPGAT mix of real and “Thank goodness they’re not real” challengers? For some reason, I always choose the latter. Either way, you’re about to find out what makes this Tiger roar a little louder then past entries. First off, changing the angle of your club face has taken all the good aspects from previous years, and gotten rid of the bad. Now you can position your club trajectory without having to hold it during your swing (as in ‘06), but you still have the many slight variations between flat-out punch and loft, which ‘05 lacked. Power boost and spin functions have also been restored to the A button, but those who picked up the series in ‘06 on the 360 can still use the LB button if they wish. Probably the most notable change this season is the Aiming Ring. Instead of a nice little arrow that was pretty much 97.6% accurate off the tee, you now have to deal with an aiming ring that has anywhere from 6 feet to a 1/2 acre margin of error, depending on whether you’re driving or pitching. Gone are the days of getting those back-to-back-to-back-to-back double eagles because you memorized how to aim “2 clicks up, lofted with a 4-Iron with 3 taps of power”. Sorry, “Perfect Peter”, you’ll have to rely on luck like the real golfers this time around the links if you want to make those rare shots.
Sweatin’ The Small Stuff
Aside from the major improvements/changes we’ve already discussed, the rest of the game plays and feels pretty much like it’s predecessors. David Feherty and Gary Mccord reprise their roles as announcers and “play-by-players”, but I’m hearing the exact same phrases that I’ve heard for 4 years. I’m starting to wonder if EA only signed them for a few seasons, and is recycling the same insults and bad commentary I’ve been hearing since ‘04. I’m starting to get tired of hearing “He’s gonna want to bury his head in the sand after that shot” and “This one could drop!!!…Or, maybe not“. I know I’ve sunk a putt every time I hear that one.
The AI has always frustrated me, but I guess it’s as close as they can get it in a golf game. When you do good, the AI does better. When you do bad, the AI does worse. Basically, it’s VERY hard to beat some of these guys, at least until you have all your skills maxed out at 110%. There is nothing worse than being mad that you hit a horrible drive, then the AI kicks in and hits a worse shot. So not only are you upset at your own lack of skill, but now you’re thinking “See?! I could’ve upped him on this hole if I wasn’t such a loser!”. But when you do hit that excellent birdie pitch shot from the bunker that lands inches from the pin, Pops Masterson comes along and drills a 175 yard approach shot into the cup for Eagle, and he had the sun in his eyes.
The Pro Shop has been disappointing me since last year, when they only included a fraction of the items and equipment as in earlier versions. This year was a little better, mostly because EA brought modifiers back into the items and apparel, something that was oddly absent from ‘06. The lack of style and selection in the sunglasses department has left me speechless since the next-gen TW came out. Each pair looks like I’m either at a NasCar game, a U2 concert, or trying to protect my eyes while I’m working with power tools. I’m not sure why EA can’t get a regular pair of dark sunglasses to work anymore, but somehow they managed in ‘03-’05.
My last beef with this title is the lack of character bios and Fmvs. You don’t learn a darn thing about your opponent before you step on the tee box, and it really makes you feel like you’re playing alone. I always felt more like I was at an actual Championship in the current-gen versions, with the fan-fare and commentary that was provided. This entry skips some of the fluff that some of us PGA Tour lifers have grown used to, and now automatically expect.
The Last Word
Taking everything into account, I’d still rate this entry towards the top of the list. It still doesn’t beat out Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, which in my opinion has been the Best in Show so far. What this title does do however, is re-invent the wheel so to speak, which after playing ‘06 needed to be done in a big way. It’s flashier, faster, more fleshed-out and more fun. Tiger’s UCAP (Ultimate Capture) in-game model is the most photo-realistic to date, and is a trip to watch. The challenges and practice games are a solid mini-game in themselves, and the PGA Tour is still there for many months of entertainment and money-making even after you’ve defeated TW himself in the Challenge Mode. In short, I think if EA keeps making steps in the same direct that they did this year, TWPGAT will be able to return to it’s roots in the game-play and innovation departments, and make a grand appearance in the next-gen world as well.
SCORING:
Graphics: A
Game-play:A
Sound: C
Replay Value: B
OVERALL: B+
Posted by Jordan in Video Game Reviews | RSS 2.0
Dear Mouse, I am long time reader (started two blogs ago) and a first time writer. Let me start by saying, “Wow…I no longer need to go to ign.com to get info on games I might want to rent or buy. I’ll just ask you to write a review. Sooo, can you do me a favor and put one on here for Final Fantasy XII so I know whether or not to buy it for my brother for Christmas?” Thanks a ton.
-The guy who hates OHIO.
Dear Guy,
Thank you for your comment. It’s good to know that my subscriber base has doubled in the last week! It now stands at 2! As for your request for a review of FFXII, I would be more than happy to write a review on THE MOST AWESOME GAME EVER!!…Or is it? Hmmm, stay tuned and we’ll find out in next week’s ” A Game In review”!
oO0…. boys and their video games. lol.
-The Girl who loves *Ohio* ^_^
Thanks for the write up. I some how turned of the cool power shot thing where it makes noise and has diferent angles. I miss it but cannot get it back…Do you know how?
Also, will they ever make another Jedi Academy series game? I love those