Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

With a new season, a new array of EA Sports games funnel into our local game stores.  And while the Tiger Woods series is a significant piece of the gaming pie for EA, the DS version is one we might think would be discarded to the wayside by greedy EA execs; however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. While the game isn’t perfect, it is quite simply the best portable golf game ever made on any handheld. 

The game play is deep and fulfilling and offers something more akin in feel to the roller ball golf games at the local bar.  The player draws the stylus back along a grid for the backswing, while the onscreen character mimics 1:1, and then pushes forward through the downswing.  While that sounds painstakingly simple, it’s not. The quality of the shot is dependent on the tempo of your “swipe.”  Also, something I find to make this game truly an improvement over previous handheld golf games, on the downswing, you can control the fade or draw of the shot.  So not only are you worrying about tempo and how far you draw the club back, but when you start factoring in a slight fade around a tree to win the tourney at TPC Sawgrass, the game takes on a new depth.  

One final touch that the developers put in is the power boost.  At the peak of the back swing, hold the stylus for just a half second longer and the swing will torque, just like in real life, and then push through and you’ll finally drive that 400 yard Par 4.

Putting has the hardest learning curve.  While it’s relatively easy to get a long putt close, it’s hardest, though, to get a medium putt in the hole.  I recommend leaving tap-ins on (that is the default setting); unless you want a scorecard full of double bogeys for the first 5 hours you play.  Also, judging putts is extremely difficult: When the caddy tip says “3 inches left,” take a steady breath and prepare your stylus for open heart surgery.

For those not suited, for some reason, for the intuitive touch control, the developers kindly incorporated a traditional tap mode that allows for the conventional swing.

But beyond the mechanics, the PGA Tour mode and the Tiger Challenge mode really give Tiger Woods ’08 legs for those extended delays in airports or never-ending car rides to school this fall. Everything is based around the monetary system: stat improvement (you buy equipment to improve your player), Tour entry, and Tiger Challenges.  This addition actually gives the game a real cost and reward that makes you weigh every choice.  The only way to win big money is to get on the PGA Tour, but to get the money to enter you have to play Tiger Challenges, and even to play those you’ll need a steady flow of cash (Editors note: if you run out of money, Tiger is not the opponent you want to practice against to win it back.)  The miniature economy in the game though is a great improvement and gives the player a motivation to do things as meaningless as playing a Driving mini-game until he or she beats it.

The Tiger Challenge mode is nicely represented on a big, 3-D golf ball, with each challenge in the dimples of the ball, while turning the ball uncovers new challenges.   While the mini-games are relatively simple, like hitting every green in regulation or making 5 short putts in a minute’s time, they give the player a long training ground before they enter the meat of the game in Tour mode.

The PGA Tour mode is pretty much what you would expect: fierce competition, dazzling leader boards, and a thumping bass in the background to drive you through the monotony.   Actually, drop the bass part and that about cuts it. The only oddity of this mode is that it takes place in “real time,” to be distinguished from real time (no quotes).  The tour season is actually set in 2008, starting in January, which makes sense, since the game is Tiger Woods 08; however, I was somewhat disappointed that the game didn’t utilize an actual calendar (the DS is obviously capable of it) and stage real Tour events in real time.  But the Tour mode, while expensive to partake in for the early player, gives more legs to an otherwise outstanding handheld game.

While the visuals in the game are adequate, they definitely show their age in this new era of HD gaming.  Honestly, I wish the developers had gone with a more stylistic, Phantom Hourglass design.  But the game looks like the Tiger Woods’ games we have come to expect and the animation of the characters is par for the course (hold your chuckles).  The dated graphics are fine when at a distance, but when the camera gets in close, as it most often does, the pixilated landscape of the late 90’s creeps back in (and I don’t mean you play golf with NSYNC).

The most questionable aspect of the game is the use of sound, or lack there of it.  While the tunes chirpily playing over the menu screens are the standard, upbeat fare of the Tiger series, the sound during the actual game play is even a stretch to be called minimalistic.  Aside from the occasional bird squawk, muted applause, or light breeze, the game offers nothing else to sonically accompany the player – which sometimes leaves for an eerily quiet game of golf.  I recommend making a “Tiger Woods Playlist” on iTunes, about 1 song per 3-4 holes, to be the soundtrack for your round (if you can’t do math, that’s 6 songs per round of 18).

Another mistake the sound guys made was the classic golfer’s “ping.”  While the driver is supposed to, and does, make the expected “ping” sound when nailing a 350 yarder, the irons, heck even little chip shots, make the hollow “ping” sound that haunts John Daly in his sleep!  It’s a minor complaint and in no way will detract from my recommendation of this game, but it’s annoying nonetheless and something hardcore golf fans might find irritating.

One of the best parts of the game is the fact that it has Wi-Fi.  You can also play download play or multi-card play with close proximity friends, something my brother and I are sure to take advantage of after our Puzzle League rivalry has long been exhausted.  Wi-fi does not enable voice chat, which is disappointing since the game is already devoid of sound (--queue playlist).

Overall, the pure fun of hitting that game breaking hook around a tree on your approach trumps any sort of graphical qualms or musical misnomers the game might present.  The replay value is rich and enduring whether you enjoy pickup and play in the airport, or taking on the big guys, and gals, of the professional tour.  This is a fantastic addition to the series, and is leaps and bounds over any other portable golf experience. 

Gameplay: 9
The game play is phenomenal and truly proves that the DS is a piece of hardware to contend with – but I think that’s already been proven.
 

Graphics: 7
Nintendo 64 graphics really show their age in the 21^st Century, but it’s really just something we all have to get over.  Or the developers could start making games that don’t portray realism on hardware that physically can’t manage it and go with a stylistic, not necessarily cell-shaded, art style.(*cough*- Wii - *cough*).  The animations did come out nice, however.

Sound:  4
The worst part of the game. Other than the main menu theme song, this game takes place in a vacuum. 

Difficulty: Medium

While putting is a steeper learning curve than the full swing, it will still take about an hour to really get good at the mechanics.
 

Concept: 7 
While the Tiger Woods concept has been driven into the bunker many times over, this game breathes fresh air into the series with the Touch Screen.

Multiplayer: 9

Multi-card, Single-card, Wi-fi, you name it, Tiger’s got it covered.
 

Overall: 8.5
While the game play is rock solid and features fairly immense, the presentation we’ve come to expect from EA has been dropped a little on this game.  The sound is the most obvious flaw, but the graphics and visual style are definitely outdated no matter what system they’re on.  It’s time for developers to recognize this and stylize their hardcore DS and Wii games, just a little bit – enough to cover for the lack of hardware power.

This game, though, is a luminary on the DS and will be loved by anyone that has ever enjoyed Tiger Wood’s golf.

A superb game and the best golf game on any handheld. Period.