The Tiger Woods series is becoming a venerable staple of the sport of golf
almost as much as Madden is to football. Reaching this status means a few things
for a sports franchise. On the plus side you have a game engine that has been
tweaked and refined over the years to provide a pretty good simulation of the
sport. On the other side of the ledger, you’re faced with the yearly decision of
whether or not it is worth your money to “upgrade” to the latest iteration of
the game. This of source is not an issue if you’re new to Tiger Woods golf, in
which case you’ll be getting a really good golf game and there’s no compelling
reason not to pick up the 07 version. The rest of you will have to decide if the
new courses and features warrant a purchase of this year’s incarnation.
For those of you new to the series, the game uses a stick-based swing system
that works pretty well and feels pretty natural for a golf game. The right stick
is used to set the club angle and height of the swing so you can adjust your
swing to get under the ball and really loft it or hit it high and flat to punch
the ball. The left stick is used to actually swing the club by pulling it down
for the backswing and then pushing it forward to swing the club and follow
through. Pushing the stick slightly to the left or right during the swing
(either intentionally or not) will either pull or draw the shot. It’s an elegant
system that works well for the game and gives you a lot of control over your
swings.
The standard golf modes you’d expect are all here including match, stroke,
and skins play, and the game offers the same alternate modes seen in prior years
such as alternate shot and best ball. This year’s version adds a number of new
modes of play, most of which are pretty fun in their own right. Greensome and
bloodsome are similar games in that you and a partner take on another two person
team. The difference between the two is that in greensome you get to choose
which of your team’s balls you get to play next and in bloodsome the other team
makes the choice for you. One ball is another new mode where you compete against
your opponent to be the first to sink your shared ball. All shots must land
within a designated area to prevent you from simply turning around and launching
the ball in the wrong direction, but it still becomes a game of trying to put
your opponent in a bad spot.
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