5 stars (What is all the complaining about?) - I've never written a game review before, but the one and two star assessments have prompted me to add my two cent (or should I say $49.99). Here are my comments in no particular order.
1)2006 graphics looks identical to 2005. This seems reasonable since it written for the same hardware (xbox).
2)The green grid is a welcomed addition. In 2005, there was no green grid for putting. I had to change to chipping to get the grid. I hated the caddy aid and the ideal line aid. The new green grid, which isn't so new since it was in the 2006 version), certainly makes putting more realistic. It forces you to get feel for the put.
3)The two stick putter is much more interesting and challenging. In previous versions, all you had to do is move the putter marker to get perfect distance - moving the left stick at 100% power allowed for any distance. Now, with two stick putting, the player must feel the putting distance my adjusting the power in the shot. I've certainly blown a few puts by not feeling it quite right.
4)You have all the control of the ball and more. The ability to put spin on the ball after the shout is still there. This a critical aspect of the game since it keeps the player involved throughout the entire ball flight. Other game (Links) is a bit boring - once you've hit the ball, there nothing to do. Remember, this is an arcade game.
5)I see no problems with loading time - same as 2005.
6)Menus are different, not better or worse. One does get used to change.
7)Drives do go straight, but the challenge is keeping that draw or fade from becoming a hook or slice.
8)I like the fact that a player can't play every tournament in the rookie season. You must earn the right.
9)Other players can shoot in the 50's in PGA mode.
Anyway, this list could go one, but I've got other stuff to do. I agree with 90% of the changes from 2005 to 2006. If you want better graphics, get XBOX 360.
What is all the complaining about?
1 stars (Did EA Sports Outsource '06?) - I own Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 and 2005 which are both awesome. When I got 2006 for my birthday I thought EA Sports decided to outsource their programming and UI to a foreign country with cheaper labor. The game loads slower and doesn't allow for skipping animations like '04 and '05. The putting is confusing, the Pro Shop UI is disturbingly unfriendly, and the overall game play experience is a vast disappointment from its predecessors. This game should be renamed Tiger Woods PGA Tour 1986 and be available exclusively for Atari.
1 stars (Disappointingly lazy programming) - After having played Links for a few years this was an impulse buy at EB. What a disappointment this game is.
Putting is way too easy even without the new putting camera. The greens can't be read you have to rely on the flowing grid system.
There are never any mis-hits and driving is not really a challenge when every shot is straight as an arrow.
Initially I was intrigued that a guest could play along with you in the PGA tour mode. Turns out that the guest can play along but that profile's achievments are ignored. What is the point of that? How hard would it be to track his progress and mine at the same time. It's laziness and I think it comes from the exclusive licensing that EA has been getting with these major sports. Lack of competition has led to subpar games with maddening quirks that would probably not be there if they had some competition. It's too bad too, because the courses are great but it all just plays too easy.
In all honesty, if you are loooking for a good golf game go by links for about ten to fifteen bucks. If you are looking for an easy arcade style game then buy this. |
