Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 – Review

Every console has its golfing release, but Tiger Woods and his celebrity status have ensured that his name on a title can boost sales dramatically, something that EA was quick to pick up on. Every year we’re delivered yet another new version of what most assume is the same old game; however, this year in particular, EA has excelled at providing gamers with a truly entertaining and worthwhile sequel. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 presents a realistic-looking golf game where the added detail that’s been lovingly crafted by the developers ensures that there’s plenty on show to captivate every level of golfing enthusiast.

There are a variety of ways to play Tiger Woods and you can take the traditional route of stroke play and match play should that be your cup of tea. If you want something a little more entertaining or different though, then try one of the four new game modes. These new modes are: Greensome (2-on-2, where your team plays the best ball each swing); Bloodsome (2-on-2 where your opponent can pick the worst shot for you to play); Battle Golf (2 player match where you can remove golf clubs from your opponent’s selection); and One Ball (you only get one ball to try to hit the cup with). The variety and depth of play in PGA Tour 07 means that you are likely to find plenty to play here for months to come; presumably until Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 arrives in stores. You can also, of course, venture online for some Xbox Live matches, and this can be fun when you’re playing with the right people. You can also participate in daily tournaments as well as receive live sports updates from ESPN through your Xbox Live connection, which is a nice little addition that makes it feel like you’re actually watching golf on a sports channel—but strangely you’re able to take part.

One of the most outstanding aspects of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is its character customization. It is possibly one of the most detailed customization options ever seen on a console game. You can define and shape every aspect of your individual player, and you can even decide how they sound and what their nickname is. You can purchase a multitude of clothing, accessories, clubs and more from the pro-shop, and you can then go on and adjust their individual swing style. This part of the game is completely immersive and you can spend literally hours tweaking the character to the exact style of your choosing. Once you’re up and running, you then can go ahead and start training them and building their skills so that they are capable of competing in some of the toughest tournaments. To build up your expertise, you can compete in numerous mini-games or tournaments. The type of game you play will directly affect the skills you upgrade. It’s all very well thought out and works seamlessly. Should you choose not to make your own character, you can play as one of 15 available professional golfers, who all look brilliant. You can also unlock some madcap characters such as Big Mo who just add an element of fun to the game. For the lady golfers out there, there’s the chance to play as the famous Annika Sorenstam—in her first outing ever in a videogame. The character models are representative of the rest of the game; they’re all well developed and look amazing, just as the backgrounds and courses do.

The control system on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is very easy to use and mainly consists of swinging the club by pulling down and then pushing up on the left analogue stick. You can, of course, carry out a variety of other moves, and these are then defined by movement on the right analogue stick. There’s also a landing target that provides a rough idea of where the ball will arrive and some analogue control changes to offer up a bit more control over shots on windy days. Naturally, that doesn’t guarantee your shot will land where it’s supposed to, but it does give you something to aim for. When putting, the familiar grid pattern can be used to line up shots and, as usual, this works well and hasn’t been messed around with too much from previous series editions.

One of the more lackluster aspects of the title is to be found in its sound. One of the in-game commentators sounds like Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale’s character in American Psycho) and Data from Star Trek’s love child. It is very irritating to hear his constant yapping and it’s so much more fun to quieten him completely. The commentators also sometimes give out shot calls and opinions before you’ve even seen where the ball is going to land, and this can also be irritating. On the upside however, the actual background noises are fine and do make you feel more involved in the atmospherics of the game.

Female gamers can rejoice this year as you can create female characters in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. It’s fantastic to have this option, and there are no disadvantages when in gameplay either. You can spend hours using the aforementioned character customization tools to make your own femmy, butch, punk, jock, or prissy girl, and then play through the same games with her as you would with the male characters. The inclusion of girl players also means that Electronic Arts is (finally) thinking of the female sports fan, and it proves to be a most welcome addition to this particular title.

Overall, we all know that Tiger Woods is a name synonymous with great golf, so it’s of little surprise that the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series is seen by many to be the best golfing choice on the market. Many may question whether it’s worth paying out for yet another sequel, and the quick answer to that is ‘yes’. EA has done what it usually does with these franchise titles, it’s added a little sprinkle of newness to bring back established fans, yet keep things simple enough to lure in new ones too. It’s a clever move by EA and it really pays off with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07.

Review by Angela

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