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Golfing games may never be the same, and that's a testament to the potential of EA's Tiger license on Wii.
March 15, 2007 | 7:12 PM PSTby: Ray Almeda
If you’re a golfer like me, the want for that realistic, immersive golfing-video game has always been a constant guessing-game. For Nintendo-console owners, Mario Golf was the best way to hit the links, but it simply wasn’t the type of golf-simulation experience that we were looking for. And although the Tiger Woods titles did their part to satisfy part of that appetite, it was only a matter of time until the Wii’s unique control system took advantage of that potential with Wii Sports.
The true golf experience on Wii?
But let’s be more serious here. Sure, the golfing game in Wii Sports has its good fun, especially when you overcome the slight learning curve, but a Tiger Woods game on Wii was eventually going to be the first major step in console golf gaming. Even better, the amount of depth on a more concentrated golfing title would obviously turn heads of would-be golfers. But at first glance, it’s even much more than that. This could be the bridging-gap that third-parties follow in developing more innovative sports titles, especially considering the EA’s Madden NFL 2007 title on Wii receiving as much praise as the other next-gen versions.
Plenty of trials; plenty of modes
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for Wii is a great example of EA’s growing involvement and focus on their Wii projects. The game is a model for golf enthusiasts. The plethora of gameplay modes, game face options, measurable stats, more than a dozen courses, and multiplayer mini-games make EA’s golfer one of the most complete golfing games ever released on a Nintendo console. Of course, you could always go the fundamental route in playing traditional modes such as Stroke and Skins play, but the ultra-challenging Tiger Challenge – which pits you against 18 pros in courses around the world – is one of the familiar highlights of the series. The PGA Tour Season mode is detailed as usual, with calendar-highlighted events showing off playable tournaments, sponsorship opportunities, and more as you work your way up from amateur golfer to professional player. Combine all of this with the additions of Battle Golf, which allows you to play against an opponent and take away or add one of their clubs after a won hole, and Skills 18, where you’ll have to hit the ball at various targets in the environment, and you’ve got plenty of options to keep busy. When played with a large quantity of players, imagine the amount of involvement you’ll have over a few hours.
In terms of Wii specifics, there’s a surprising amount of revisions. Although the graphics in particular aren’t next-gen, they’re a step up from GameCube visuals. The game runs in 480p and 16:9 widescreen for the Wii, which all golfers will indeed appreciate, but constant environment flickers hamper the above-average view. Texture resolution has been improved, notably the amount of trees and bushes around, and even the grass has an extremely sharper look. Sadly, most HD-ready golfers will have several anti-aliasing problems, especially with the amount of draw distance brought upon the environment at first. Still, one of the most gratifying moments occurs on holes with huge backdrops. The sun-glare effects on the courses are rather nice, especially when the golf ball heads towards that particular direction. The game may run in 30 frames per second, and that fluidity eventually goes up and down throughout the course, but there’s little doubt that the graphics are superior to that of PlayStation 2 and GameCube, especially high-marks for being the first game in the series on Wii.
Creating the perfect golf swing
So does the Wii remote perfectly simulate a golf club or not? Apparently disappointing, the answer is no – there are still a few minor issues that prevent that one to one movement, but the sensitivity of the control is good enough to recommend this game to die-hard golf gamers, and real-life golfers alike. The control is similar to Wii Sports in that you’re forced to pull the remote back and swing forward with a good gauge for power. Wii Sports golf offers that one-to-one control, but the lack of any sort of direction you could hook or slice your golf ball contradicts the entire golfing notion. On Tiger, you’ll be pressing the B button to initiate your swing, and then swing as usual. However, the biggest gripe is that there’s no power meter to indicate how hard you’re actually swinging. This is remedied by EA’s “practice mode” which allows you to swing your club and decipher its percentage power before the actual swing, but your golfing round will mostly be determined by your “feel for the game” rather than a simple measurement. The problem with Tiger’s control is that even the slightest movement during your backswing can drastically change the course of your shot, especially when trying to hit closer shots. Instead of quick flicks to determine power like Wii Sports, Tiger uses the measure of your backswing, reminding the player to complete a full swing to get the maximum distance. Hence, the lack of the one-to-one accuracy is certainly one of the game’s faults, but as real-life golf will teach you, practice is essential to perfecting your swing. Gamers who expect to be shooting well under-par on the first try will be dead wrong at first. Tiger is a game that has a learning curve to overcome, but once it is, the satisfaction for hitting clutch shots and approaches is even more rewarding.
Despite all of these qualms, there’s enough variability to change results of your swing. By slightly tilting the Wii remote left or right during the down-swing, you’re able to control hooking and slicing of the ball, important for those “dog-leg” shots. An option also allows you to change the control scheme to “Advanced” for even more freedom in swinging the way you want it, but it’s still not one-to-one control. Those who feel that the learning curve is too much for them can change the control scheme to “nunchuck,” which will allow you to swing the ball with a simple flick of the control stick up and down. In mid-flight, you can also hold one direction on the control pad and shake the remote to manually replicate spin on the ball. This can be extremely useful especially when you thought that you’ve hit the ball too hard or too soft on the green.
Is Tiger Wii up to par?
One of the most baffling nuisances in the Tiger series in the game’s inability to record new voice-overs and commentary. The recycled material in this particular game doesn’t show enough effort, and prove that the game might’ve been rushed a bit. There's tons of bugs.
Still, when it comes down to pure fun and entertainment, Tiger on Wii is a good golfing game that has endless potential for a slightly aging license. If next year’s game can initiate even more Wii-specific modes and perfects the motion-controlled swing, Tiger Woods PGA Tour just might be the only game that Wii golfers should look forward to. When it’s all said and done, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 on the Wii is the best golfing game on the console, but given its roots from Wii Sports golf, casual gamers won’t be left in the cold without this game. Die-hards, however, should take notice as this could begin a revolution in golf games to come.
-- Ray Almeda
The true golf experience on Wii?
But let’s be more serious here. Sure, the golfing game in Wii Sports has its good fun, especially when you overcome the slight learning curve, but a Tiger Woods game on Wii was eventually going to be the first major step in console golf gaming. Even better, the amount of depth on a more concentrated golfing title would obviously turn heads of would-be golfers. But at first glance, it’s even much more than that. This could be the bridging-gap that third-parties follow in developing more innovative sports titles, especially considering the EA’s Madden NFL 2007 title on Wii receiving as much praise as the other next-gen versions.
Plenty of trials; plenty of modes
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for Wii is a great example of EA’s growing involvement and focus on their Wii projects. The game is a model for golf enthusiasts. The plethora of gameplay modes, game face options, measurable stats, more than a dozen courses, and multiplayer mini-games make EA’s golfer one of the most complete golfing games ever released on a Nintendo console. Of course, you could always go the fundamental route in playing traditional modes such as Stroke and Skins play, but the ultra-challenging Tiger Challenge – which pits you against 18 pros in courses around the world – is one of the familiar highlights of the series. The PGA Tour Season mode is detailed as usual, with calendar-highlighted events showing off playable tournaments, sponsorship opportunities, and more as you work your way up from amateur golfer to professional player. Combine all of this with the additions of Battle Golf, which allows you to play against an opponent and take away or add one of their clubs after a won hole, and Skills 18, where you’ll have to hit the ball at various targets in the environment, and you’ve got plenty of options to keep busy. When played with a large quantity of players, imagine the amount of involvement you’ll have over a few hours.
In terms of Wii specifics, there’s a surprising amount of revisions. Although the graphics in particular aren’t next-gen, they’re a step up from GameCube visuals. The game runs in 480p and 16:9 widescreen for the Wii, which all golfers will indeed appreciate, but constant environment flickers hamper the above-average view. Texture resolution has been improved, notably the amount of trees and bushes around, and even the grass has an extremely sharper look. Sadly, most HD-ready golfers will have several anti-aliasing problems, especially with the amount of draw distance brought upon the environment at first. Still, one of the most gratifying moments occurs on holes with huge backdrops. The sun-glare effects on the courses are rather nice, especially when the golf ball heads towards that particular direction. The game may run in 30 frames per second, and that fluidity eventually goes up and down throughout the course, but there’s little doubt that the graphics are superior to that of PlayStation 2 and GameCube, especially high-marks for being the first game in the series on Wii.
Creating the perfect golf swing
So does the Wii remote perfectly simulate a golf club or not? Apparently disappointing, the answer is no – there are still a few minor issues that prevent that one to one movement, but the sensitivity of the control is good enough to recommend this game to die-hard golf gamers, and real-life golfers alike. The control is similar to Wii Sports in that you’re forced to pull the remote back and swing forward with a good gauge for power. Wii Sports golf offers that one-to-one control, but the lack of any sort of direction you could hook or slice your golf ball contradicts the entire golfing notion. On Tiger, you’ll be pressing the B button to initiate your swing, and then swing as usual. However, the biggest gripe is that there’s no power meter to indicate how hard you’re actually swinging. This is remedied by EA’s “practice mode” which allows you to swing your club and decipher its percentage power before the actual swing, but your golfing round will mostly be determined by your “feel for the game” rather than a simple measurement. The problem with Tiger’s control is that even the slightest movement during your backswing can drastically change the course of your shot, especially when trying to hit closer shots. Instead of quick flicks to determine power like Wii Sports, Tiger uses the measure of your backswing, reminding the player to complete a full swing to get the maximum distance. Hence, the lack of the one-to-one accuracy is certainly one of the game’s faults, but as real-life golf will teach you, practice is essential to perfecting your swing. Gamers who expect to be shooting well under-par on the first try will be dead wrong at first. Tiger is a game that has a learning curve to overcome, but once it is, the satisfaction for hitting clutch shots and approaches is even more rewarding.
Despite all of these qualms, there’s enough variability to change results of your swing. By slightly tilting the Wii remote left or right during the down-swing, you’re able to control hooking and slicing of the ball, important for those “dog-leg” shots. An option also allows you to change the control scheme to “Advanced” for even more freedom in swinging the way you want it, but it’s still not one-to-one control. Those who feel that the learning curve is too much for them can change the control scheme to “nunchuck,” which will allow you to swing the ball with a simple flick of the control stick up and down. In mid-flight, you can also hold one direction on the control pad and shake the remote to manually replicate spin on the ball. This can be extremely useful especially when you thought that you’ve hit the ball too hard or too soft on the green.
Is Tiger Wii up to par?
One of the most baffling nuisances in the Tiger series in the game’s inability to record new voice-overs and commentary. The recycled material in this particular game doesn’t show enough effort, and prove that the game might’ve been rushed a bit. There's tons of bugs.
Still, when it comes down to pure fun and entertainment, Tiger on Wii is a good golfing game that has endless potential for a slightly aging license. If next year’s game can initiate even more Wii-specific modes and perfects the motion-controlled swing, Tiger Woods PGA Tour just might be the only game that Wii golfers should look forward to. When it’s all said and done, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 on the Wii is the best golfing game on the console, but given its roots from Wii Sports golf, casual gamers won’t be left in the cold without this game. Die-hards, however, should take notice as this could begin a revolution in golf games to come.
-- Ray Almeda
February 8, 2010
