Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 Review
Considering how much Tiger Woods has been through in his personal life, it was not surprising that in the last iteration of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise, EA took steps to minimise the golfer’s role. No mean feat when you consider the game is named after him. As a result, all eyes have been on this release, to see how EA have managed to portray the hapless golfer, who has arguably not seen a return to the form of his glory days before the scandals.
In an attempt to draw the attention of potential purchasers away from Woods, EA have enlisted the likeness of Bubba (known by his mother as Gerry) Watson Jr. European golf fans are treated to the toothy, wire-haired charm of Rory McIlroy. However it seems that EA have handled the situation very delicately indeed. By focussing only on Tiger Woods’ golf career and cutting the unnecessary peripheral backstory, like the stuff about his personal car collection, EA have really built up a picture of an ideal Tiger Woods. The Tiger Woods that his publicist probably dreams of. EA have done this by including a story mode called the Tiger Legacy Challenge, that focussing specifically on the most important highlights of Tiger’s golfing career. This mode will take you all the way from little Tiger (so cute I will actually have to illustrate this review with a screenshot of that), through the amateur stages, the glory days, and finally a speculative future. Obviously the recent trials and tribulations have not been included in this mode. Other features include the obvious Career Mode, which lets face it, is the only reason we really play.
The Good News About Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
In my opinion, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is the best looking golfing game on the market. Yes this is only my opinion, but it is impossible for a review to be neutral, because I am writing about my perception of the game. And I think it is stunning. The whole concept of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 seems to be geared towards relaxtion. This is not a hectic FPS or a lengthy RPG. EA have done a very good job of making the player feel like she/he is actually walking around the beautiful courses of the world. Every detail has been lovingly reconstructed. Another commendation in the area of relaxation has to be the soundtrack. You won’t find anything bombastic here. I really enjoyed being able to come back from work to this game, and play a round.
Another great thing is that EA have improved the tutorial function, solidifying the fact that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is not just for experienced golfers or, maybe even more importantly when talking about a sports title, experienced gamers. In fact the game is quite a nice introduction to the world of video games for many people. I sat down and showed the game to my father and he really enjoyed being able to collect XP and proudly showed off the fancy new duds he’d purchased with them. In the field of appealing to the more casual gamer EA have integrated motion control into Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13. Which leads me to my next section.
The Bad News Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
Motion control. Love it or hate it it seems that it is becoming unavoidable these days. Luckily, Tiger Woods PGA 13 doesn’t force you to use it, you can still use a traditional controller from the comfort of your sofa. Obviously the title isn’t Wii Golf, but I wasn’t keen on just how much of the title encouraged me to use Kinect. As I played the Xbox 360 version, I really can only comment on that feeling of shear idiocy I felt swinging my imaginary club. I cannot say, but I imagine the feeling holding one of those silly looking PlayStation Move controllers wasn’t any better. The face recognition software fluctuates from making you like a look like a paedophile and a serial killer, and sometimes, just sometimes it hits the nail on the head and makes you look like both at once. It’s obviously based on the same tech used by America’s Most Wanted to create mug shots. Kinect also didn’t like it when I moved a couple of inches to left, a manoeuvre that one often has to make in real golf and also in real life, if only to avoid getting deep vein thrombosis.
The other aspect of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 that I have serious beef with is EA’s shameless, unnecessary, money grubbing use of DLC. Only a handful of courses are available when you first purchase your copy for 50 Bucks. And so begins the great EA swindle. You want more? You have to pay. And pay through the nose. I know I am not the only person who thinks this is a massive cheat from EA. EA was recently voted the worst company in America, although how much of that has to do with the Mass Effect 3 ending furore is still to be seen.
Tiger Woods the pre-teen years (Credit: EA Sports)
The Bottom Line
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is over all a very charming, and relaxing game to play. In terms of actual gameplay the game is solid, as it should be considering how many iterations of the game EA has had to perfect it. The trouble with Tiger is dealt with very discreetly and is a credit to the writers. The graphics are impressive, the physics are accurate, and the soundtrack fits very well. The developers have done a very good job with this game. It is a shame that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is somewhat spoiled by the publishers demands for motion control and expensive DLC.
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