Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
EA Sports
Xbox 360
3 stars (out of 5)
Review by Hayden Meikle
By a rough count, this is the seventh golf game I've reviewed in the last four years.
And it dawned on me last week that I've basically said the same thing about every title.
Golf games suck, in a nutshell.
Rather than be predictably scathing - or weakly admiring - I can honestly report this is the best golf game I've ever played.
For too long, Electronic Arts has concentrated on making the Tiger Woods games look like Augusta National, while forgetting the fact us gamers need them to play better than an unloved back hole at the Gore Golf Club.
Tiger 09 still looks absolutely stunning.
There is a deeper level of lushness to the grass and the sort of eye-popping detail to the bunkers and water hazards that sends lovers of graphics into ecstasy.
But, and it's a significant but, the company has also rebuilt the game in a successful appeal to the weekend hackers.
More than the last two Maddens, maybe the last three Fifas and virtually every basketball game ever made, Tiger Woods 09 genuinely appeals to the casual gamer as much as the dedicated golf player.
The use of the left stick to simulate the swing is now well entrenched, and long gone is the terrifying prospect of shanking the ball in ridiculous directions even though you were fairly certain you'd gone straight.
The controls feel smooth, and even a golf dunce like me can quickly learn how to play the best shot in different situations.
There is no annoying caddy called Steve Williams to show you around but 09 does feature Tiger's coach, Hank Haney, who guides you through all the tutorials.
There's a deep career mode, a bundle of new challenges and minigames, online options galore, and five new courses.
The online component includes EA's GamerNet system, which allows you to upload your own challenges for other golfers and build your achievements to compile a GamerNet score, sort of like a handicap.
I'm not going to tell you it's the greatest sports game ever made. It's still golf, right?
But Tiger Woods 09 is the, er, Tiger Woods of the sport.
If you love golf, you'll love the game, and if you don't, there is still plenty to admire about it.
