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Tiger
Woods PGA Tour 2003
Score: 9.0 / 10
Tiger Woods is absolutely the best golfer
on planet Earth. No one else comes close. So is it any surprise that his
endorsed golf videogame, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 (TW2003), is the best
golf title around?
I’m not a golf fan by any stretch of the imagination. The extent of my
golf experience comes down to 18 holes on the miniature golf course at
Nifty Fifty’s. And as far as golf videogames, my tastes are more along
the lines of Mario Golf on the N64. But the inclusion of more modes and
features than just your standard 18-hole golf game in TW2003 actually
made me enjoy swinging the ol’ virtual golf club for the first time in a
long while.
There are features in TW2003 to please both simulation and arcade golf
gamers.
For the simulation gamer, you won’t find a better and more accurate golf
title. There is a large selection of actual PGA Tour golfers included or
you create your
own golfer and take him on the tour. With
the money won in various golf contests you can increase your custom
golfer’s stats to the point where he will be able to challenge Tiger
himself for links supremacy. Stroke play tournament mode allows you to
compete against golf’s best in an 18, 36, 54 or 72-hole tournament on
one of nine real-life courses, including St. Andrews, accurately and
beautifully modeled to the smallest detail. Also
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available are skins, match play, and dormie modes. You can even go
online and set up an account that will rank you (until January 1, 2004)
against other TW2003 golfers from around the world to see who really is
the best.
When you first start playing, TW2003 has two features that help out the
golf illiterates get comfortable with the control setup. One tutorial
helps you figure out how to hit various shots, depending on the
situation. The second explains caddie tips that appear on-screen, which
give you tips on how and where to hit your upcoming shot. Without the
caddie tips, I would have been frustratingly lost on the green,
especially when it came to putting.
TW2003’s controls do take some getting accustomed to, especially on long
drives. The left thumbstick is first pushed down, which starts the
club’s swing to the desired point. A higher placement produces a harder
swing and vice versa. The tricky part is the follow-through. To get the
maximum hit on the ball, the thumbstick must quickly be pushed up from
the initial swing move. After a while timing will be developed that
makes getting a good hit on every swing possible. But initially it will
be hit and miss on good shots until that familiarity is reached.
As I said before, I don’t enjoy the standard 18-hole game of golf in a
videogame. My golf preference is more arcade-oriented like that found in
Outlaw Golf. TW2003 has that covered too. Three fantasy courses are
here, as well as a bunch of fantasy golfers (both male and female). Six
mini-games get gamers off the normal course and into some unique
competition, including the golf equivalent of h-o-r-s-e, T-I-G-E-R. The
best mode by far is the Speed Golf mode. This mode is great against
another human player.
Speed mode starts you out with an equal amount of cash. The goal is to
complete a task before your opponent to steal as much money from his
bank as you can. The first player that hits the ball off the tee gets
some of his competitor’s cash. Once the ball is hit off the tee, it’s
literally a footrace to where the ball landed. Get off the green first,
get money; Hit the longest drive, get money; finish the hole first, get
money, etc. It’s a riot! The first player whose bank reserve reaches $0
loses.
The announcers calling the action are what you would probably expect if
you’ve ever watched ten minutes of golf on television. One good touch is
that if you listen close enough, the announcers provide useful tips,
particularly on club selection for the shot you’re currently attempting.
Sound effects include the crowd reactions to shots and birds flying
overhead. A cool effect is heard (and felt with the vibration feature
on) when a great long shot is hit. You can actually hear and feel the
golfer’s heartbeat as the ball is in flight on its way to the cup. When
this happens, you know you clubbed the ball real good.
This title has the familiar customization features that every EA Sports
game has. Don’t feel like playing 18 holes of golf? Just play the back
nine. If you actually know what you’re doing, edit the clubs in your bag
to suit the course that’s being played. If you want, the depth of the
rough can be set to short, medium or long. As you get more seasoned by
playing the game’s various modes, the game also keeps track of your
resume, documenting how many tour events you have won, trophy balls
accumulated, all-time records held, and the total hole-in-ones and par 5
eagles you’ve sunk.
When selecting your Xbox golf choice, think like Chris Rock in the movie
“Down to Earth”: “Tiger Tiger Woods, y’all!” The staggering volume of
features helps tag Tiger Woods PGA 2003 as the best golf game on the
market no matter if you want a true simulation or desire Outlaw
Golf-style links action. Golf videogaming has never been so fun.
