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mode than the straight-forward
Season mode. In the Rivals mode, you will go back in time and forward
again with Tiger Woods, taking on different fantasy characters and real
golfers of the past and present alike (including Ben Hogan, Arnold
Palmer and Jack Nicklaus) in your attempt to become the all-time top
golfer. The Season mode is Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06’s “dynasty”
mode. Just like all other EA Sports titles, the Season mode lets you
play an involved, lifelike 30-season career.
To
become the best in any mode requires using the newest gameplay feature,
the dual analog swing and putting shot mechanics. By using the left
thumbstick to swing and the right thumbstick to put trajectory and spin
on the ball, you can affect your shot to get closer to the green or
hole. The new aiming mechanism allows you to also gauge the speed of
your putt. It will take a lot of time to learn how to effectively use
the backspin and topspin to finesse just the right shot by manipulating
both thumbsticks at the same time. No doubt about it, Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 06 will necessitate knowing how to shoot using proper dual analog
techniques if you want any chance to develop a healthy handicap.
Gamebreaker
is another newbie in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, borrowed from other EA
Sports and Big titles. While the Gamebreaker, which is a meter that,
once filled, can help you perform a “gamebreaking” move, feels right
at place in a basketball or football game, it’s out of place like a
hockey stick on the links in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (although Happy
Gilmore did pretty well with a hockey stick on the greens). You’re
supposed to be able to affect a clutch shot, but it takes too much time
to build up the meter, and when you finally do, it might not make much
of a “gamebreaking” difference than the shot you would have hit
without it.

New
courses and an expanded golfer lineup are in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06.
There are 15 courses, with old mainstays such as St. Andrew’s joined
by seven new ones including Doral, Cog Hill and TPC Sawgrass. The golfer
lineup is naturally headlined by Tiger Woods, and his chief rival Vijay
Singh is the other big, recognizable golf star amongst the 15 PGA Tour
players. Four less-recognizable players are new, most notably Mike Weir.
Graphically,
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 has done excellent work re-creating the various
courses to exacting detail. These are beautifully rendered golf courses.
The character modeling isn’t quite as good, but is within range of the
quality of EA Sports games. While the announcing tandem of David Feherty
and Gary McCord do an average job calling the course action, the
environmental sound effects are really good. You’ll hear birds singing
in the background and the sound of club meeting ball is done with an
audibly realistic value
Tiger
Woods PGA Tour 06 couples its unmatched golf simulation with a good
“story” mode provided in the guise of the Rivals Mode, a spectacular
visual rendering of the golf courses you’ll visit, and online play
that includes tournament events. It won’t appeal as much to fans of
the Mario Golf/Outlaw Golf/Hot Shots arcade-style golf game, but if
you’re looking to play “real” golf on a console, Tiger Woods PGA
Tour 06 clubs the competition off the tee.
-
Lee Cieniawa
lcieniawa@armchairempire.com
(November
23, 2005)
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