As lame as it may make me sound, I'll confess. I love golf. There, I said it. I enjoy the strategy, intelligence, and gorgeous scenery. As far as golf video games are concerned, I've been playing them since
Great Golf on the Sega Master System. Quality has been up and down on golf games over the years, but I can safely say that the latest edition of
Tiger Woods PGA Tour is the closest I've found to perfect.
After the last couple of entries in the series felt too much the same, I was afraid that the crew at EA had run out of ideas. Fortunately, EA had completely overhauled the game to its benefit. The subtitle on this entry is "The Masters" for good reason. Every bit of this game is about raising your created golfer to the point of competing in the Masters tournament and winning the coveted green jacket. Unlike prior entries where the PGA Season and the Tiger Challenge were two completely separate modes, the "Road to the Masters" mode combines the two to create a cohesive career mode that's easily the best in any golf game.
The options for customizing your golfer and golf experience are staggering. You could effectively recreate yourself even without touching Photo GameFace (though that's available, too). Gear is unlocked sensibly as you progress in the career.
Tiger 12 even took a few ideas from
Rock Band 3 by allowing the completion of course objectives and gaining of experience points (both used to improve stats) in any game you play, whether single-player, multi-player, free play, or career. That idea is so ingenious, I'm surprised it wasn't done before now. Both the analog swing mechanics and 3-click mechanics are available and work great, though it sucks that this entry doesn't have Kinect support (the PS3 and Wii versions have motion control).
The online options are mind-blowing. There are four-player games with simultaneous play as an option. You can upload clips of your best shots and challenge others to match or beat them on GamerNet. There are (to date)
NINETEEN more courses for download (that can be pricey for a golf junkie like me)! There are even full online tournaments planned. Too bad this game has that Online Pass that basically punishes people who buy the game used.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters was the shot in the arm the series needed. Not only is this one a loving tribute to the most intense and exciting tournament in golf, but it's also the best golf game available on any home console. The only thing missing is the ability to create courses from scratch (like PC golf games had been doing for years). However, I'll be enjoying this entry until EA gets around to adding that feature later.
5.0