Tiger Woods PGA Tour, by EA Sports, has finally brought the best-selling golf franchise to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it does not disappoint. The 3D graphics and realistic sounds are a terrific fit for the mobile device, allowing golfers everywhere access to an outstanding simulation game on the go.
Tee it up with up to 4 players on one of 7 different courses, including the famed Pebble Beach and St. Andrew’s. Go head-to-head with Woods, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Natalie Gulbis, or Annika Sorenstam. Choose from stroke, match, skins, stableford, or shootout, with team play options for one ball, best ball, bloodsome, or greensome. Don’t want to play a full round? Customize your round by playing only the holes that you want. As you play, you earn money for achieving certain goals, from the simple (hitting the green in regulation, driving in the fairway) to the more challenging (eagling a hole, winning a round, etc.). Your earnings can be used to purchase better equipment, improve your skills, and, when you’ve amassed enough money, enter PGA Tour events where you’ll be competing against some of the biggest names in the world. Hone those skills and you might just have what it takes to tame Tiger.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour allows you to manage up to 3 player profiles, so you can safely allow friends to play without impacting your player’s stats. You can create a new golfer and customize gender, skin color, and apparel. Use some of your initial $50k to improve your player attributes and get a leg up on the competition.
The game screen looks gorgeous and is very easy to interact with. A small box in the bottom left corner indicates current club selection, hole distance, and shot type. Tap the leftmost portion to bring up the club and shot type selection options. Slide to the proper club and tap to set. Tap through the shot types until you find one that works. The options will disappear after your selection. Your current lie is indicated in a box on the bottom right of the screen, next to a target icon. Tap the target to bring up a bird’s eye view of your current target location based on your current club selection, shot type, and aim. Drag around the screen to set a new target location. A small box accompanies your target, indicating the necessary power percentage needed to get there, as well as the elevation above or below the hole. Tap the back button when you are happy with your position. A small wind indicator sits atop the game screen. Be sure to adjust your shot accordingly. Now you’re ready to take that shot.
Tap the player button in the bottom center of the screen to bring up the swing meter. This is where Tiger really shines. The indicator is reminiscent of those strength testing games as the fair. Drag your finger from the top of the meter toward the bottom to set the power percentage, then drag your finger back up to the top to complete the shot. Follow a straight path to fire a dart down the fairway. Use a slightly curved path to draw or fade your shot. As your shot is in flight, a ball icon appears in the lower portion of your screen. Swipe at the ball in any direction to put spin on your shot. The faster you swipe, the greater the spin. Once on the green, caddy tips help you to assess your shot, as well as the ever-popular putting grid. Same mechanics apply for putting, so take your time and put it in the cup. No guts, no glory!
The graphics are outstanding and the sound is great, although the woods and irons sounds seem reversed for some reason. In-game commentary is provided by Sam Torrance and Kelly Tilghman for that authentic feel. Controls are very fluid, responsive, and intuitive. It’s the next best thing to swinging a club. Our only real complaint is that all of the cutaways to the golfer shaking his head or addressing the ball tend to detract from the speed with which we like to play. An option to turn these off would be greatly appreciated. While some prefer the arcade-like action of Gameloft’s Let’s Golf!, players who thirst for a true golf sim will want to turn to Tiger Woods. Tiger offers plenty of replay value and a sporty new $6.99 price tag, down from its initial $9.99. Let’s Golf!’s own recent price cut to $1.99 may look more attractive, but bear in mind, these are really two very different games. Choose wisely! EA Sports has done a superb job with the Tiger Woods franchise and this version was certainly worth the wait. Tiger Woods PGA Tour holes out from the fairway for a 5-Dimple score.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating:
