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				Graphics: 8.2 Gameplay: 8.6 Sound: 8.4 Control: 9.5 Replay Value: 9.0 Live play: 8.4 Rating: 8.5 Publisher:  Electronic Arts Developer:  Electronic Arts Number Of Players:  1-4 Screenshots
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  The latest and the greatest of the Tiger Woods series takes a firm hold on mature 360 gamers. The slow paced, sequential, and relaxed atmosphere the game brings is a breath of fresh air from the shoot-em-ups and fast paced action games that seem to be flooding the market.

  As the game begins, you are placed into create a character mode, where you can customize just about every damn feature you can think of. Customize your character's body type, clothing, speech style, facial features, hair color and style...If you're not happy with the amount of customization here, then something is wrong with you. Once you're done with your masterpiece, the adventure begins.

  It appears a player has dropped out of the Pro tournament on the 18th hole, and who's to take his spot? Why you of course. Right off the bat you get your chance to golf along side Tiger, so don't suck. At the conclusion of the hole, regardless of how well you do, Tiger bids you farewell and you're on your way to making the tour. However, it is not that simple, a small arsenal of challenges stand in your way, and when I say small I mean ridiculously huge. Your career mode consists of the following: 6 different courses, each consisting of about 10 challenges that must be met. As you complete the few challenges available to you at any one time, several more become unlocked. If you're good enough to work your way through these, the PGA Tour Season awaits you.

  Challenge Types

  The mandatory challenges cover every aspect of golfing you can imagine. Expect to wade through tons of Chipping, Putting, and Driving specific challenges, where the main goal is to get as close to the hole as possible, or finish an allotted amount of holes in a given number of strokes. Digital golfers, who sometimes appear idiotically dressed, are your challengers. You will have to beat x number of these players on each specific challenge in order to pass. Most of the challenges are short, so if you fail you won't have wasted too much of your life. However, longer challenges to exist. In each of the 6 courses, there's a challenge to compete against some of golf's greats. Should you fail these challenges, there goes 18 holes worth of your time. The prior challenges you must unlock to get to these points should build your skill base enough, but John Daily, or Tiger Woods won't cut your any slack.

  I hate challenges, I just want to play golf!

  If you're not big on challenges, and you just want to get some good old-fashioned golf in, don't worry, there is a setting for you non-career people. Pick from an array of exhibition types: Stroke Play, Match Play, Skins, Stableford, Alternate Shot, Best Ball, and Four-Ball. Choose your created character, or from a list of pro golfers, but be warned many golfers need to be unlocked before use (see challenges above...sorry). At least you can pit your favorite golfers against each other for some classic matches.

  Controls

  The Tiger Woods series is based off form rather than luck. What do I mean by that? Well hitting the ball is based on fluid movement of the left thumb-stick backwards and forwards, as opposed to those damn circular meters some games like to use, which frankly suck. This makes you keep your golfer's form perfect if you want to hit the ball straight and far, as opposed to slice it in the woods, which I do more often than not. Each button is clearly assigned to a task, and there is no multi-button craziness that some other games like to use *cough* GUN *cough*. If you forget what button does something, just hit buttons until you figure it out, no one button is going to screw everything up, since your ball won't go anywhere if you lay off the left thumb-stick, trial and error is acceptable here.

  Sound

  I really don't have anything spectacular to say about the in-game sound. The club to ball contact sounds realistic much like every other golf game out there. The environmental noise is good, the birds sound like birds, and there is not much more I can say than that, everything sounds as it should. However, I will take a minute to talk about the announcing. Up in some booth somewhere are 2 wise asses that will comment on every damn stroke you make. If it's good, they will let you know, if your shot is bad they will really let you know. Those 2 have no qualms about letting you know how much you suck. The constant badgering gets old quickly, like I didn't notice my put missed by 10 feet? Thanks a ton guys, you're so much help. Just a tip, these two babbling jerks can be shut up, I mean off, in the options menu.

  Revolutionary?

  With the processing power of the 360 backed with its incredible ability to display next-gen graphics, we all have high expectations for any game that hits shelves. I doubt anyone will deny that Tiger Woods is a visually good looking game, but it's just not that much different from past versions. If developers want to rehash older titles, or even expand on yearly series, you have to give us gamers something new. We need a reason to buy a '06 game as opposed to an '05 game, we won't do it just because...nice try though. I felt cheated by the fact that the game looked a lot like the Xbox version. I didn't drop a grand on a HDTV and a 360 for graphics I had 6 months ago, so step up or get out of the way EA Sports. Apart from a few minor graphic glitches I have run across, the visuals are good, but definitely not next-gen.

  Upgrades, Upgrades, Upgrades!

  What is better than making the goofiest bastard character you can think of? Giving him new skills so you can make him a ball-crushing powerhouse. Throughout the course of your challenges and general play, your character will be awarded skill points based on particular accomplishments. For instance, should you win a putting challenge, you may be awarded +1,000 putting experience. Specific types of experience can then be spent to upgrade your character's abilities. If you want more power in your swing, spend your points there, if you really need some luck, drop a few thousand points and maybe you can snag a hole in one. Be warned, there are different types of experience, which then can only be spent in specific categories. Basically what this means is that you can't spend your chipping experience to improve your putting, duh.

  Not only can you use points to upgrade your character's abilities, new equipment becomes available as you dominate your way through the challenges. If you are convinced it's your clubs that suck and not you, go get a new pair...it's free. If you don't like your driver sporting a Nike swoosh, trash it and pick a new one. Certain brands of clubs will offer various bonuses that may add power or accuracy to your shots. Maybe you do just have a favorite brand of clubs? Go ahead, use away. The same goes for golf related accessories, like balls and gloves. Both can be customized to hopefully snag some extra bonuses out on the course, it could be just the edge you need for that big win. If you couldn't care less, then just use the default clubs, you will still perform just fine, assuming you don't suck that is.

  A great, but not new, in game feature is the “Gamebreaker” system. This is viewed as an on screen meter in the top left. Making great shots will fill the meter slowly, while making bad shots will make it drop. When your meter gets high enough, you can use it to enhance your shots, making your ball go farther or be more accurate. This system is a great incentive to take your time and make quality shots, as opposed to just smacking the ball down the fairway. The gamebreaker can live up to its name; it can be the one bonus that separates you from the pack, allowing you to squeak out a big win.

  I like this game like I like my women...slow

  If you want to sit down for an hour and enjoy a nice relaxing 18, then here you go, this game couldn't be more perfect. There's no hectic jumping, shooting, or fast cars...just old dudes playing golf. I find this game a GREAT escape from the frustration my other games cause me. COD2 servers down AGAIN? Go play golf. Keep getting head shotted in PDZ? Golf. Sick of joining an online race in PGR3 to find everybody driving a Red F50? ....you get the point. Before you huck your controller across the room in anger, pop in some tiger woods and mellow out.

  Chubbs would be proud

  Who here loves the movie Happy Gilmore? *raises hand*. Who thinks the coolest part of the movie was watching him drive in slow motion? *raises other hand*. Well if you are coordinated enough, you can do just that, slow motion Happy Gilmore bullet time. By tapping the left bumper during your back swing, bonus power is added to your shot. Get enough oomph behind your swing and watch a sweet little bullet time cut scene of you murdering the ball. Man I can't get enough of that, it's great to watch, and not to mention a good ego stroke, letting you know you have half a clue what you're doing (which for me doesn't happen all that often).

  Take your skills across the nation

  If you've got a hankering for some company, jump onto Xbox Live and enjoy some worldwide golf action. Choose from an array of Pro golfers, or test out your character's skills against the world, it's your call. The live interface is lobby based, and hence quite easy to understand. You also have your choice of lobby: East, West... much like old school Battle.net for the PC. The lobby screen is split into two lists: on the left, all the available golfers in the lobby; on the right, available games to join. If you do not like any of the available games, go make your own for others to join. The system is rather straight forward, and I don't see you getting lost anywhere along the way. When creating your own game, you can customize the number of players allowed (up to 4), whether it be a “ranked match” or not, game mode, the course, how many holes to play (9 or 18), as well as a few other little minor goodies.

  As usual, some people have figured out how to cheat the system. When creating a match, you can choose to wager digital money, so make sure you read the match description carefully before you enter. For instance, the very first game I saw was the following (player's name has been changed because he is a tool and deserves no publicity):

   SomeGuy's 3-Hole Play:

  Clicking to join SomeGuy's game alerts you it's for wages, and asks you if you would like to continue. What do I care, sure I'll play. A second screen pops up and alerts you that player handicap is enabled, and here is the catch. Make sure you read this screen carefully as the description read: “SomeGuy will be allowed an additional 49 shots, would you like to continue?”. 49 shots on 3 holes?! What the hell?! No way do I want to play in that game, you would be a fool to sign up for that one. Now I have not quite figured out how SomeGuy was able to set up such an unfair advantage in the game, so just be aware that some people are tools and deserve to have their 360 smashed in front of their very eyes.

  All your online stats are recorded and documented, from your total earnings, to the number of times you have not finished a match (HAHA, about time they displayed this to the public). You can view any player's stat card just by highlighting their name in the lobby. Here you will get a decently accurate view on how much they do or do not suck. This way all you sharks can invite crappy people into your room, or you can find people of similar playing ability for a well balanced match.

  During play, and here is your first and only warning, nothing you do is secret. While your golfing, your opponents view is exactly what you see on your TV. They can see what club you are using, where you position your shot, even if you have activated the “putting helper” view that displays the ball's path on the green. So if you happen to know some super secret shot on a certain hole that's your “moneymaker”, it'll get stolen in about 2 seconds and copied. Granted this works both ways, and you can hijack anything your opponent is doing that seems to be working. I guess it was put in there to level the playing field. *shrugs*

  Does this thing give points at all?

  I have about 10 hours into the game so far, and guess how many achievements I have unlocked, a grand total of 0. Man, the achievements are brutal in this game to say the least. Do not expect many, if any points from this game; if you are a point whore, go play something else. You are looking at obstacles like, Achieve #1 ranking in any online game mode, Earn a million dollars online, Make 50 wagers...wow. Maybe these just seem overly difficult because all the other sports games give out achievements like candy. I guess you could say all other 360 sports games are like that Chinese woman who hands out sample chicken on a stick at the mall to each person who walks by, where as Tiger Woods is like the Soup Nazi, “NO POINTS FOR YOU”.

  Gripes

  If you have read any of my other reviews, you know damn well nothing is going to escape my grasp without some complaints. I've got two big ones and one minor one with the game, so here we go.

   Big Complaing Numero Uno: Only 6 courses to play on.

  I mean come on people, there's tons of friggin space on that CD, and you could only give us 6 courses? Lets be honest here, designing a golf course (digitally) isn't the hardest feat in the gaming industry. For starters, 90% of the stuff around is all GREEN, now that is not too hard to paint in now is it. There aren't any high tech buildings, no crazy monsters. It is mostly flat ground with some trees and sand. Shame on you. I sure hope they release more courses to be downloaded over Live, for FREE.

   Big Complaint Numero Dos: Too many challenges.

  It is great that the game incorporates certain challenges so you can prove you are worthy of playing on the PGA Tour. However, the amount of proving that needs to be done in this game is crazy. I was expecting to make the tour pretty early on, and spending my time in the ranks of the pros playing across the globe...assuming 6 spots counts as “across the globe”. After 6 hours of play, I still hadn't made the damn tour. It was not until about hour 7 that I even saw that challenge appear, and of course, it was locked.

  Minor Gripe: The Crowd

  The spectators standing along the fairway verbally react well to situations. You will hear then cheer on big shots, and they will let you know when you suck. However, my gripe isn’t with how they sound, it's how they physically react. Let’s say you are spectating at a golf tournament. Joe Jabroni gets up to the tee and slices his drive right at your head. What would you do? Why move out of the way our course. What do the in game spectators do? Stand there and clap. That's right, spectators will stand there as the ball hums right through their vapor like body, as if nothing was wrong. Occasionally a fan will react if the ball “hits” them, but for the most part, I found the crowd to be unresponsive, and this took away from the realism for me.

  Rent or Buy?

  This game is definitely a purchase. The replay value is great, as you can get a fresh new online experience any time you like by jumping on Live. The challenges will take you quite some time to finish alone, and then after that, the tour is unlocked, so expect to put some serious time into this game. Renting the game will give you a good feel for what it is like, but I doubt you will have enough time to speed through the game. Besides, it's a great game to have lying around in case you have a random golf craving, and that deadly bug can strike at any time.

1/30/2006  Brian 'Frosty688' Nadolny