Tiger's first round on the Xbox 360 did not turn out well. It had only six courses, scant modes to play, and broken online multiplayer.
EA's mea culpa, thankfully, comes this year with Tiger Woods 07. Not only does the Xbox 360 version offer unique game play mechanics, and a new presentation, but the online play works (after a slight hiccup).
Doubling the amount of courses (to 12) is a major improvement, but this is a far cry from the 21 found on the Xbox version. The six new courses look great, and are fun to play, though (Tiger has always been a fun game, no matter the shortcomings).
New in 07 are Firestone Country Club, Glen Abby, Prince Course, Spyglass Hill, Bandon Dunes, and St. Andrews. Hopefully, next year we will see some of the fantasy courses, like the Central Park course new in the PSP and Xbox versions of Tiger 07.
But the first thing you notice, beyond the gorgeous looking courses (they are a step above last year's game), is the major work put into the presentation. The cluttered HUD has been reduced to an easy-to-read overlay on the lower left part of the screen.
The camera angles, the picture-in-picture, and the new HUD really push this broadcast-like presentation. This is something no other version of Tiger 07 has.
Something else exclusive to the Xbox 360 version is True Aiming. It puts challenge back into the game, and is something that was a long time coming.
No longer does your duffer have laser accuracy at 230 yards to the pin. Your shot is represented by a white circle around where the ball might go. Depending on your skill level, this circle might be quite large.
True Aiming is about the best game play change Tiger Woods has seen in years. Even with a maxed out created player, or Woods himself, there is always a chance your ball will not land where you intended. Kudos to EA for True Aiming; it rocks.
Other game play changes include the Loft Stick. Now when you aim the right analog, your aim stays in place. Aiming below the ball puts loft and backspin on the ball; aiming above the center of the ball will punch the ball with a lower trajectory.
If you have played a hole before, you can cycle through shot history. This is only a line, but it does help. Maybe next year it will tell you what club you used as well.
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