A golfer steps back, looking at a par 3 that will earn him a championship if he can make birdie. He lines up his shot, adjusts for the wind, and begins his back swing. However, this is Tiger Woods '06, and none of that is necessary. Charge the gamebreaker, start your swing, and jam on the A button. Instant hole-in-one.
This deplorable entry in the seven-year-old series is the worst in an otherwise enjoyable PGA franchise. It caters to no one, not the die-hard fans of the sport or those looking for an arcade experience. It's game filled with confusion as to what it wants to be, and it kills this yearly franchise the minute you step on the course.
Before that however, things look great, aside from the missing custom soundtrack feature. The Game Face feature returns, even more in-depth than it was previous. Creating a player has never been this involving. It's fully functional, allowing players to create their swing and a voice to represent them. The customization has finally been split, leaving experience points to use on attributes and cash on items. This should have been done last year.
Rivals mode is the only new addition to the single player experience. Here you'll go back in time to prove yourself against the greats of the game (in their prime) to show that you are the greatest golfer of all time. It's nice to see the best players receive their do, but beating them should not be this easy.
To say this franchise's engine is dated would be kind. This is a disgustingly easy game of golf. The changes are few, but they're enough to ruin even the slightest feeling of simulation that previous entries managed to hold down. It all starts with the new putting mechanic.
Supposedly making the game more difficult, the "caddy tips" of old have been deleted, and setting power on the putt works like it does for every other analog swing. The grid is accurate thanks to a decent graphics engine (epsecially in progressive scan) and it serves its purpose. Of course, there's no need to read this when you can tap the A button to see the exact spot you need to set to make the shot. Just line up this briefly shown camera (complete with a line showing the path of ball) with a background object and you're done.
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