Customer Reviews

Links 2004

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you are deciding between Tiger Woods 2004 or Links 2004, I will tell you the differences.

GAMEPLAY:
Both games are set up very nicely. Both have the great analog swing. The only problem with Tiger Woods is once you have your player stats maxed out it becomes unrealistic because your drives go 370 yards consistently, which makes the game too easy. Links, it takes awhile to max your stats, and once you do its still realistic, meaning you'll need a good drive and good second shot to make it on the Green in 2 on a par 5. As far as putting, Links has Tiger beat by a huge margain. On Links you get a nice chart layout and the analog putting feels so real. On Tiger it gives you a caddy tip and the grid really stinks. To spin the ball, Tiger still has the arcade feel where you spin the ball after its hit. On Links you choose the spin before you hit it, just like in real life.
ADVANTAGE: LINKS 2004

COURSES/GOLFERS/ITEMS(UNLOCKABLES):
Tiger Woods has a ton more courses, compared to only 9 on Links. Tiger also has a lot more PGA Golfers on the game, like Tiger, Vijay, Daly, Furyk, and more compared to Links 3 golfers. Tiger Woods has THE BEST create a golfer ever!!!! Links you choose a player model and change his clothes. In Tiger you can create your player (identical to you!) and have all kinds of unlockables to fit to him including clubs, shoes, gloves, hats, etc. There is just so much.
ADVANTAGE: TIGER WOODS by far!!

CAREER MODE:
In Links you play in a series of Tournaments to earn cash to buy attributes. In Tiger you can play through an entire "almost real" PGA Tour season with the real events, like at Kapalua (the Merceds Championship) starting in January in Hawaii. Also included are the 4 majors, just named something different. This gives Tiger a major advantage as far as replay value.
ADVANTAGE: TIGER

OVERALL:

Tiger Woods has a ton more options, courses, golfers, unlockables. The gameplay is a little more unrealistic (not like Mario Golf or Hot Shots Golf though) and the putting is not as good as Links. The create a player and career mode is awesome.

Links has the better gameplay but lacks the options and unlockables cool stuff found in Tiger. The gameplay is so much more realistic than Tigers though, and the graphics are better.

If you are looking for a game with better gameplay and don't care about the options, get Links. If you are someone who loves the all the good unlockables and true PGA Tour season play, get Tiger.

Links 2004 has a putting system that works. You can click a grid on/off and then swing around 180 degrees from your ball to look from behind the hole and line up your put according to the break of the green. On a long putt, pick a spot on the green about half way to the hole (using the tracer) and hit over that spot. Just like real golf. I didn't like the putting at all in Tiger Woods 2003 XBOX, and if the putting system is not enjoyable I quickly lose interest in the game. After all, putts are 40% of the strokes taken. I have not tried Tiger 2004 yet, so I don't know if it's been improved. Driving and chiping are easy to pull off in golf sims....thank you Links 2004 for bringing a good putting system to the XBOX.

Links has some silly and tiresome special effects, slow-mo and others, but fortuneatly, a tap of the green button fast forwards through them faster than can be believed. In fact, if your in a real hurry, you can fast fwd after hitting every shot and play 9 or 18 in record time.

This game may be the one to get me online with an XBOX live kit so I can play against online opponents.

Simply stated, Links 2004 is the most realistic golf title to grace console gaming ever. Links has been the mainstay in PC golf for more than a decade, and now enjoys a new 3D engine with its arrival on XBox.

The first thing you might note is that most of the courses on Links 2004 -- St. Andrews and Oakmont being the exceptions -- have never hosted a major championship, in comparison to Tiger, which features numerous major venues. Don't let this keep you from making a great purchase. Whereas Tiger has the majors, Links has variety. The West Coast, the Northeast, the Desert Southwest, Hawaii, Canada, Australia, Scotland -- it's all here, and rendered in incredible detail. Just look at the shadows cast by the tall pines of Greywolf, or the ocean meeting the lava rocks of Mauna Lani. The lighting and texture work is so realistic, there have been times I thought I was watching a real tournament. The galleries are equally impressive -- unlike the PC version of Links, tournament attendees clap their hands and move around, seek cover when an errant shot comes their way, and don umbrellas when the weather takes a turn for the worse. The folks in Tiger don't even do that!

Aside from great graphics, the control scheme is second to none. If you've been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome thanks to the spin system in the console versions of Tiger Woods, or have just found it to be too reminiscent of arcade golf, you'll appreciate Links' use of the right thumbstick to generate ball spin in the direction of your choice. You'll also need to be accurate with your use of the left thumbstick. Any deviation from a straight path will result in an off-target shot. This added challenge in a much-welcome addition to console golf, in my opinion.

Links 2004 boasts a deep career mode. Start off with little, earn new abilities and money in skills challenges, tournaments, and various matches, and graduate from rookie to pro, pro to champion, and ultimately to golf legend. Similar to Tiger, you can purchase distance, control, recovery, and putting attributes with your winnings. You might not be able to buy new socks, reading glasses, or hairnets like you can in Tiger, but that adds nothing to the core gameplay, anyway. Links is the meat and potatoes golf simulation for fans of the sport. Oh, and being able to play as the realistic digital counterparts of young golf phenomenon Sergio Garcia, LPGA sensation Annika Sorenstam, Masters Champion Mike Weir, and the funky hat wearing Swede, Jesper Parnevik, is nothing to laugh at, especially since each model - amateurs included - is given even greater attention to detail only Tiger himself is given in his own game. Amazing stuff.

Commentary might present the only marginally sore spot of the game, and that's only because Microsoft has attempted to do something more with tournament scripting. Just like a televised event, there's the host-figure, a color commentator (played by Ken Venturi), and an on-course reporter. The problems come when they attempt to say something specific about your progress, like "he's won three tournaments to get into this championship here at Oakmont," with "three" and "Oakmont" being inserted choppily into the sentence. But I commend Microsoft for trying to make each event more immersive, much more like these commentators aren't just observing one game, but an entire career, as they do in real life. And unlike Tiger's approach of addressing you, the gamer, and offering advice to you, personally, Links 2004 sticks with addressing players by their user-selectable names or nicknames and comments to you, the viewer, on lie, wind, weather, and other such issues. 2005's edition will need to be more seamless, but this is a great first effort.

Ambient sounds, on the other hand, are well above the standards set for console golf by the Tiger Woods 200x series. Crowds aren't dead silent while you're getting ready to hit -- there's a persistent low murmur that elevates into elation after a great tee shot or putt, or into moans and groans after your ball finds the rough or water hazard. There's also variety in terms of the degree of their response, unlike Tiger, which seems to offer only one flavor of excitement. The sounds of birds chirping and brooks babbling in the background are plentiful and further immerse you into the experience. Links 2004 has clearly raised the bar for audio in golf games.

There will be people who insist Tiger is the better game, that it features more golfers, or that it has more known courses. But if you're a fan of golf and great golf games, you owe it to yourself to pick up this title!

Yep, I'm one of those people that likes Links 2004 better than the Tiger Woods games. Thats not to say that I don't like the Tiger Woods games at all but I think that on the Xbox, Links is the way to go. I prefer the sim approach as opposed to Tigers more arcade style although I think both are great games. I really like the graphics in Links as well as the sound effects and music. Links also has online play which is fun but I have actually spent most of my time building up the stats of my created guy. You can also download several courses over Xbox live although I have yet to do that so I can't say if they are worth it or not. Overall, both series have their pros and cons, however Links 2004 is one golf game that will entertain you for quite a while.

this golf game is simple so it is easier for kids. Also it has many modes, such as practice shots and intense competition!

I am a PC golf fanatic and was a little hesitant to play on a console. Links 2004 exceeded my expectations. The physics are as good as it gets and the graphics are untouchable. You really need to play it on an HDTV with surround sound to get the full effect. I gave this game 5 stars because my kids don't play golf but this game has lit a fire and they will start this coming spring. I wish they would make a Links 2007 although I don't know what they could add.

I've found this game to be a blast. Not so hard that it becomes frustrating and not too easy so as to be meaningless. You learn a lot about golf too. I'd like to see more courses and more relevant commentary, but nevertheless, I'm having a lot of fun. I also noticed that some who really enjoyed the game erroneously gave it 0 stars instead of the 5 stars they intended.

This is one the best golf games I have ever owned. You can create your charatures and then follow them thru their career. The graphics are really realistic, and you can upload your own soundtrack to listen to while you golf. I personally uploaded Tim McGraw's greatest hits, and that is great to listen to while I golf. This game is really fun to play with your friends.

the difference between Tiger Woods 2003 and Tiger Woods 2004 is very marginal, not much changed. so if you're in the market for a new golf title, Links 2004 is just the ticket. both games are similar, with Links taking a slightly more conservative approach. Links' career mode is well-done and will take some time to complete and rise through all of the different levels. each tour level has a nice array of different tasks that must be finished before progression to the next level is obtained, which bodes well for the long-term aspects.

on the links, you'll find putting is a more pleasant experience with Links 2004 than TW. not that it's easy, or completely aggravation-free, but certainly easier to deal with. the actual tee-shots and fairway drives are easy and take the least time to master. control-wise, you really need to get good at Links to have the feeling that you are "in control." it's easy in TW to aim with precision, whereas Links can be challenging if you're trying to judge distance. and the meter moves very quickly, forcing you to improve or die trying. unfortunately, the audio commentary in Links is horribly fractured and robotic-sounding. it has become a running joke of every matchup a friend and I have (Sam... putts for... EAGLE...) how they expected that level of incongruous commentary to not come off as a really laughable joke is beyond me. but the condescending repetition of TW isn't much better.

being a Tiger Woods vet in the market for something different made the choice easy for me, and the many XBox Live compatible features might sway you in favor of Links also. but for those who have never played Tiger Woods, it might be a tough choice. you really can't go wrong with either.

This game is just plain awesome. Tiger Woods game has become a cartoon. This game with the true swing, the courses, etc. etc. is simply the best. Not to mention they just dropped the price. If you like golf games, don't miss this one.