Customer Reviews

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall, playing this game in the "Tiger Challenge" career mode was fun. Playing the game against human friends on one of the dozen or so courses is even better. If you are considering buying the game, here is a quick strengths and weaknesses analysis.

Strengths
1- Physics of the golf swing are excellent and true from a timing, swing plane, and clubhead "loading" perspective. What this means is that if you take the club back too fast and bring it down too early, you're going to lose distance. Also you can bring the club back inside for a draw/hook and outside for a fade/slice. All this may sound geaky, but it is OH SO MUCH better than the old three click swing model.
2- The graphics associated with the players and the details of the playable areas of the golf courses themselves were very good. See weaknesses for some commentary on this as well.
3- The shear number of players and courses to unlock is impressive.
4- Lots of different game play modes like skills challenge, scenarios, speed golf, skins, tournaments and of course, the career-like Tiger Challenge.
5- The ability to improve your character as you accumulate wins and earn more money was very cool. Not only can you add points to attributes like power, accuracy and putting, but you can also purchase better equipment as well.

Weaknesses:
1- In certain situations (like going for the green on a par 5 in two shots, or when you've already hit the ball and it looks like you may hole out) the gameplay animation slows down and an impossibly annoying "heartbeat" audio track plays until the ball comes to rest. I guess this is supposed to psych you up, but I spent 20 minutes looking for a way to shut the stupid thing off. You see, after enough practice, every shot you hit is a great shot and 50% of the time, you're getting the heartbeat effect. The slow motion adds 50% more time to play the game and the heartbeat made my wife want to throw the Xbox through the window.
2- Background graphics (like trees, the crowd, houses, etc.) suck. For example, when standing on the tee box, trees that surround the area have a ghostly blue tinge to them. Unless I had mistakenly selected the Chernoble Country Club course, trees are not supposed to glow blue.
3- WARNING! DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVISE OF YOUR CADDIE! For some reason, the putting advise your caddie gives is impossibly wrong. The good news is, with practice, you will become good enough to eyeball your own putts and you can ignore the caddie all together (or even shut the feature off).
4- Certain computer opponents are fantastically, uncannily good. For example, Brad Faxon, who you face somewhere around 60%-70% through the Tiger Challenge starts his round Eagle, Birdie, Eagle, Birdie, Birdie, Birdie, Birdie Eagle. Come on!!! I had to play him seven time before I finally beat him. Meanwhile, the next two players I faced I beat the first try.

This game is incredibly addictive. I rented it last week and ended up buying it a day later. It's probably the most fun I've had with an Xbox game since Halo.

Where to start? First of all, the analog stick-method for swinging your club is a drastic improvement over the "click-click-click" method of golf games past. There is virtually no lag when you pull the stick back, and when you move it forward, your golfer promptly responds with a very satisfying CRACK!

Additionally, this game looks great. I've heard some people complain that the Xbox version lags because of the multi-platform issues, but I think the graphics look incredible. The player animations are smooth and well integrated, and the faces are downright impressive. The courses, naturally, are visually stunning. I just unlocked St. Andrew's, and I'd swear I was watching it on TV.

Most importantly, this game is fun, plain and simple. The basic play consists of you entering tournaments and mini-games to earn money, and then you use the money to upgrade your golfer, a la Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Before you know it, you've played for six hours straight, trying to get your PUTTING stat up a few more notches.

It's fun and it's challenging, but unfortunately too much of that "challenge" is due to some really annoying design flaws. As mentioned in an earlier review, the "caddie" feature is useless. It's so bad that EA really should provide a new, fixed disk to everyone who bought it. Can't imagine how they let it get through testing that way. And there are also certain holes where the laws of physics get violated. Most of the time the effects of elevation are accurately reflected in the flight of the ball, but there are a number of cases where the outcome just doesn't make sense. You just have to remember "oh yeah, this is that hole where the ball consistently comes up 60 yards short" and use a different club. All in all, cool game, but could've been even better with a reasonable amount of testing

I'm not even a golf fan, and I have found this the most entertaining game I have for the xbox.

The game offers many types of competition, skins, match play, tournament, tiger challenge, and skills. So you can play different types of games to keep you interested.

The graphics are excellent and the game is very realistic.

Over all this is an excellent game, and even the non golfer will find it fun and entertaining.

I have never written a review online, even though it's is where I spend a lot of my time. I have to hand it to EA Sports: this is the most entertaining game I have ever played on any platform - and I'm not even a golfer. Easy to learn and hard to master. Excellent control over every aspect of play. If I only owned one game, this would be it.

This game first off, is great. Their are many options to choose from including speed golf, creating your own course (which is a compiler of the different holes), and simulation golf against another pro. There are many great golfers in this game including a unlockable modified version of Woods, appropriately named Super Tiger. Then there are challenges, more of mini games, like target practice, and other challenges. The game features multiple courses all beautifully rendered with the games graphic engine. The graphics are beautifull, the motion capture makes swings look realistic, and even the signature fist pump after sinking a long par put. The game is great, even if you already own the 2002 version of the game.

Gimme a break. Those of you with complaints (Jeremy), you say this game is so unrealistic and that its way too easy to beat your opponent, then you say how tough it is to judge distances when putting? Come on. First of all, if you had any common sense, you could judge the distances by the width of the cup. Since a cup is about 4.25 inches in diameter, you can use that to measure other distances. And of course on longer puts its gonna be harder to judge...if it werent, people (in the game and real life), would be sinking 50ft putts as easy as they do 3ft putts.

Bottom line, this is the most realistic golf game ever. Instead of the traditional 3-click method of swinging (where there is a meter that fills), you get a real analog swing. You actually pull back on the joystick until you get to the top of the swing, then you follow through. If you dont do it straight, you will slice or hook. As for you not being able to judge your power, you have to just guess (like real golf).

Please, if you are going to complain about a game, get your story straight. Either you like it because its realistic, or you dislike it because its unrealistic. Dont make contradictory points.

This game will blow you out of the water. With better graphics than any other golf game made, better players, most realistic play and graphics, sounds, and some great (non-realistic) effects, you will be amazed and happy you bought it (unless you have some complaints that you cant win because you're not good enough, or that its too easy). Just remember, ITS A GAME...and the best one at that.

I must admit that I am a little biased about this game because I waited for its release for the last 5 months. I am a very picky gamer and prefer sports titles over all others because I simply don't have time for long drawn out adventure games. TW PGA 2003 did not disappoint in the least. Everything about this game is fantastic and I highly recommend it to any gamer that enjoys golf and/or sports titles.

I tried Outlaw golf prior to this title and enjoyed the game. The only problem with Outlaw golf is that there are only 3 courses to play. TW PGA 2003 has 12 or 13 courses, excellent graphics, the best gameplay of any golf title, and plenty of other options to create lasting appeal for the game. The best feature of this game is the new analog swing control, which is also found in Outlaw golf. This swing control is a huge improvement from the traditional three button bar method.

One of the only improvements that I would like to see in next year's edition is a course creator. This edition provides the gamer with the ability to pull individual holes from different courses and create a fantasy course, but it would be even better if the gamer could design their own courses. Maybe I am asking for too much, but it would be a nice addition to an already fantastic game.

If you were waiting for this title, or are simply looking for another quality xbox game, pick up this title. You will not be disappointed.

Wow. This game is so fun it's almost unbelievable. You can have a career mode, so to speak, where you play your way through the ranks, winning money to buy stat points and earning new clubs and balls, etc. along the way. The gameplay is amazing and the graphics are life-like. The controls are easy to use and the game isn't so difficult that you struggle to play, but it does present several challenges. I would buy this game whether you are a golf fan or not because it is hours and hours of good fun, and you can even play against your friends for skins, winning money for your own character. Overall this is probably one of the best games I have ever played. Also you don't have to be tiger, but man is it fun to be him.

This is not only the best golf game I've ever played, but it might be the best darn sports game, period. I can play this game for seemingly endless hours, thanks to the myriad types of play. It offers Skill challenges, Scenarios to perform in (bad lies, stuck in sand traps, par 3 challenge, etc.), Tournaments, TIGER Challenge mode, and of course you can Practice as well. You unlock and improve your golfers and their equipment upgrades as you go along as well, for added incentive to stay up all night playing. This game is a surefire winner -- there is no chance anyone would regret buying it. See you on the links!