Customer Reviews

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've only had Tiger Woods 07 for the Wii for a few days and played a few rounds. My first impression is that visually, this game is no different than Tiger Woods 04 for the GameCube... there's virtually no improvement in the visual quality of the game over a version from three years ago on a previous-gen console. I've played the demo of this game on the XBox 360 and it looks fantastic there (I assume it looks equally magnificent on a PS3). So right out of the gate, we're taking a big step backwards... I would have expected some improvement in graphics, maybe not a lot, but some. There is a lot of scintillation in the textures, especially the complex stuff like trees, shrubs and grass.

The manual is pretty thin, with minimal information beyond the basic game controls. For instance, in PGA Tour mode, when you play a stroke you might get some icons appearing on the screen... but there's no indication what they mean. They obviously have something to do with the experience and skills system, but it would be nice to have an explanation of what they mean.

Of course, on to the subject that everyone is sure to be talking about... the Wiimote controls. Yes, this is the reason why I got this version of the game, with all its graphical shortcomings, instead of the XBox 360 version. Wii Sports is still an impressive game almost half a year after the launch of the Wii console, but Golf was one of the games on Wii Sports that I felt let me down the most, because the controls were so flaky and inconsistent. My hopes were that since this was a dedicated golf game, the control system would be significantly better. For the most part, I am not disappointed. There are still some strange and annoying things, but overall, a lot of them can be overcome with technique and form, I think. For one thing, I found it incredibly hard to hit a straight shot. Even holding the Wiimote with one hand and swinging it very carefully to keep it flat I found I had a strong propensity to hook it pretty badly, so I've taken to gripping the Wiimote rotated about 45 degrees and I get straight shots most of the time. The other frustration I've had with the controls is that once in a while I get an inexplicable dead spot in my backswing where the game thinks I've completed my swing, which usually results in a low-powered hook or slice way off the course. It seemingly never fails when I'm having a good game, I'll get one of these strokes and end up blowing a good score because I have to take a few extra strokes to recover.

Game play is not significantly different than previous versions of the Tiger Woods franchise. You have the EA Game Face tool for creating your character (strangely, no matter how I altered the face to try and look like my own, I can't shake the impression that the face still looks somehow like Tiger Woods). As you compete in Tour events you earn cash and experience points. You use the cash to buy new clothes and equipment that can give you skill bonuses (for instance, a certain driver might give you a bonus to your driving power/distance), as well as branded items that, once you start getting sponsorships, can help you earn additional money as a spokesperson for their merchandise. The experience points are gained for using specific skills on the course, and translate into skill increases in those skills (demonstrating control of your shot power gives you power experience points which can then be used to increase your power skill).

There is a "Play Now" mode, which, as far as I can tell (darn the lack of useful instructions!) generates 18 holes of golf from a random sampling of all the available courses, as well as an anemic tutorial mode which barely covers the basic functions of the Wiimote, and doesn't cover spin control at all, plus a Tiger Challenge mode and PGA Tour mode where you play through a calendar of tour events, each with its own purse and entry requirements, on a quest to be a PGA Tour champion.

I've never golfed in real life, and the few times I've been to a driving range for fun have been an exercise in poor coordination, so I'm probably at a grave disadvantage to someone who actually plays golf and has better swing mechanics. That said, since I don't golf, I can't really comment on how accurately the Wiimote simulates a real golf swing. I've played Tiger Woods and other similar golf games on other consoles and I usually master them pretty quickly, but adding the actual physical act of swinging the Wiimote like a golf club will definitely add greater depth and difficulty for me, I'm guessing, especially considering there are different difficulty levels which, as best I can tell (darn that useless manual again!) makes the Wiimote more sensitive and renders a more accurate representation of the swing.

I've only scratched the surface of this game, but so far I'm pleased with it. The biggest attraction that the Wii has for me is the innovative new ways in which the controller can be used, so I will continue to be drawn to games like Tiger Woods 07, that use the controller in non-traditional ways that more closely simulate the activities in the games.

This game is one of the reasons why I bought the Wii in the first place. As an avid golfer, this game is nearly perfect. EA is known for recycling their crap over and over again but this time I think they almost got it right. People who are giving this a bad rating based on graphics need to sell their Wii.

This game is very, very difficult. It is a great simulation of real golf. If you have a good golf swing, then you can consistently hit the ball well. Not perfectly every time but pretty accurately. I have run into inadvertent swing problems that everyone is complaining about but only when I don't swing right. I can understand why some people are frustrated but the reason is because they are not swinging correctly.

So why isn't the game perfect?
1. Putting is ridiculously easy. Whether it's a 6 ft putt or a 16 ft putt, the motion is exactly the same. Also, even if you are remotely close to the path of how the ball should go, then you will sink the putt almost automatically. I like the variability in Wii Golf a lot better.

2. It is nearly impossible to hit the ball at 50% power or less. Half swing is always over 75% Maybe I just need to spend more time on my short game.

This is a great first step for the Wii franchise. There are some great game modes including a career mode where you create your golfer and increase different skills. You can join the PGA Tour and play in real events against other pros as well. Make enough money and buy clothes/accessories. I will be playing this one for a long time and it is well worth the money.

UPDATE: Still haven't really got around to figuring out the short game. I just change the club and the type of shot: punch, lob, etc to get the distance right. I am just about half way through Tiger Challenge and it is getting very difficult. I guess putting was easier before because the course was not as difficult. I still give it 5 stars based on gameplay and options. Overall still 4 stars since there are some flaws.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 on the Wii had a LOT of potential. What golf fan could pass up the opportunity to swing the Wiimote like a golf club one some of the greatest golf courses in the world and using the profile of some of the world's best players? Not me, for certain.

This game is pretty fun, but there are quite a few things holding it back. As a left-hander I was a bit annoyed that there was no pro I could use at the beginning of the game. When I play a casual round with some family and friends and they're using Tiger and other pros and I'm using a custom created profile (and hitting the ball about 75% as far as they do) it's pretty annoying. The game also seems a lot less dependent on actual swing skill than I would like--my[...]was drilling chip shots from 50 yards out after a wild one-handed swing. I'd prefer something a little more dependent on swing form, even if the learning curve was steeper.

The worst thing about the game, however, is the tendency to "lose" a swing. There are times when there is apparently a communication error between the Wiimote and the game and your player takes a half swing while you're still in your backswing. This doesn't happen often but is a definite problem. I haven't played much of the tour mode (which I usually really enjoy) for fear of having one shot ruin a whole round. Also, there is an alternate "old school" control style available that uses the nunchuck to time your swing, but where's the fun in that? If I wanted to swing without using the Wiimote I'd get this game on another console and enjoy much better graphics.

That's not to say this game isn't fun. It's pretty similar to the last few years' versions with the addition of the Wiimote, which despite its flaws is still a great innovation for the franchise. Still, with Tiger Woods 2008 on the horizon I'd recommend to anyone but the most die hard golf game fan that you save your money and hope they improve on some of the gameplay mechanics.

If you want to relive the real experience of mis-hitting the ball, this is the game for you. When I play golf in real life (rarely) I usually slice. Well, the same thing was happening to me last night while playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. However, when I concentrated on what my hands were doing during the swing, I could nail it nice and straight. As far as realism goes, this game is 80% there, hence the 4 stars overall. Putting is where the problem is, but that's understandable, considering how delicate a putting stroke is, hence the difficulty in the Wiimote emulating it. I know that this game has potential for hundreds of hours of gameplay, and overall I'm very excited about it. Just don't throw your controller to the ground when you keep hitting it into the rough!

EDIT: After playing more last night and getting the putting down, I would like to change my score to a 5 out of 5 overall. Easily worth the $50 investment!

I think this game is great. My son and I were playing late into the evening. He was having the problem with club hitting early and I was hitting long and straight consistantly. So he started coping my swing which is to draw back slow and controlled. Swing through like real golf, hips slide forward and shoulders turn to left and you got yourself the perfect swing. I do use "The Four Magic Moves" by Joe Dante with the early wrist break that seems to keep me straight. Otherwise I love this game it's like playing golf for real. Pay attention to your swing mechanics and you will be fine.

I'll keep this brief as others have all ready touched on most aspects of the game.I would like to concentrate on the control which I think is absolutely on par with a real swing. I found that playing with two hands on the remote is not only spot on but the only way to go for getting the best results. Keep your head down and swing through,perfect shot every time. Pull it up and come across,slice a decent percentage of the time. Me and my friends have no problem putting it in the fairway every time with minimal amount of learning curve. Likewise we found there to be no problem with putting either. It's really a feel thing,after a few tries you'll be draining putts from two feet to twenty feet without a problem. All in all an excellent effort thats not without some flaws but deserves to be in your gaming library especially if you're an avid weekend golfer like myself.

That's what this game is... a simulation. We know that the swing controls aren't 1:1 and sometimes the controls seem very frustrating, until you remember your golf swing doesn't command perfection either.

The game can be played at your own pace: you can skip through the animations using the fast play option in the pause menu. Or you can play slowly, watching all of the animations and taking your time in preparation for the next shot.

Each shot takes patience, and if you rush your shot, you are likely to screw up.

Some of the shorter approach shots and chip shots seem undoable, but you can change the type of shot to 'punch' 'full' 'chip' 'flop' in order to obtain your desired distance. This game needs a lot more thinking and patience in order to execute properly and get the most fun out of the game.

There are 18 courses to choose from.

The character creation is kind of difficult to use, but there is far more customability than with the Mii's.

People complain about the putting. Although it is more difficult that Wii Golf, the putting isn't all that bad. Just remember that the power is based off of your on-screen movements rather than your off-screen movements. They give you the right line, and its your job to match it in direction and power. The putting isn't supposed to be super easy, and that's where the challenge comes into the game.

The ball spin ability works great.

Well, these are my comments on the game, and if you have the patience to plan out every shot, then this game is for you. I imagine real-life golfers would have the most fun with this game.

I've had this game for about a week now. At first I was really thinking I kept hooking my shots to the right because I wasn't swinging accurately. So i was really excited about being able to improve with time and practice. But after many hours of concentrating, and watching the remote swing perfectly, still, 9 times out of 10 it hooks to the right. At this point it's much more common for me to be hitting from the rough on my second shot than it is from the fairway. So that's my first BIG complaint - I can't hit a straight shot for a life of me, and when I finally do it seems completely random and without reason. This last game I started only holding the remote with one hand, and as I bring it down to swing, I twist it in towards my body like I'm bowling, and then it hits straight. There's something very wrong with the controls here.

My second HUUUUGE complaint is that about 25% of the time when I'm putting, the game will think I'm swinging forward when I'm still bringing my club backward!! AHH!!!! I've lost the same event two times in a row against a computer controlled character because of this. I just got so frustrated about 5 minutes ago I almost threw my controller at the TV.

The other thing that really bugs me about this game are the graphics. I understand it's the Wii and not the 360 or PS3. But they put gratuitous things in the game like animals running around in the background, and they took seemingly NO care with them to make them look anything beyond terrible. Why put a deer in the background if it's going to make the game look bad? Add it if it'll enhance the atmosphere, but if you can't make it look good, take the stupid things out. The golf characters all look pretty good, and the grass and trees all look pretty good. I bought the Wii for gameplay though, not graphics. For that I have a nice PC.

I LOVED Wii Sports Golf. But it was really short and way too easy. So I was excited about the prospect of a content-rich golf game using the Wii remote. But this game makes me want to throw it out my window and put in Wii sports... at least that's fun!

The game rocks--the control is better than I expected and the graphics are decent. There's a couple of areas that need improvement, otherwise this is the best tiger woods I've played. The graphics on the other new consoles may be better but the Wii remote translates hand motion excellently. Well worth the borderline insanity caused by learning to play the game (very much like real-life golf). You'll be swearing at David Feherty like never before. Considering how quickly EA put this game out, it is fantastic.

THE BAD: This game has NO LEFTY options. Really now...for crying out loud, you get to choose L or R in Wii sports for Pete's sake. I own ERTS stock and I am embarrased for the fact that we, the lefties, 10% of the WORLD are left out. It is things like this that cause me to think that ERTS couldn't wait to get our $$$ and cash in as the first golf and one of the first overall sports games for the Wii and just rushed this to market.

That said, I have over a few rounds found that you can play this left-handed, but the player on the screen always addresses the ball from the right-handed point of view.

THE GOOD: The gameplay is spectacular, XBOX 360 and PS3 are going to get a real awakening when people actually can get their hands on a Wii without waiting outside of a store for hours. The graphics are adequate but do not compare to XBOX 360 or PS3, but that's not the point. This game is much more fun than the Tiger Woods 2004 I have for PS2 which I never play, but the TW 2007 for the Wii gets heavy use in my house.

The player does actually swing when you do not want him to, but if you watch the screen during your backswing, you can usually let go of the B button in time to stop the swing. (I know as a golfer that you should always look down even on your follow through and looking at the screen to watch the player goes against this and could start a bad habit, but it is just a game and for video golfers only, this is a good tip.

SUMMARY: No LEFTIES (BOO). LOADS OF FUN. Very innovative gameplay on Wii's behalf and definately good for the long winters up north.