Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06

Our family has been enjoying the EA Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for several years now on the PC, but this is our first encounter with a console version. We wanted to try it out on the console, to see which version we like better.  Well, while there are differences between the two, each of the versions are of such great quality that all we can say is that we love them both!

Electronic Arts has pretty faithfully released a new version of Tiger Woods every year, with each new version consisting more of enhancements than all-new material. True to form, the PGA Tour 06 version features some new content, along with slightly changed content. The biggest change is the new dual-control swing options, which uses the control stick and also the C pad. The control stick is used for the back and front swings, and the C pad is used to orient the club’s point of impact on the ball, changing the path of its directory. This is a bit more like the swing options on the PC, which allow for different positions of hitting the ball.

The putting controls have also been re-designed; players finally have a grid layout available on each putt. Players can line up their shots by hitting the A button to see the best line to the hole, and the B button for an overhead view of the putt. As with the regular shots, the controls use the dual-control system with the control stick for back and forward swings and the C pad for impact options for the ball.

Other changes are the division of one’s winnings into separate categories for skill enhancements and clothing options. This time, instead of spending money either on lessons to build skills or new clothing options at the shop, players will earn points that can be directly assigned to different skill categories, and also money to spend at the pro shop. This allows for more control over which skills are built up first, and lets players have fun earlier at the shop, buying new goodies for their golfers.

Instead of the Legends tour mode, players will now battle it out on the greens with historical golf figures from by-gone eras, like Palmer and Nicklaus, in the Rivals mode. These eras have their own courses and pro shops, but only the pro shops really represent the eras. The courses could be from any era. The pro shops are fun, though, and feature some really cool togs from times past. And of course, Tiger is ever-present, flitting around peripherally at each era, ready to eventually meet your challenge.

A new Gamebreaker feature that lines up the perfect shot for players has been added, which basically gives players a “freebie” shot at various times, earned by building up skills. This practically allows for a perfect shot, if used.

Tiger-proofing is back, where players can change the courses and make them more difficult.

Other modes are the Play Now mode, which lets players jump right into a single golf game; PGA Tour Season mode, a campaign mode spanning 30 years; Traditional Games, a collection of eight golf games that can be played singly, or with friends; Skills 18, an arcade-like variation of Stroke Golf, where up to four players hit their balls through colored hoops; and Battle Golf, a two-player match where players can remove or add clubs to either their opponent’s or their own bags.

Each of these modes is fun in its own right, but some are more fun to play alone, with others more geared toward multiple players. The Rivals and Season modes are for single-player campaign-style play, while the Traditional Games, Skills 18 and Battle Golf modes are designed for multi-player play.

The Game Face is back, and is as much fun as ever. It’s just amazing how your character can really look like yourself! As in the PC version, it’s still a bit harder to get the females to look as accurate, though, especially for short people. Trying to get the proportions right without being able to shorten the legs just results in a big butt, perched on stilt legs. Oh well….

The console version appears to be little easier in the gameplay area, than the PC versions. Getting the ball onto the green, and putting into the hole, is not very hard, even for players like me, who aren’t too good with eye-hand coordination. It was much harder in the PC version for my player to make her shots, especially when putting. For “pick-up-and-play” gamers, this can be a welcomed feature, but players who want a serious challenge in their simulations may be disappointed by the AI.

On the whole, this is a great addition to the franchise, and features some great enhancements, along with a few new features. It’s a tough call on whether players should plunk down their cash for this new version, though, if they already have the 2005 edition. There are new courses to play (15 in total), and the Rival mode, with its attendant retro pro shops, is fun to play, too.  The new swing controls add to the quality, but the overall difficulty level of the simulation isn’t changed very much by the new swing method. The decision on whether or not to add this new edition will depend more on whether players are tired of their old games and courses, or not. Considered as a stand-alone program, though, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 is a great golf simulation game, and everyone will be satisfied.

Gameplay: 9.0
This franchise is the best game in town for golfers, and this new edition is no exception.  Each new version just keeps getting better and better.  The only quibbles with the game is that it’s a bit too easy.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are good, but not quite as good as the PC version.

Sound: 8.0
Great music and sound effects! We missed the crowd, though.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is not a pushover, but it’s also not as challenging as it could be.

Concept: 7.0
While there is some new content, most of the game is the same as previous, but the presentation is flawless.

Overall: 8.5
Again, EA has produced an elegant golf simulation that is sure to please everyone, from novices to experts. The gameplay could have been more challenging, and the course in the Rivals mode could have been real courses from the past, but these are small quibbles. It’s a great game, as always.