Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Platform: PS2

Category: Sports

Rating Info

Release Date: 07/10/2005

Member Rating:

Number of Players: 1-2

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 Description

As the EA machine rolls out another year's worth of licensed-up sports titles, it's great to see a name which has caused quite a stir in recent years. Yes, Tiger is back for another round in his very own Tiger Woods PGA Tour. What's made Tiger Woods such a successful title in the home gaming arena is the swing mechanic, with EA's rather inspired choice to adapt the roller ball style swing technique of arcade games like Golden Tee to the analogue sticks of home consoles. It's a refreshing change from the 'tap-wait-tap-wait-tap' button method that has been the staple of the golfing game for around two decades. They've improved on this again this year, and the subtlety of the swing goes to a new level as you are required to use both analogue sticks to hit the ball. As before, the left analogue stick controls your swing, but now you can use the right stick to alter your trajectory, or, if you are on the green, adjust the strength of your putt. Another theme this year is the all-new Rival Mode. The idea here is to pitch yourself against the greatest players of all time in the very prime of their careers. So obviously you'll be able to go a few rounds with Tiger using the same state of the art clubs as he uses today, or you can go back in time and play Jack Nicklaus at his very best, using an old-fashioned bag of wooden clubs. There are five periods in which to prove you are the best player of the age. Of course, this game is called PGA Tour, so you get to do plenty of PGA touring as well. There are 16 licensed PGA tour golfers to battle against across 15 real-life PGA golf courses including Pebble Beach Golf Links, St Andrews, Reflection Bay and Doral Golf Resort. Another nice feature is the wager. You can prove how confident you are by betting on your shot before you play it. The more outrageous your boast, the more money you stand to win. With a new swing mechanic and rival mode, this edition of Tiger Woods has much to commend it over last year's game.

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Write a review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06

Reviewed by: bowyer2326	Date: 11/09/2005	Rating:
I had high expectations of this game after 2005 was so good, unfortunately my hopes were dashed almost instantly and then continued to slide as I continued to play. Gone is the ability to choose your stance in relation to the ball. This has been replaced by the 'shape' stick, more reminiscent of pool/snooker games than of golf. Also gone is the caddy tip on the greens. Instead you have the 'ideal putt' camera which shows you exactly where you should putt, leaving the user having only to choose the putt power with left analog. Very easy once you get the hang of it and i was holing 70 foot putts without to much trouble. On the plus side, the way you set up your player character has been improved, their are more options, including a selection of voices for your character to use and the ability to change the pitch of your voice from a squeaky, pre-pubuscent, to a caucasian Barry White. All said though the good additions do not by any means outweigh the bad ones, or make up for the fact that the best features of '05 have been removed completely, and the whole game just doesn't feel like a new and improved Tiger Woods. Maybe I'm drawing to much comparison with '05, but I'm kinda of the opinion that a new sequel should be better than its predessecor.....

Features

Dual Analog Swing and Putting - New advanced swing technique uses both analog sticks to "shape" shots. The left analog stick executes the swing and the right analog stick shapes the shot, controlling ball trajectory and spin. While putting, players will rely on "touch" and finesse as they swing the analog stick only as far as needed to make a putt. A new aiming mechanism also enables the user to line up and gauge putting speed.

Rivals Mode - Earn the title of #1 Golfer of All Time by following Tiger's path through time to best both Tiger's accomplishments and the accomplishments of the greatest golfers of each era, in an attempt to become the unanimous choice as #1 golfer of all time. Play against some of the great names in golf in Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan.

Gamebreaker - Based on good or bad shots and scores you make, your Gamebreaker meter will increase or decrease. When you hit certain thresholds you'll earn the opportunity to trigger a Gamebreaker situation, giving you the ability to hit a longer and more accurate shot

Wagering and Shot Calling - Call your shot before making it and reap the rewards. Players can elect to "call their shot" before making it, putting up a wager that they can pull it off.

Courses - Play a total of 15 courses (11 licensed and three fantasy courses) including the site of the 2005 British Open, St. Andrews Golf Links. Seven new licensed courses include TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) Reflection Bay (Las Vegas, Nev.), Cog Hill Golf Club (Chicago, Ill.), Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club (Portland, Ore.), Sahalee Country Club (Seattle, Was.) and Doral Golf Resort (Miami, Fla)

PGA TOUR Players - Compete as or against 15 different PGA TOUR players including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and new this year Chris DiMarco, Mike Weir, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald. Additionally, 12 new fantasy characters will challenge you on the links.

EA SPORTS Online Competition - Play with up to four players with anyone across the country on the PlayStation 2 console or Xbox Live. Compete in Online Tournament events complete with money lists, full stat tracking, and league leaders. The new handicapping system will allow gamers to find competitors at a formidable level, and players can post scores on ea.com for access to web tournament leader boards.

Play a Career - In PGA TOUR Season mode for console versions, play along with the 52-week PGA TOUR calendar of events for up to 30 seasons. Obtain sponsorships from real golf equipment manufacturers throughout your career and drive to surpass Tiger Woods as #1 on the overall money list.

GameFace - Players will once again use the industry leading character creation technology GameFace to create their own golfer, outfit and build up their golfer's attributes to attempt to become the #1 Golfer of All Time. New this year is the ability to choose your own voice for your character.

Reactive Tiger Proofing - The course will literally fight back. Courses will become more difficult as you score well, and will ease up if you play poorly.

Golf's Best Commentators - David Feherty and Gary McCord make up the golf announcing Dream Team and provide their commentary and irreverent observations on each round.

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