CM Diddy

Went and got me TW09 yesterday. Best Tiger game since 04, by far. Graphics are improved from last years, the real time swing meter gives you great judge on how to fix yourself from slicing. And the new stat gaining system is awesome.

Its similar to Madden a little bit, but basically how it works is your skills are broken into 4 areas. Power, Accuracy, Short Game, Putting.

And the better you play, it'll take you to the stat screen after certain well played events and itll show your stats rise. Following that your "coach" sets up 4 drills for you, one in each category, where if you complete them you get bonuses to your stats.

I dont have the time to break out a full review, but if you ever liked TW, you owe it to yourself to buy this game. Amazing.

PeaceSells

Super Moderator

Oh man does this ever make it a tougher decision for me on whether to buy it or not. I was pretty much set to buy SCT3 instead of this year but I've actually heard Tiger is fantastic this year.

Decisions decisions!

CM Diddy

I swear to you, go buy it. I was hesitant too, cause I was so displeased by the last few years, but I put it in my box *giggity* at 6 pm last night, and next thing I knew it was midnight.

CM Diddy

heres the 1up review.





Reviews

One of the best Tiger games yet, it's hard to imagine how EA is going to improve upon it in the coming years.

By Joe Rybicki 08/26/2008
> Reviewer's Blog > Review Crew Profile


Though I'm a big fan of the Tiger Woods series, I wasn't thrilled with last year's edition. The game packed in lots of new features, but the designers' tinkering had resulted in a clunky marriage of an unpredictable Hot Shots-style "three-click" system and an oversensitive analog swing.
Well, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 brings more tinkering...but this time, the planets appear to have aligned just right. The issues with swing sensitivity are answered with a swing feedback meter, which clearly illustrates any deficiencies in your swing. As you pull back on the stick, you see a little glowing trail in the lower left that shows exactly how steady your thumb is (most likely nowhere near as steady as you think). The instant feedback does wonders for those wishing to learn proper technique.
Click the image above to check out all Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 screens.


And to further help those with less-than-perfect swings, the game throws in a robust club tuner. You can help counteract any tendencies to draw or fade your shots just by adjusting a simple slider -- but you can go a lot deeper than that. Want more spin, more distance, greater loft, or a larger "sweet spot"? You can tweak each category of club in your bag to match your play style.
The three-click meter even seems a bit more forgiving; while it still goes supersonic if you break 100 percent power, I found it easier to make clean shots than in last year's game. I still ended up switching back and forth between the two systems, bringing out the three-click system anytime I needed to shorten up my swing by more than 10 percent or so. But I think that's by design.
This strong foundation makes it easier to appreciate all of the extras layered on top. Take the enhanced integration with EA's proprietary GamerNet: Now, when playing a hole in any game mode, you may see a message pop up indicating that another player has issued a GamerNet challenge for your current location. Top it and your feat is automatically entered in the books. It's a shining example of how to seamlessly integrate community elements in a single-player mode.
Click the image above to check out all Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 screens.


I also dig the new skills system. Each of the four categories (power, accuracy, short game, and putting) adjusts based on your in-game experience: Simply perform well and your skills improve. Even better, your skills actually decrease if you don't stay on top of your game. It provides a surprisingly powerful impetus to approach each shot with care. One problem, though: The results can be a little unpredictable, especially in special events in the Tiger Challenge. For example, as my golfer's power increased, I took on a par 5 challenge in which I was hitting almost every green in two shots. I ended up with a spectacular score...but my short game attribute plummeted, since that fairway wood shot tended to end up pretty far from the hole. It's not a huge deal, but it would have been nice if such situations factored into your rating.
Tied in with this is the new Performance Coach feature. After each match, a coach steps in with practice exercises chosen to shore up any deficiencies in your game. Excel at these and you'll get a temporary stat boost to carry into your next match -- and with your stats boosted, you should theoretically perform better in that match, which would result in a permanent stat increase. You're not required to do these exercises, but they can make a huge difference if you're having trouble with a particular course.
Click the image above to check out all Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 screens.


On the "most improved" front, I need to give a shout-out to one major change to multiplayer: simultaneous play, where all four players take shots at the same time, with opponents' shots indicated by colored trails. This works surprisingly well, making it possible to polish off a full 18-hole game without committing an entire evening to the enterprise, which magically turns work back into fun. My biggest gripe, honestly, is pretty damn tiny -- I'm bummed that the excellent voiceover of the previous games has given way to two new (and embarrassingly wooden) commentators. But really, aside from that, Tiger 09 is remarkably improved across the board. I'm curious to see how they'll possibly top it next year.

God

Super Moderator

I played the demo yesterday. One one hole i got to the green in one swing. It was a Par 4 so i was delighted. I finished on 9

KillWill

Nick is it as good as the best Tiger Woods ever Tiger Woods 2005?

God

Super Moderator

Did you read his post?

KillWill

Yeah but he might of said it, just for the sake of it and I was wondering whether he has even played TW05.

Deuce

WC Moderator

He's probably played all of them. Plus he would most likely play 05 if he played 04 and really liked it, to see if 05 is better. Think Will! >.>

Duke

i bought this game today, its super sweet. im uploading my pics onto the site now to make my character look like meeeeee