Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09

• GenreSports
• Release Date08/26/2008
• PublisherEA Sports
• DeveloperEA Sports
• ESRBE - Everyone

Last year's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 left us sorely dissatisfied. EA Sports unnecessarily tweaked the gameplay system, leaving us hooking and slicing on every other swing. Worse yet, the buggy online interface ended up needing more work. A year later, EA Sports has learned the errors of its ways. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 shows vast expansion in every area imaginable, resulting in the best current-gen golf game yet.
First and most importantly, the gameplay is fun again. Rather than being stuck with an erroneous swing system where hooks and slices are commonplace, it feels more natural this time around. You can still score bad shots if you don't pay attention to wind trajectories and thumb motions, but overall it returns to the basics that the series has become known for. If you feel that the analog system is too much for you to bear, the classic three-button press system is still available, Overall, it's a dynamic control set-up that's fun, with birdies, eagles and even a couple of aces in the realm of possibility. We're glad EA Sports put needed stability back in this area.

No, Tiger isn't seeing rainbows. This is the online simultaneous play in action – and it's cool. Click to see more images from the game...

Skill improvement is also a huge part of Tiger Woods 09. Hank Haney, Tiger Woods' personal playing coach, makes his virtual debut here. He provides general pointers on your swing, while also setting up drills to improve your play in four vital areas – Power, Accuracy, Short Game and Putting. As your skills improve, so does your overall ranking, making you a more formidable golfing opponent. If you seek to improve what's in your golf bag, you can also mess around with the new Club Tuner. Just make sure you're aware of the sacrifices you make. If a club performs better with power, that doesn't automatically mean it'll be accurate.
Online integration fumbled last year, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is back on track with its support of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. EA GamerNet works perfectly, with the ability to play through hundreds of customized challenges – as well as the chance to set up your own. As you complete each one, you compete against other players with GamerNet points. If individual challenges aren't your thing, you can sign up for an online match against three other players. The key difference here is simultaneous play – you no longer have to wait for others at the tee box. A color-coded system keeps track of each ball hit down the fairway, so you can all play at once. This speeds up each match significantly. We only wish we could say the same thing for single player, as you still have to wait for stagnant AI players to finish their turn before you take a swing.
Single player challenges are terrific overall. You have to complete several tasks before being able to compete with PGA opponents, such as Darren Clarke, Se Ri Pak and, eventually, Woods himself. Beating them unlocks 16 new courses. Extra courses would've been nice, but overall there's plenty of variety here. Cheaters who aren't up to the challenge can purchase the courses separately for around $2 each. Many of the minigames, such as target golf, also return, along with traditional play modes if you feel like playing a quick round of 18. The selection of PGA and fantasy golfers is also great, with plenty of pros – and not-so-pros – to choose from.
With presentation, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 sticks with what works. The visuals continue to build a fantastic golf presentation, with gorgeously designed courses, an acceptable game speed (with only a hint of slowdown), well-animated players and a behind-the-ball camera view that keeps an eye on its trajectory. In the sound department, EA brought in a new announcing team to take over for mainstays Gary McCord and David Feherty. Unfortunately, Kelly Tilghman and Sam Torrance aren't really up to task. EA should bring back the good old boys next year. The rest of the sound effects hold up, with crowd cheers and authentic "thwacks" every time you strike the ball.
More courses and better announcing would've made Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 the perfect virtual golf experience. As it stands, damn close will have to do. It's a quintessential recreation of the sport for the current-gen market, and possibly the pinnacle of golfing excellence. The online component and skill progression will keep you swinging well into the winter months. All that's left to ask is what EA Sports could do to possibly top it next year. For now, we'll enjoy the fruits of this year's labor. If you're smart, you'll do the same.