Few third-party franchises made the move to Wii as well as Tiger Woods.
Electronic Arts’ annual golf series was a natural fit for Nintendo’s motion controller,
and together, they’ve been scoring birdies ever since.
Is that the right golf verb?
Do you score birdies?
I don’t know.
I’m not a golf guy.
The only putts I sink are generally through a clown’s mouth, and the only cup I’ve
ever won was plastic and filled with ice cream.
This has been the case since I was a little kid, and obviously, some things never change.
For better and worse, neither does Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the Wii.
And after just a few holes in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, that becomes clear.
This is basically more of the same great Tiger Woods gameplay we’ve had on Wii for years.
The old adage “why fix what isn’t broken” comes to mind, but on the other hand, it’s
hard to argue this year’s game is worth buying if you already have one of Tiger’s
previous Wii games.
Of course, there is one big selling point for golf fans, and that’s the addition of
the prestigious Masters tournament.
The entire experience in Tiger Woods 12 revolves around the Masters, and specifically, it’s
your main goal in the new career mode.
After creating your golfer, you have to work your way up from the bottom of the golfing
world.
You start out in dinky little amateur tournaments at first, but as you gain more experience,
you start to make a name for yourself.
You end up playing in some professional tournaments.
And eventually, if you’re good enough, you’re invited to the Masters.
For golf fans, this is a pretty big improvement
on prior Tiger Woods games.
It gives the career mode a more goal-driven focus, not to mention that that goal happens
to be a trip to the sport’s grandest stage.
And even if the significance of the Masters is lost on you, the idea that you’re working
toward something big still makes the career mode more rewarding than ever...even more
legitimate.
Speaking of legitimizing the game and giving it more of an authentic golf feel, the game’s
commentary is done by Jim Nantz, a television commentator whose voice has become synonymous
with modern golf’s greatest moments.
Hearing him as you line up a putt in the Masters, you get more of a pro golf feel from Tiger
12 than ever before.
Another new addition is the presence of your caddie.
He has advice for every stroke, and if you choose to follow it, you automatically switch
to the club and angle that he’s suggested.
Now, hardcore golf fans may find this makes the game too easy, but it’s a great addition
for casual players and it can be turned off at any time.
In terms of its gameplay, though, it’s the status quo this year on Wii.
The game controls as it always has, and that’s a good thing—in sports games, motion controls
don’t get much better than the Tiger games on Wii.
But the drawback is that, like the gameplay, the graphics haven’t evolved much either.
Tiger is still a jaggy, last-gen looking game on Wii.
But on the plus side for Nintendo fans, the Wii version has 25 courses, which is nine
more than the HD, DLC-supporting Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.
EA’s golf titles have always played great on Wii.
Tiger 12 doesn’t change that.
The problem is—for all its tweaks—it doesn’t change much else, either.
It’s still the same tremendous Wii game it’s always been, so if you’ve never played
one before, there’s never been a better time.
But if you have, this might be a round to sit out.