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 The perfect antidote to a waiting room Jul 14, 2008
I picked this up for myself to use on my kids' Nintendo DS. I have no interest in playing most of the games they play, Mario Kart aside (my 4-year old leaves me in the dust).
With the prospect of several doctor visits and with each a prolonged stay in the waiting room, I took this game along. I've never owned another golf game, so I can't speak to whether the '08 version is better than its predecessors. And that's what makes my review unique: I'm speaking from a beginner's viewpoint.
The game is simple to figure out. That's a big plus. I don't have to be an experienced gamer to figure out the controls.
Speaking of the controls, I thought sweeping the stylus up the screen would be a piece of cake. No problem with 15-foot putts, right? How hard could it be to draw a straight line one-inch long?
Well, it is harder than it looks.
I'm improving, but I've got a long way to go. There are practice modes for each skill, putting, chipping and driving. I haven't even mustered up the guts to challenge Tiger to a shootout at Pebble Beach.
All in all, this is a fun diversion and sure beats reading two-year old copies of People magazine in a waiting room.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Definitely a winner! Apr 09, 2008
Well, I'm new to DS, but I can spot a good game when I see one. TW 08 gives many variations in game play. You can play a match, do challenges, practice the challenges, open WiFi to play online or local net, download/pass play, and last but not least... The Tour.
My technique was to gain all the skill points by doing the challenges, then try the Tour. I had to supplement my challenges with free matches to make enough money to have enough skill. Had to re-do the first couple of challenges due to lack of skill... and knowledge about BOOST.
Multiplayer is good. Practice is fine. Free matches do their job. The challenges are... challenging (but only at first). The stylus use for swing control is excellent if you know what your doing. Controlling a fade or slice is difficult. I found easier to hit a straight shot then use ridiculous spin. As for putting... The putting control is very easy as well. Use the d-pad to move your shot, using the stylus is difficult due to the sensitivity.
I have an issue with the poor scenery, I think the graphics could allow for a little more detail. The only down fall to the game is that after I maxed out my guy... everything was TOO EASY! After all the challenges are complete I whooped Tiger himself! Then I walked through the Tour season without a problem. My aggregate score was usually 35-42 under par while the rest of the field was around 8 under par.
Overall, a very good game.. I haven't started my second season so I'm sure if it will be any more difficult. I do recommend the game for any golf fan. Creating your own person (hair, physique, clothing) is fun and the control you can have over the ball is excellent.
Completely addictive Mar 28, 2008
I bought this game for my husband, but I've enjoyed it as much as him! I don't even golf, but my competitive nature has come out with this one. It's so much fun.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
The second entry for Tiger Woods PGA Tour on the DS Nov 03, 2007
The first Tiger Woods Nintendo DS game ('05) was both fun and frustrating. The graphics were mediocre and the gameplay was full of glitches.
Good news, everyone. Those glitches are now fixed. I am now playing my "sixth tournament" on the 2008 PGA season, and so far I have only ONCE had the irritating "not available" caddy advice from my caddy while putting on the green! Whew. That was the biggest glitch in the previous ('05) effort for this system.
Here's the breakdown on Tiger Woods '08 for the DS:
The good: The touch swing method is improved drastically over the '05 version. Gone is the ridiculous screen-scratching "J" motion the you had to make in the '05 version. The '08 version sports a new style of swing from driver to putter. It is a simple, smooth stylus stroke straight downward then upward from your woods to your putter. (You also have the option of using a "double or triple tap" system that does not depend on using the stylus whatsoever if that suits your taste.)
The game is challenging. Not in the frustrating, glitch-filled manner though. Instead the challenge is having to fight for one's money to improve your character's ability over several challenging tournaments. Perfecting the stylus movements require a learning curve, but that's in a good way. You really have to earn your upgrades, and this makes the gameplay both enjoyable and addictive.
There are also more players, more courses, and more modes included in this update to the DS port of the series as well. This makes replay value increase drastically. Once I had finished the '05 version, the game was done. Over. Finished. There was nothing else to do with it. I suspect that this game will provide much more once you have maxed out your stats.
Now for the Bad:
The touch system requires a great amount of finesse. Especially when it comes to putting. It can require surgeon level accuracy to sink a put even from a couple yards away at times. That is annoying at times... but at least you almost always get accurate caddy tips. Overall, though, the improvements overcome the flaws.
The graphics are mediocre/spartan. And that's a generous description. When personalizing your avatar, for one example, you have few choices. And even then, the differences in the choices are practically unnoticeable. For example, when I toggled through the hair type choices, because the image on the screen is so small, it was impossible to notice any difference whatsoever.
While playing the game, you can also tell that this is no PSP graphics-wise. But the low-res graphics of the course displays barely bother me at all. This is because the sacrifice on how "pretty" the game is, and it isn't all that bad, are more than made up for by the expansion of courses, competitors, modes of gameplay, longevity of the game, and the updated interactivity of the stylus method of gameplay.
If this is the kind of game you dig, I would recommend picking it up for yourself. So far I am enjoying as much as if not more than the wii version.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention it! There is wi-fi play as well. The one time I tried to play with someone over the interwebs, I could not find a competitor in the whole DS world. Hopefully since the game is only recently released, there will be more people looking to play the back nine at St. Andrews by the next holiday season. You can also play rounds with other DS users from just one card if that's your thing. Once I can find matches online, I would bump this up to five stars.
Cheers, and I hope to see someone soon on the gusty pixels of the 18th hole in Scotland.
EDIT: I have now played six or so on-line games, and with the exception of one "loss of wi-fi contact" case, the wifi games have been very entertaining. So, the community appears to be growing.
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