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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008
October 1, 2007 | Eddie Park | |
Having been absent from the Mac since 2005, Tiger Woods makes his return in the upcoming golf title Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08. As is the case with the rest of EA's arsenal of sports titles, TW08 is the latest in a series of yearly updates, and brings with it changes both new and incremental.Among the new additions is the Tiger Challenge mode. Featuring 61 different challenges, Tiger Challenge tests both the skills and patience of virtual golfers as they attempt to complete various tasks and scenarios. Players may be tasked with coming back from a stroke deficit with just a few holes to go or finishing a difficult hole under par. The mode is non-linear, so players can pick and choose their challenges as they go along. A few new tweaks have been made to the golfing game as well. Players who would rather not bother with the analog swing can opt to use the new 3-click shot system, a staple that should be familiar to players of simpler golf games such as Albatross 18 or Hot Shots Golf. In addition, an intangible known as Shot Confidence keeps tabs on each player's performance in exacting detail, including factors such as club selection and hole lies. This is subsequently displayed via a Confidence Meter, which shows the strengths and weaknesses indicated by past performances. Both new golfers and new courses have been added as well. Golf fans will have their pick of players from both the PGA and LPGA Tours, including Tiger Woods, John Daly, Vijay Singh, Annika Sorenstam, Christie Kerr, and Natalie Gulbis. New courses include the Westchester Country Club, TPC Boston, Cog Hill, and East Lake. Unfortunately, some of the new modes included in the PS3/Xbox360 versions of TW08 may not be making it to the computer side. Though the official TW08 site lacks a Mac section, the PC listing of game features noticeably lacks both the Gamernet and Photo Game Face options. While the ability to map one's face onto a player is mainly a cosmetic change, the lack of Gamernet, which allows players to compete with each other by posting user-created content such as incredible shots, rounds, and challenges, leaves a big hole. We'll have to wait until we can get our hands on a preview version to see if these additions are, in fact, dropped on the non-console versions, but they'll definitely be missed if they are. It's been a while since Tiger showed his face on the Mac, so the news that TW08 is on its way is welcome indeed. EA has been rather vague about an actual release date, but hopefully we'll be able to secure a preview copy and find out if this is a golf game worth waiting for.
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