Published on: 21st May, 2009
When you consider just how simple the basic premise of golf is – knocking a ball into a hole with a stick – the degree of hidden complexity is pretty amazing. This perennial offering takes heat for not changing a hell of a lot from year to year, and it’s got more than its fair share of irritants, but familiarity doesn’t necessarily equal stagnation.
Certainly it’s disappointing to see EA continue to spend time on needlessly detailed player creation and libraries of hats, shirts, sunglasses, shoes, and so forth, while the graphics fail to make any noticeable improvement whatsoever. Indeed, one could easily argue that the PSP version’s vibrant colors are preferable to the dull landscapes and rough edges of the home version. The pointless lingering shots of Tiger and company doing nothing in particular don’t help any.
Listening to the home consoles’ dreadful crowd noise drill shrill “woohoo”s into your skull isn’t exactly pleasant either, though it beats listening to the commentators wax lame about how you should really try to get closer to the hole next time. Gee, thanks for the tip, brainiac. Maybe diehard fans of Feherty and McCord can tolerate what passes for banter, but count the rest of us out.
When it comes time to swing a club, however, Tiger’s still got it, with loads of courses – 21 at home, or 12 on the PSP – and a flurry of match and difficulty options. In particular, new modes like Greensome, in which everyone tees off and then you choose which ball to hit; and Bloodsome, in which everyone tees off and rivals select which ball’s landing site you continue from, add sinister flavor to the matches.
Also cruel and unusual is One Ball, which finds you and a cohort hitting the same ball, but both trying to be the guy who sinks it. Thus, you’ll find yourself attempting to sabotage your buddy’s next shot just enough to screw him without getting penalized yourself. The time-traveling career mode from 2006 has also been tweaked – now, you’ll find yourself assembling a quartet of golfers – hopefully, with better luck than this year’s dismal US Ryder Cup team – to take on Tiger’s team.
The PSP’s analog nub isn’t as well suited to these tasks, but the Swing Path tool goes a long way to helping you overcome whatever your initial tendencies are, and colored trails tell you immediately whether you’ve hooked or sliced even a little bit. The putting portion, with its adjustable grid and moving slope beads, is a great method of telling you what you need to know to sink the shot, and the optional “Ideal Putt Camera” helps beginners get the lay of the land without learning curve frustrations. You’re still better off completely ignoring the default placement of the shot marker once you’re past the tee, though.
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