Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Review

The links effect.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Is it that time of year already? The time when another Tiger Woods golf game ambles onto the fairway of life, prompting us all to chuckle at how it's the same as the last one and who buys these things and blah blah blah? Such cynicism is understandable, given the rather lazy port which heralded the series' next-gen debut with PGA Tour 06. Last year's update improved on that uninspiring start (not a difficult task) and, inevitably, this latest variation offers an even more tweaked and buffed experience.

But is it enough to entice the suspicious multitudes into making a purchase? The answer: probably.

Gameplay, for once, has undergone some obvious changes. The biggest additions to the game - the much vaunted GamerNet and Game Photo Face functions - are sort of sitting off to the side of the main game itself, so let's do a quick recap of the mostly positive enhancements made to the actual gameplay before we tackle those features.

The most sweeping change in this regard is the one that you probably won't notice until you've created your own golfer and played with them for a while. As with 07, all new golfers are rubbish. I mean, really. They're embarrassing. Fudging putts, hooking drives and generally making you wonder if your fingers have been replaced with sausages filled with wool. Tackling the PGA tournaments with such a golfer is a waste of time, so you're forced instead to spend your time in the additional game modes - especially Tiger Challenge - to build up your skills.

Whereas the tradition in previous games was to allow you to earn and allocate points to increase your different skills, this time EA has taken a more organic route to self-improvement. Your skills are automatically enhanced whenever you play well so, even if you lose a round, provided you were getting better at, say, driving then your skill in that area goes up regardless. It's a long and often arduous process, and one that will inevitably frustrate many. It's also refreshingly realistic, meaning you have to approach the game as you would in real life.

'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08' Screenshot 1

The new 'wasp's eye view' camera: not as useful as you might think.

If you want to improve your putting, you need to practice putting. And keep practising. Play, play, play. The more you play the better you get, and while it'll be a lengthy wait before you can challenge the pros, it also eliminates the super-golfer syndrome that kicked in during previous Tiger Woods games, where shrewd upgrading could turn a wannabe into a champ far too quickly. If you're hitting good shots here it's because you're good at those shots, not because you bribed the game into making them easier.

This is all backed up by the new Shot Confidence system, which constantly monitors how you perform with different clubs, strokes and conditions and gives you a skill boost should you find yourself in a situation that matches your natural aptitude. It's always there, silently judging like an ex-girlfriend, and while the hardcore players can summon up the related stats to see where practice is needed, it's perfectly possible to just leave it ticking away, adding an almost invisible but notable element of human chemistry to the cold physics calculations.

Also of noteworthy newness is the return of the 3-Click feature, an absolute boon for those who struggle with the analogue stick system for taking shots. It's the tried and trusted method of hitting balls in golf games - click once to start the meter, click again to set the power, again on the way back for direction. A prod of the right stick switches between the systems whenever you need, so you can use the stick for a powerful drive, then swap to a 3-Click shot for added accuracy for a medium shot onto the green, and then back to the stick for putting. Or whatever combination works for you. Given that judging power levels on the stick can be something of an arcane art, being able to choose on the fly is most welcome.

'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08' Screenshot 2

The courses look great from a distance, but things can get clunky up close.

Additionally, the left and right bumpers are now used to draw and fade your shots - sort of like curling a shot past the keeper in FIFA. Especially handy for negotiating dogleg fairways, or shaving past a hazard, you can now dictate the curve of your shot by shunting your target circle before lifting the club, an idiot-proof visual system far more reliable than trusting in your thumb to do the work on the swing itself. Spin can be added to the ball in the air, which - yes - is rather unrealistic but it reduces the pre-stroke clutter to a minimum and keeps you engaged once you let fly.

Also new is the Putt Preview, which overlays the trajectory of your putt over a topographic grid of the green before you commit. Another traditional feature of golf games past, it's just enough help without making things stupidly easy. Unavailable in the higher rankings, and only available once per hole even in basic play, you can't aim during the preview - only see what would happen if you took the shot now. For make-or-break long putts, it's a valuable safety net. There's also a new game mode (the amusingly titled Bingo Bango Bongo, in which points are scored for being first to the green, closest to the hole and for winning the hole) but, for a series so often derided for its lack of innovation, I'd say that's a decent amount of evolution on display.

So what does it all mean for you, the player? Choice, mostly. There's no excuse for not mastering power drives or accurate putts, since the tools to help you are all to hand. Under normal circumstances the presence of so many aids would make the game too easy, but the new skill system balances that out by requiring solid all-round play in order to max out your statistics, regardless of what features you use to help you make the shot. In other words, newcomers get more help than before, while long-term fans have more access to, and input into, the data behind their career than ever. It's not a perfect balance, but it's pretty damn close.

On top of this, there's the ooh-ooh-shiny Web 2.0-inspired jiggery-pokery of Photo Game Face and GamerNet. Game Face is the one most people will enjoy tinkering with at first, allowing you to create your own in-game avatar using photographs of your real life mush. The results are hit and miss, to say the least, especially if you're relying on the Live Vision camera for your imagery. My first effort came out looking like a grey-faced zombie Keanu Reeves, which is ludicrous since everyone knows I'm more of a werewolf Christian Slater. Upload some hi-res shots to www.easportsworld.com and the results are much better - provided you've got the patience to wait for EA's groaning servers to let you in. Creating a reasonable likeness in this manner requires more fiddling than most casual players will want to bother with but, once you've got something you're happy with, the ability to actually see yourself on the fairway is quite uncanny, especially since you're now able to share your games with the world.

'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08' Screenshot 3

"And this is where I keep my wallet, stuffed with more money than you paupers can ever imagine."

Which brings us to GamerNet, clearly being trialled here for inclusion across the EA Sports range. This always-on community hub allows you to save clips from your game - whether it be the full 18 holes or just the last shot played - and upload them to the GamerNet server. More than just a YouTube for virtual golfers, each clip can be enhanced with challenges of your choosing. If you fluked a hole from beyond the green, you can challenge other players to repeat your good fortune. If you beat a tough course at 15-under-par, you can see if anyone can top that score. For each player who attempts and fails your challenges, you'll earn points.

Already the service is well populated and, compared to the woes that have blighted the Game Face system, very stable. Once you get past the novelty of the idea, the long-term benefits become clear. What you have is, essentially, a free library of constantly changing bonus gameplay - a library that you can draw from, and contribute to, at any time. There's a fair amount of chaff to sort through - lots of clips called OMGLOLZPWN4GE!!!!!! are already available - but as a flexible remote multiplayer mode it'll be interesting to see how GamerNet evolves.

'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08' Screenshot 4

Hey! It's Nick Faldo, the young lady golfer who had a hit in 1985 with Rock Me Amadeus. [Are you sure? - Ed]

So, should you buy? With a boatload of new features, both subtle and sweeping but almost all beneficial, it's got to be a tempting proposition for experienced Tiger Woods fans. It's not all gravy - it's perhaps not as visually sexy as you'd hope, the water and foliage effects are fairly standard, while crowds of identikit spectators move robotically through the same movement cycles like some creepy dance troupe. There's also a naughty freeze bug in Tiger Challenge, although while we await the inevitable fix it's easily avoided by holding A as the game boots. Equally, the upside-down career mode, which starts hard and then gets easy, can make the game frustrating to start, and this injection of carefully regimented realism will annoy as many as it excites. There's also the general shakiness of the Photo Game Face online system, and the inclusion of features that have yet to be implemented - uploading more than three GamerNet clips requires some downloadable content (presumably paid for) that has yet to appear.

It still plays a great game of golf though, and is almost embarrassingly eager to please with its abundance of game modes and options. Don't like an option? Just switch it off. Need some help grasping the basics? The game leaps into action to take your hand. Want some guidance to refine your pro game? Everything you need to analyse your performance is at your fingertips. Almost every area of the game can be customised in line with your tastes to the extent that, if you ask nicely, Tiger will probably even dress up as Sailor Moon and call you Susan. Given the variable quality of the EA Sports brand over the years, the general air of sequel cynicism is more than justified but, if you're willing to invest the time in building a better golfer and not just grumble that it's too hard, this is the best Tiger Woods has been in years.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy

Comments (38) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • kincaide #1 4 years ago

    I hear the DS version is very good too (the Wii version is broken though - booooooooooooo)
  • Darren #2 4 years ago

    For some reason I'm finding the analogue stick inconsistent when taking shots with it, more so than either of the previous two versions on the 360. Thus, for me, the only way to play this game is using the 3-click system which actually makes judging distances far easier.

    Also the game should lose a mark for the Tiger Challenge bug that freezes the game, it's all very well saying that it can be avoided by holding down A but that's not really the point, is it? When you're paying upwards of £50 RRP for a game you expect it to have at least been bug tested so how that one slipped through the net I do not know. It apparently isn't present in the PS3 version.

    Overall, it's a good game but very, very familiar and the graphics could have been a lot better. I don't think it deserves more than 7/10 personally.
  • TedMoseby #3 4 years ago

    The DS version is horrible - it's as if someone decided there was no need for sound in the game, and what smattering there is, is horribly hissy and poor quality. Although technically the engine is probably better than Touch Golf's, in every aspect that counts - feel, looks, and above all fun, Touch Golf beats the DS version of Tiger Woods '08 hands down in my opinion.
  • Darren #4 4 years ago

    Bionick - "Another game where I don't know what to think. Some reviews slate this game as trash, and then we have 8/10 here."

    At the end of the day, it's only EG's, and the reviewer's at that, opinion but it does seem odd that GameSpot gave this game 6.5 and EG 8. I'd have expected the score to have been the other way round really as EG tend to come across as more critical. Personally I think Tiger Woods 08 isn't an 8/10 game because of the bugs, dodgy analogue stick control and the disappointing visuals, which are identical to last year.
  • DanWhitehead #5 4 years ago

    I seriously considered marking it down for the Tiger Challenge bug but, in the end, the good outweighs the bad. It's a bug that only occurs in one specific point, and one that can be bypassed quite simply. Yes, it's a shame that this sort of thing can make it into a finished game, but on balance I don't feel it's the sort of game-breaking fault that should put people off.

    As for the score, the last game got 7/10 and this is a marked improvement both in terms of gameplay and additional features. There's always going to be an element of sameyness with this sort of title - golf not being the sort of sport that changes radically every year - so the worth of the game for returning players comes from how they improve the gameplay and/or add in extra value. Tiger Woods 08 does both of those things.
  • FlamingCarrot #6 4 years ago

    Are the "wacky" commentators still rambling on about spinach etc?
  • Eraserhead #7 4 years ago

    Yes they are. Although they do now comment if you do a good/bad shot based on the confidence system.

    I do think it's a better game overall than 07. However, there's another far more serious freezing bug which I and many other people are now encountering. Basically the game freezes after the second hole on *any* course, mode or whatever - a hard freeze, meaning you have to turn the 360 off manually.

    It's all over the official forums and while EA is aware of it, they're being typically useless at saying when it'll be fixed or what causes it, and there are no working solutions (unlike the other issue). It's extremely frustrating as it basically means the game is unplayable at the moment.
  • Arwin #8 4 years ago

    Wake me up when I can tie my sixaxis at the end of a golfstick and let the motion controls kick in. ;)

    The graphics are indeed a little underwhelming. That's a real shame, as good graphics would really add to the generally relaxing atmosphere of a golf game.

    Other than that, these games are generally not bad.

    How's the online play?
  • JackyB #9 4 years ago

    "When you're paying upwards of £50 RRP for a game"

    who does that then?
    Games are only £40 on the high street, and cheaper still online
  • jack_klugman #10 4 years ago

  • ilmaestro #11 4 years ago

    Did the review mention that the difficulty sliders aren't there for some reason? Or are they actually there and I've missed them (I've only messed around with it for a few minutes).
  • Chaote-Imagicka #12 4 years ago

    Why is this not Space Giraffe?
  • FooAtari #13 4 years ago

    Another game where I don't know what to think. Some reviews slate this game as trash, and then we have 8/10 here.

    I'll pass.


    Some? Looking at Gamerankings, out of 16 reviews so far only one gives less than 70%, Gamespot and TW08 its averaging 81%. Looks like EG's reviews are about on par with the average...
  • LiamK #14 4 years ago

    The one thing that has driven me crazy for the last couple of years is the removal of the multiplayer season mode. I want to play with my own golfer with my mates, but I don't want to have to sit around and watch everyone build up their stats individually on Tiger Challenge. The old games enabled you to all play the seasons together, as guests. Why on earth was this option removed, and (more to the point), why hasn't it been added back in?

    (In fact, there's a general lack of features that were in the old games. Some of them are fluff, like the sponsers, but other's were quite nice. I want it to rain, goddamnit.)

    (Oh, and the EA forums are hilarious. People threatening to sue because the gameface option is being flakey at the moment. God bless histerical Americans.)
  • bengray66 #15 4 years ago

    I wouldnt mind reading a review of NHL 08, i quite enjoyed the last one, in my opinion the best of these EA yearly updates.

    Also Eurogamer, i couldnt help but notice you don't have NHL 08 on your release dates page, 21st of september i believe is the current UK release date FYI.

    Thanks.
  • smugla #16 4 years ago

    The links effect.

    BRING BACK LINKS

    why did M$ bendover to get EA

    as there is no other golf title on the 360 EA do as little as they can get away with

    cant believe that theres ONLY 1 golf game on the 360

  • Amajiro #17 4 years ago

    I just don't get the skills progression thing. It sounds to me that rather than the player practising and improving his/her skills, instead they can remain at their original skill level while the game gets easier around them. What's the point in that? If I want to get better at putting, of course I should practice it, but if sheer perserverence get's the reward anyway it sounds backwards.
    Edited by 1 at 10/09/07 @ 15:23
  • miiiguel #18 4 years ago

    Smugla: 3D Ultra MiniGolf
    Edited by 1 at 10/09/07 @ 15:22
  • bivith #19 4 years ago

    Links 2004 on the XBox ( via the 360 ) is all the golf game you need.
  • neilqpr #20 4 years ago

    Apart from the Tiger Woods Challenge bug (which I can't seem to bypass even using the workaround) I'm really enjoying this. Shot confidence really does seem to have an effect on your shots, and as I've mentioned in the other thread gamernet is a great feature.

    It's by no means perfect but it seems as though they have made a bit more of an effort this year.
  • Hog-lumps #21 4 years ago

    One day they'll make a 'free roaming' golf game that allows you to walk from where you took the shot to where the ball has landed. Afterall, trying to find your ball amongst the rough is half the challenge!!

    \is rubbish golfer
  • thebuzzard #22 4 years ago

    This review and the MOH:A leads me to but one conclusion, EG has been bought out by EA.
  • DanWhitehead #23 4 years ago

    If I want to get better at putting, of course I should practice it, but if sheer perserverence get's the reward anyway it sounds backwards.

    It's not perseverance though. You only get a stat increase when you do something well, not just when you do something. It's basic positive reinforcement. Hit a strong drive straight down the middle of the fairway and the game makes a note of that and improves your stats accordingly in recognition. Keep making bad drives and your drives will stay bad.
  • Madafunkola #24 4 years ago

    If it is called "TIGER WOODS PGA Tour 08"... why does the front of the box appear to have a photo of Jermaine Jackson playing golf???
  • FlamingCarrot #25 4 years ago

    You couldn't beat Jack Nicklaus golf on the Amiga. The screen updates that took forever...
    Kids these days are spoilt
  • Darren #26 4 years ago

    @JackyB - Tiger Woods 08 carries a recommended retail price of £49.99 as do most Xbox 360 games in fact, which some unscrupulous shops will no doubt charge for it. Anyone with any sense will obviously buy online or from a shop that sells the game for £39.99 or less though. That's why I said upwards of £50. ;)
  • Monkey_Puncher #27 4 years ago

    The 5 new courses are actually quite a large graphical upgrade on the previous years offering, just a shame that last years courses still look exactly the same and kinda stick out like a sore thumb next to the new ones.
  • Feanor #28 4 years ago

    "Links 2004 on the XBox ( via the 360 ) is all the golf game you need."

    + oo

    That game was the most fun I had on the original Xbox, and I wish MS would release a 360 sequel with the exact same gameplay but with a lot more real golfers and events as well as updated graphics and sound.
  • asphaltcowboy #29 4 years ago

    @Darren,

    Surely it's downwards of £50 and upwards of £37.99?
  • MrChuckles #30 4 years ago

    Last TW i played was on the xbox. Tbh, this is the best game i played, right up there with PGA Tour on my Amiga and 4d sports golf on my BBC B :-)

    The last time i played TW it was so insultingly easy, i won every round, but the first tourney of the season in 08, i was 20 over par by the end of it, although i'm in the top 5 in the next tourney at about 8 under.

    I really like it, although it does take a while to work out how to hit something at 75% with the analogue stick, you have to do it with the position your golfer holds the club rather than how hard you swing it. About 50% through the animation equates to 75% power.

    Hope that helps.
  • Pulsar_t #31 4 years ago

    Golf? Is that even a proper sport?

    /is sorry

    Not..
  • sn3jk #32 4 years ago

    TW Golf 05 on xbox was good methinks. After that they've been a bit rubbish.
  • FlangeSpanna #33 4 years ago

    "Out of the fifteen games I played last Friday, only 4 went the distance without crashing or somebody quitting and the game crashing.
    I haven't been on it since. "

    Agreed, Got to master status, bought some really nice clubs but $2,000 short for a spangly pair of pants. Now when I go back to play ANY challenge, as soon as I put the ball in the first hole, the 360 crashes.

    £40 for 8 hours of agonising punishment. Could of bought a butt plug! If I'd kept the receipt...
  • Sid-Nice #34 4 years ago

    You're right to use the headline "The links Effect" as the game stinks.

  • ImRonBurgundy? #35 4 years ago

  • ImRonBurgundy? #36 4 years ago

  • bloodflowers #37 4 years ago

    So where's the Space Giraffe review?
  • ilmaestro #38 4 years ago

    Did the review mention that the difficulty sliders aren't there for some reason? Or are they actually there and I've missed them (I've only messed around with it for a few minutes).