9.0

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07

The world's most famous golfer arrives on the PlayStation 3 with Tiger Woods 2007 which once again revolutionizes the world of gaming golf. With a new and improved control system and of course next-generation console graphics, Tiger Woods 2007 is definitely the most definitive golfing game on the market at the moment.

For those who have been living in a Himalyan cave, Tiger Woods allows players to either play a young Tiger Woods or create their own golfer to tour with the world's bests in an attempt to become a golfing champion.

So what is Golf? Golf is a game believed to have been first played in Scotland, where each player has to hit his own small ball into a hole using various types of clubs. The club is swung at the motionless ball on the ground from a side-stance. Score is kept (a count of the number of strokes required) with the smallest score being the best.

Features:
• Revolutionary UCAP Visuals—Tiger Woods looks just like his real-life counterpart with the introduction of all-new universal facial capture (UCAP) technology. The world's No. 1 golfer seems so real you won't believe your eyes.
• Play Under Pressure—With bigger galleries, mass crowd movement from hole to hole, rooting sections for and against you, and cheers from nearby greens, all eyes are on you in tournament play.
• All-New Championship Courses—The course content doubles with the addition of new PGA TOUR licensed courses, including Firestone Country Club, Glen Abbey, Princeville, Spyglass Hill, St Andrews, and Bandon Dunes.
• Broadcast Presentation—An all-new picture-in-picture presentation showcases UCAP and Game Face characters on every swing.
• More PGA TOUR® Players—Featuring 15 of the world's top players, including Tiger Woods, John Daly, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, Michael Campbell, and Annika Sorenstam, the most decorated golfer on the LPGA TOUR®.
• Enhanced Career Mode—From working on your driving to mastering your putting skills, craft your game with training challenges in the Practice Facility, then take on the world's best golfers on the World Tour.
• New PGA TOUR® Season Format—The race to become the top golfer in the world is based on FedEx points earned at every tournament during the season.
• Make Every Shot Count—With new True Aiming, survey the layout and weigh the risks before each shot, then hit away with a refined dual analog swing system, making the quest for the perfect ball just a little tougher.
• Game Face Facelift—The innovative character creation tool is revamped with deeper modifications, more apparel, equipment licenses, and specialty items.
• All-New ESPN Integration—Get the latest sports updates and breaking news from the worldwide leader in sports.
• Become the World's Best— On the PlayStation®3 or Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, challenge up to three players in five new game modes, including 21, or play in online* tournaments complete with full stat tracking, league leaders, and more.
• Golf's Best Commentators— The announcing Dream Team of David Feherty and Gary McCord provide commentary and irreverent observations during every round.
• More Game Modes—Work on your game or take on a friend in Match Play, Battle Golf, 21, OneBall, and more.
• Sound—Players hear the crowd just like Tiger Woods does on Championship Sunday. Crowds cheer and jeer in Full 5.1 surround sound based on your performance.

The control system of Tiger Woods 2007 has been revolutionised for the PS3 and XBox 360 and for those that have not played an EA Golf game in quite awhile will be pleased to know that the power bar is gone and has been replaced with the left analog stick. This now simulates a golf stroke so if you move the stick halfway up and halfway down, this will create a medium hit swing.

However, if you move the stick all the way to the top and all the way to the bottom, this will create a power swing knocking your ball for hundreds of metres. This new system is a little tricky to master due to the sensitivity of the analog stick, however once you have mastered this, you will soon appreciate the accuracy now offered to the gamer.

Direction has also been changed where the gamer must now zoom out and select a place where they hope the ball will land, with this said, you still have access to slices and swings. Fortunately there is an in-depth tutorial mode that will explain the control system to the gamer and once you have mastered these lessons, you will soon be ready to take on the world's greatest golfers.

The title also features the Sixaxis motion sensing capabilities of the new PS3 controller. In Tiger 07, tilt can be used to replace the standard in-air spin control, if desired. When enabled, instead of mashing the shoulder button to generate more spin, you can use the Sixaxis controller to control the intensity and direction of spin by tilting it in the desired direction.

Graphically, Tiger Woods 2007 looks quite apt on the PlayStation 3, however the background environments are a little sparse and it would have been nice if the developers could have included more foliage on the courses. The golfers themselves have detailed faces but once again their clothes are a little lacklustre and you know that the PlayStation 3 is capable of much much more.

One impressive feature of Tiger Woods 2007 is the ability to create your own golfers with their own unique facial features and body types which does reflect in the gaming environment. The golfers also have various facial expressions such as indicating their happiness or disgust at the shot they just hit.

As with all EA games, the soundtrack of Tiger Woods 2007 is a professional affair which suits the genre perfectly and match that with a variety of realistic golfing sounds that also includes decent commentary by David Feherty and Gary McCord, you will have one professional sounding game.

In conclusion, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is definitely one of the best golfing games on the market which features almost perfect gameplay, amazing graphics and some of the best damn golfing fun that I have had on a console in a long time. It's also a great party game!