Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13.... OH! I Play This Game!

I am afraid this one is going to be a little short. There isn't really much to say about PGA Tour 13, but I will go over it all anyways. The game was developed by a division of EA studios called EA sports. PGA Tour 13 requires a lot of dedication and skill for a sports game. Which is probably why I don't like it. It is not a game that you can pick up and play. After playing for three hours I only managed to finish one hole without going over par. The controls are overly sensitive and the gameplay is a little "too" realistic. But I'll get into that later on. Before I start I want to establish the fact that I have absolutely nothing against golf games. I have enjoyed playing some of the older games. This one in particular, I found more frustrating than enjoyable.

Visual - 7

Overall the graphics of the game are very good. The movement is realistic, the character design is fantastic, but there are some flaws. During some sequences, for example, tracking the ball while wind is blowing through the trees, the frame rate drops down slightly. Also, the textures on trees, and grass phase in and out from time to time. Even when your golfer looks nice, when the terrain around him looks gaudy, its pretty unappealing.

Audio - 8

The soundtrack for the game is very relaxing. It has a mixture of calm, background music, that is actually hard to notice if you don't pay attention. Yet another relaxing feature is the calming, natural sounds like the wind in the trees, birds chirping, or bubbling brooks. The announcers however, are not so relaxing. They have a very limited set of lines that they say and you'll find yourself listening to the same comments about your own shot as your opponent's. It isn't so bad at first, but after a while it becomes quite annoying.

Story - 6

Now you'd think that a sports game wouldn't have a story, but this is not the case with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13. In PGA Tour 13, there are two different "story" modes: a career mode, and the Tiger Legacy Challenge. In career mode you can create your own golfer and make your name for yourself as a professional golfer. The character customization in this mode is spectacular, but even so, the mode itself is nothing special. In the Tiger Legacy Challenge, you are basically playing a tutorial combined with Tiger Woods biography. It gradually explains new concepts in the game, while you play as Tiger Woods growing up into the pro golfer he is today. Most of the people I've talked to who wondered if the mode would also teach you how to cheat on your wife. Bad joke I know, but in essence it is a simple tutorial, also nothing special.

Gameplay - 5

You are probably why I gave such a low score to it here. Well, it is because of the newest addition to the game. It has great potential, but learning how to use it is more painful then its worth. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 introduces a "total swing control" system. You use various methods to plan out the shot then take the swing. To plan out the shot you can select the area you're want to aim for, position your feet, adjust to the wind factor, and change the angle you hit the ball. Then when it comes to the swing you pull back on the joystick and then push foward when you have the power you want. In theory it sounds great. But the controls are so sensitive and the realism causes the wind to change frequently. It takes hours of practice to master this system well enough to be able to actually play the game without struggle. In total, the new system is more like torture then entertainment.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 had great potential to be another enjoyable golf game, but instead it made me too frustrated to really enjoy it. I imagine that the game is very enjoyable to those who want a realistic feel to their golf game, or to those who actually play golf on a regular basis and know how to plan out a shot better then the average person. In the end I'd personally give the game about a 5, its an ok game, not something I'd pick up and play on a regular basis. The overall quality of the game gets it a 6 though.

Hope you enjoyed this review of PGA Tour 13. Do you enjoy playing golf games? Do you like them to be realisic, or easier to just have fun with? What would you like to see in Tiger Woods PGA tour 14? Once again, leave your answers, questions, and comments in the comment box below! Don't forget to subscribe for weekly updates!

NEXT TIME ON OH! I Play this game!: Xenoblade Chronicles. Is it just another JRPG, or does it bring a whole new classic to Nintendo's Wii?