Let me start off by saying that I am a big fan of the Tiger Woods games. I currently own Tiger Woods ‘09 for the PS3 and Tiger Woods 10 for the Wii. So I am very familiar with the game’s layout and control mechanics. I saw this game on sale and figured why not get a mobile version as well.
Control/Gameplay [5/5]
EA has done a fantastic job with the controls for this game!!! You swipe your finger down (then up) the power meter to take your swing, arching your finger to the left/right at the top of the power meter to add draw/fade to the ball. While the ball is in the air you can continue to swipe it (in whatever direction) you want to add spin. This basic/intuitive control system makes it feel much like its console cousins.
Many of the other features you are used to from previous incarnations of this game of consoles/PC are there as well, like tournament play, purchasing power-ups, put preview, etc.. There is a local multiplayer mode which I have not tried, unfortunately there is no online-multiplayer…which would have been EPIC!!!
Once you get the controls down, the game actually becomes fairly easy. For instance, I am playing a 4-day tournament in St. Andrews, and I am 20 under par after just 2 days. I suppose that the difficulty could be increased by not utilizing the “putt preview” feature and not buying performance upgrades for your golfer, but this was just a minor gripe. Hey, sometimes when your real golf game is so bad, its nice to be able to routinely hit 360+ yard drives and birdie at least half the holes. 😉
Graphics [4.5/5]
While there are some rough edges, overall the graphics are smooth, nicely rendered 3D graphics and look fairly realistic. I’d almost go as far as to say that they are either on par/or even better looking than the Wii version of the game.
Sound [4.5/5]
The sound effects (though the woods sounded kind of like irons and vice-versa) and ambient noise and crowd sounds are great. It also has running commentary by Sam Torrance and Kelly Tighman. This commentary can get repetitive and is sometimes incorrect, but its a nice addition none the less, adding to the mood of tournament golf.
Replayability [5/5]
Despite it not being as difficult as I’d hoped, this game is so much fun, you will keep coming back for more. With 7 pros (including Tiger), over 120 holes, 7 courses including Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, TPC
Sawgrass, Doral, TPC Boston, The K Club and Fancourt, there is a LOT of golf to be played.
This game will be staying on the first page of my iPod touch for quite some time to come.
Final Verdict [4.5/5]
This game is well worth its full price of $9.99, so at its current sale price of 30% off, I’d definitely pick this one up ASAP.
