Game Review: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Augusta Chronicle
Jun 11, 2009
When Stuart Stincer left his job at 4 p.m. Wednesday, he departed with one of the most highly-anticipated video games in hand -- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Nintendo Wii.
The game comes bundled with the new MotionPlus technology, which allows gamers to try out their real swing on one of the game's 27 golf courses. Stincer, a media representative at Best Buy, said the store received about 60 of the Tiger Woods bundles, which retails for $59.99 and went on sale Tuesday. As of late Wednesday afternoon, the store had 15 left.
"They're going fast," said Stincer, adding that it's a "must-have" game. "It's been a great reaction so far."
Shop for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Xbox | Wii | PS3 | PSP
The buzz surrounding Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 stems from the Wii's MotionPlus, an addition to the Wii remote which improves game simulation. The MotionPlus technology also will work with new releases like Grand Slam Tennis and Virtua Tennis , and Wii Sports Resort , which is set for a July release.
Jay Shenkman, Electronic Arts senior producer for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii, said MotionPlus makes this the most realistic golf simulator on the market. According to Nintendo, the Wii MotionPlus accessory provides a true 1:1 response. Translation: When you swing the remote, your virtual golf swing reacts in the same way with no lag time on the television.
"It really incorporates the fidelity of the golf swing and makes it pretty realistic," Shenkman said. "Maintaining that consistency has always been a challenge."
Shenkman said one of the main features for this year's title is the ability to hit an authentic draw or fade, depending on whether you close the clubface or leave it open at impact.
Also, he said putting has been overhauled for the 2010 game. With the "Precision Putting" control, he said reading a green is all up to you. And trying to make that tricky 10-foot birdie putt is just like trying to do so at your favorite local muni.
"It feels very much like real life," he said, "when you're playing the game."
Shenkman said he couldn't be happier with the result of the work he and about 30 other employees put into fine-tuning the game, which comes with many new features. The three remaining major championship courses this year all are included (Bethpage Black, Turnberry and Hazeltine National). Also, there's a multitude of golfers (Woods, Vijay Singh and Anthony Kim highlight the roster) and styles of play (a main draw is the online play). Also new this year is a disc golf game, which also incorporates the MotionPlus technology.
EA Sports began working on the Wii version of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 title before the August release of the 2009 game. Shenkman said work already has begun on the 2011 game.
"We've got our ideas," he said. "Tiger is going to continue to progress throughout the years."
----
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion
Copyright 2009 by Augusta Chronicle
