Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online Beta Review

Feature Article

Submitted on: 02/09/2010 by Christian McLeod

It has been about 10 years since I last played a golf game on the PC. Ever since Tiger Woods arrived on the original Playstation in 1998, I have been enthralled by the idea of console golf with my family and college roommates. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 further solidified the series as the golf game of choice for me because of the intuitive analog-swing mechanics on the Playstation 2.

Unfortunately, the years have not been so kind to the TW franchise, with each console iteration released since 2005 feeling more and more stale and archaic -- the only saving grace being the exceptional motion controls in Tiger Woods 10 Wii.

Thankfully, EA Sports has started an open beta for Tiger Woods Online -- a free to play, browser-based PGA experience that hearkens back to the days of the PGA Tour series on the PC. The game is a breath of fresh air for a jaded golf-gaming veteran such as myself, perfectly blending old-school game mechanics with innovative online and community features.

So is the TW Online beta worth your time? Read on and find out.

The game looks almost as good as it's console counterpart.

Who Wants To Be a Superstar?

Just like the console entries of TW, TW Online tasks you with creating a virtual avatar the moment you install the beta. At the time of this article, the game's pro shop is currently not available, so you will be stuck choosing your golfer's face, swing mechanics and not much else. It should also be noted that the deep create-a-face options and Photo Game Face are not available in TW Online, so be ready to see the same generic face of your golfer throughout the community.

Your character will earn cash for various in-game tasks, and then that cash can be used to purchase new items in the pro shop (once it is available) and performance boosts for your swing. It is worth noting that the game features a daily cut, which is a score you must beat on a daily basis to earn additional cash and raise your player through the game's extensive leaderboards.

You can also "sponsor" other community members, which allows you to earn extra money if that specific player makes the required daily cut or wins a tournament. So if you are the kind of gamer who cannot devote a ton of time to playing weekly tournaments and endless rounds in order to earn in-game cash, find someone who does have the time, sponsor that person and watch your bankroll increase.

As mentioned before, the more money you earn, and the better you perform on the game's seven included courses (including Pebble Beach, TPC at Sawgrass and St. Andrews), the better your community status will be. Other players can also become your "fans" by following your progress and sending you messages. Sure it may sound vain, but how cool is it that you can become an overnight virtual-golf sensation, complete with sponsors and fans, and all while not leaving the comfort of your own PC? Just be careful to not let the fame go to your head. After all, you do not need your superstar’s career derailed by any virtual transgressions.

Customizing your golfer and leveling up will be one of the game's main attractions.

Hitting the Links

The on-course gameplay in TW Online is simple, yet challenging. Returning to the classic three-click swing mechanic can prove trying for veterans of the console versions of the Tiger series. However, once you begin to relearn the formula for swing success, the game becomes an extremely rewarding experience. You are able to add spin and backspin to your ball pre-swing, and the game's swing interface makes it simple enough to add draw/fade to your shots as well.

Even with the outstanding swing-altering mechanics, perfecting your shots is no easy task. Taking a cue from the ever-popular Golden Tee series, TW Online forces you to learn the sweet spot of your swing, draw, fade and ball spin via a trial and error type of system. This is not the type of golf game where the key to success is simply pegging the meter perfectly during every shot.

The game's power meter will frequently integrate a small red bar at the recommended power setting, giving you a hint about the power range of the given shot. The problem is that oftentimes you need to make your own minor adjustments to the power of your swing to get the ball to your desired location on the course. The game's suggestions, while accurate, are similar to a good caddy's suggestions: Yes, the suggestions are accurate, but you still need to make tweaks during the swing in order to hit the ball where it needs to go. While the game's challenge may turn some casual gamers off, the feeling of reward when you finally master a hole is second to none.

The Course Is Beautiful

From a graphics and presentation standpoint, TW Online is beautiful, especially on HD monitors. While I have heard that some older computers are having issues running the game at a stable frame rate, those who I have talked to running the game on three- or four-year-old office-based PCs have had no trouble playing the game.

Each course is well rendered, the player graphics are generic but look good, and the course flybys and presentation are stunning for a free browser-based game. In addition to those things, all the HUDs are easy to read, you are frequently given the scores of all those currently playing the same course you are, and there is even a chat function where you can talk with your fellow golfers as long as they are playing on the same course as you -- all that is missing is a virtual beer cart and hot dogs at the turn.

The Cut

It is the simplicity of the shot controls, coupled with the overall challenge of perfecting your shot that makes TW Online an extremely addictive experience. Add those elements to the great presentation and online-community experience, and you have one good reason to not browse Operation Sports all day on your home computer. I would even recommend that companies worldwide block TW Online from being played on their servers, as this game could plunge the globe into another recession due to a lack of productivity.

Whether you are a hardcore golf fan, a hardcore sports gamer or even just a casual gamer who enjoys spending a few hours playing browser-based PC games, TW Online is a must-play for you. As long as the game continues to evolve as planned (EA has mentioned that new courses and content will be added as the service grows), I would even go as far as saying that the game is a surefire contender for 2010 sports game of the year when it is "officially" released.

It is not often that I highly recommend browser-based PC games, but TW Online is the exception. Do yourself a favor and download the free beta as soon as you can. You definitely will not be sorry.

Recommendation: Download

Member Comments

# 1 IceNHL @ 02/09/10 01:50 PM

Ive been playing for a couple of months. VERY ADDICTING.

As far as the gameface thing, I am assuming they will add some of those options down the road. I still click the Pro Shop everyday to see if it is open.

# 2 Fetter21 @ 02/14/10 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigogouhou


	The only flaw I've found is the same flaw in every Tiger game: power is incredibly overrated. With only a week or so of buildup you easily drive 300+ yards off the tee, and once you're driving that far it starts to snowball (you get money for long drives, for greens in regulation, for birdies/eagles, all of which are pretty much gimmes when you're driving 80%+ of the hole; as of now the only thing you can spend money on is improving your player, so it gets even easier.) It looks great, it plays great (I'm on DSL & I rarely have more than a 5 second wait between holes, usually in the 2-3 second range on max settings with a computer I built in December for $300.

Which isn't that usually the problem with golf games, you build your character up too much and then a great deal of the challenge is gone. I like the fact that they seem to be looking to address that with more challenging game modes, hopefully that will keep the scores down. Seems like they could also set up tournaments for just base golfers, no building up their stats at all, but I suppose that'd kill many people's motivation to continue to play the game.

# 3 orthostud23 @ 02/15/10 11:02 AM

Good write up. Like some of the other posters have mentioned is that once you start driving the ball 290+ the game gets easy. Yesterdays leaderboards for Tour Pro (which should easily be the hardest mode) the leader was at -22 for 1 round. Where is the challenge??? I'm hoping that the FULL version will have some sort of challenging mode.

# 4 DivotMaker @ 02/16/10 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orthostud23


	Good write up. Like some of the other posters have mentioned is that once you start driving the ball 290+ the game gets easy. Yesterdays leaderboards for Tour Pro (which should easily be the hardest mode) the leader was at -22 for 1 round. Where is the challenge??? I'm hoping that the FULL version will have some sort of challenging mode.

There are currently no distinct difficulty modes in the game. Currently, on any tournament level, the game is like shooting fish in a barrel, hence why it is still beta. When you consider users can enter a tournament as many times as they like and the game is so easy, you can expect scores like this, especially when they allow you to change back and forth between TrueSwing and 3-click any time in the round. This is how most users are submitting ridiculous scores. Look for these things to go away in the near future as the TWO Beta Community has been pretty vocal about removing such features.

EA has announced they plan to add distinct difficulty levels soon in a beta update.

# 5 orthostud23 @ 02/16/10 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	There are currently no distinct difficulty modes in the game. Currently, on any tournament level, the game is like shooting fish in a barrel, hence why it is still beta. When you consider users can enter a tournament as many times as they like and the game is so easy, you can expect scores like this, especially when they allow you to change back and forth between TrueSwing and 3-click any time in the round. This is how most users are submitting ridiculous scores. Look for these things to go away in the near future as the TWO Beta Community has been pretty vocal about removing such features. EA has announced they plan to add distinct difficulty levels soon in a beta update.

good info Divot. Look forward to seeing what they can do to up the difficulty.

# 6 kccaz01 @ 04/05/10 04:00 PM

The generation gap is showing itself here. This is an update to the Jack Nicklaus Golf game released in the late 80's. At leat the three click version is. More courses, sure but basically the same game.

I guess everyone is bonkers about it because it's online and not a stand alone game. That and they can't remember the game this is based on. Probably don't even know who Jack is anyway.

# 7 DivotMaker @ 04/05/10 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kccaz01


	The generation gap is showing itself here. This is an update to the Jack Nicklaus Golf game released in the late 80's. At leat the three click version is. More courses, sure but basically the same game. I guess everyone is bonkers about it because it's online and not a stand alone game. That and they can't remember the game this is based on. Probably don't even know who Jack is anyway.

Huh? What does TW Online have to do with Jack Nicklaus?

# 8 starship @ 04/06/10 10:04 PM

The game went public today (I had been a beta tester). I tried to purchase a year's membership (it will only take a credit card for memberships--no Paypal) and every time I enter my CC and try to continue I get the message "The credit card cannot be verified". I have tried 4 regular credit cards and a debit card; have tried signing up from both my desktop with Windows 7 and my laptop with Win XP, have tried both Firefox and IE, and have tried two separate accounts. It fails totally on all of them. I'm 55 years old and have worked with computers since the 1970s, have written programs for my personal use & have built systems for myself and others, and I have never been so frustrated with anything computer-related as this.

Imagine--a computer company so completely inept and incompetent that, after demanding money, refuses to take it!

I think I'll steer clear of these turkeys.

# 9 Brophog @ 05/19/10 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kccaz01


	The generation gap is showing itself here. This is an update to the Jack Nicklaus Golf game released in the late 80's. At leat the three click version is. More courses, sure but basically the same game. I guess everyone is bonkers about it because it's online and not a stand alone game. That and they can't remember the game this is based on. Probably don't even know who Jack is anyway.

Yeah, but in Tiger Woods Online you can't make silly bitmaps or impossible courses and then let the computer version of Jack try to play them.

There were so many ways those early games were entertaining without even playing them. You are right though.........the mechanisms in the online version of Tiger Woods feel like an HD version of those games. I don't know if that says more about Tiger Woods Online, or how great those games were...........

# 10 jimrandolph990 @ 09/05/10 11:04 PM

This game is great! I came across this awesome site the sells USB trackball controllers and arcade cabinets that work perfect for this game. I ordered the Xtension arcade pedestal version and i must say, the game blows Golden Tee out of the water and when my friends come over, they cant seem to get enough of it.

http://www.recroommasters.com/Xtension_Arcade_Pedestal_Arcade_Cabinet_p/rm-xt-ped.htm
Hands down, my new favorite game!

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