Rory McIlroy PGA Tour: Still Thin, But Not As Bare As At Launch

Feature Article

Submitted on: 12/16/2015 by Robert Kollars

When Rory McIlroy PGA Golf was released, it was met with a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. Although the gameplay was solid, once you hit the clubhouse the game felt shallow and left many feeling they had purchased an incomplete title. The career mode felt like an afterthought, and the online offerings were depleted if you compared them to previous EA golf titles.

Gone missing were the wildly popular country clubs, deep customization, and even head-to-head online turn-based shooting was removed. The game initially was given a 5.0 (average) by Operation Sports, and many felt even that score that was slightly too generous because of the lack of content. When a golf game is released, most golf fans expect of large library of courses, an ample career mode, and a plethora of online modes, and Rory PGA literally offered none of those things.

Initially released with only eight real-world courses (nine if you pre-ordered), four fantasy courses, and 12 real-life golfers, there was not much for the developers to hang their hat on, other than some realistic graphics, decent gameplay and the promises that they would support this title post-release. Luckily for the consumer, the developers have done just that.

While the release of new content may not have been as quick as some would have hoped for, the developers have kept their initial promises. The game has now upped its course offering by a total of four, including TPC Scottsdale, East Lake, Quail Hollow and Treasure Island (fantasy). Along with the new courses, EA has also updated its newest golf title with real PGA players Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson. Plus, there are a few more game modes to help fill the void that's been there since the game was released.

While not perfect on the course, the game at least offers multiple levels of difficulty -- most will be able to find a decent degree of challenge while playing -- but then again, that has never been the real issue here. The issue has always been the lack of content, and the game's inability to offer a social experience that is crucial in the world of digital golf. The majority of online golfers want to challenge each other in real time, and have a country club scenario in which they can compete against each other on a weekly basis.

While many may scoff at games like Star Wars Battlefront and Rainbow Six Siege for being online only, both of these titles offer what Rory is missing: the ability to play with or compete online against friends while enjoying the experience. While Rory does offer the ability to play online against friends, and provides daily and weekly tournaments, the design leaves a lot to be desired, and in no way pushes the social experience forward.

What’s important to note here is although the developers at EA have done a solid job of supporting this title post-release, I am not sure they can add enough to overcome the initial backlash the game received. New courses, modes and golfers are great (and welcomed) but the dry commentary, lack of an in-depth career mode and less than spectacular online offerings have to make one wonder if this title will every truly warrant a $60 price tag.

If I were to re-score the game today, it would only get a slight bump or upgrade. After all, the lack of depth and lack of presentation still exists in this game even after the post-release updates.

How are you enjoying Rory McIlroy post release?

Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR Videos

Member Comments

# 41 shogunofharlem3 @ 01/10/16 12:11 AM

I like the game but never purchased it but I have seen several people saying it is $16 may I ask where that sale is? I'll jump on it for sure.

# 42 OnlookerDelay @ 01/10/16 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietasterp


	Not really...you did a great job. I feel exactly* the same way when I play any of EA's golf games. Really - you described it to a "t".*

Thanks... I stated the way I perceive it, but I also recognize that there are lots of folks who like or expect the cut sequences. I'd just like to see options added to disable it in the interest of speeding up the game flow and making it feel less segmented.

Quote:


	Curious, Onlooker - have you tried 3-click?

I played one hole with it just out of curiosity. It seemed like it was implemented about as well as any three-click mechanism I've tried, but 3-click hasn't floated my boat since I experienced True-Swing back in the late 90's, particularly with PGA Championship Golf '99. I'm so hooked on real-time, analog motion control swings that I can't give 3-click a fighting chance, although I tried valiantly for months with Perfect Golf.

# 43 OnlookerDelay @ 01/10/16 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	For your complaints about playing something scripted, RM is designed around TV PGA Tournament golf, therefore you see the reactions of the golfers quite a bit, just like the PGA TOUR on CBS, NBC, Foc, and Golf Channel. Is it intrusive and not highly polished? You could say that, but you can press the X button to move the game forward.

Yeah, you're right... I am asking for a bit too much to expect them to forego a lot of what they've paid a premium price for the rights to use. I am hitting the X button to fast forward where I can, which helps move the pace along, but I'd still like to save the system the trouble of loading the sequence to begin with.

Quote:


	As far as the interface and its "highly intolerant control band", I would have agreed with you when the game was released, but after putting in 250+ rounds, I could not disagree more.

[I'll just paste in my reply to you on this from the other thread from which this discussion stems]

I'll admit that I'm not nearly as skilled a golf gamer as you. I've seen virtually no progress in coming to grips with finding the swing speeds and tempos that RM requires. It's embarrassing how many times I sit there trying to execute a swing and it will abort because I'm either too fast or too slow with my backswing and/or downswing. I'll suck just as badly at it 250 rounds from now as I do right now, based on my track record so far. What I'm hoping for is some interface HUD and presentation options that will take some of the distractions out of the way and compel me want to play 250 more rounds of RM.

I think we've reached an impasse where subjective preferences affect our perspectives to the extent that no matter how well either of us explains it, it's not going to change our or anyone else's opinion about how they experience it. It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself, the way I see it.

# 44 pietasterp @ 01/10/16 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	It's embarrassing how many times I sit there trying to execute a swing and it will abort because I'm either too fast or too slow with my backswing and/or downswing.

See, this is what I did not like about the more recent EA golf games. In my opinion, there's clearly something wrong with the real-time swing mechanism if being off-tempo simply results in an aborted swing. I know it's a videogame and it's a function of the mechanism the game uses to simulate a golf swing, but there's virtually no one who, in the real world, if you handed them a golf club and told them to swing at a ball - even if the tempo was totally bad and the backswing/downswing were way, way off - almost no one would simply abort their swing mid-swing because of bad tempo (Charles Barkley excluded). The fact that this happens (not infrequently) means that something about the swing mechanism in the game is counter-intuitive or requires too much 'buy-in' from the user into the game's swing mechanism.

Anyway, it's good to see the game continuing to be supported by EA with content release. Hopefully they keep making things better over time.

# 45 DivotMaker @ 01/11/16 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietasterp


	See, this is what I did not like about the more recent EA golf games. In my opinion, there's clearly something wrong with the real-time swing mechanism if being off-tempo simply results in an aborted swing. I know it's a videogame and it's a function of the mechanism the game uses to simulate a golf swing, but there's virtually no one who, in the real world, if you handed them a golf club and told them to swing at a ball - even if the tempo was totally bad and the backswing/downswing were way, way off - almost no one would simply abort their swing mid-swing because of bad tempo (Charles Barkley excluded). The fact that this happens (not infrequently) means that something about the swing mechanism in the game is counter-intuitive or requires too much 'buy-in' from the user into the game's swing mechanism. Anyway, it's good to see the game continuing to be supported by EA with content release. Hopefully they keep making things better over time.

Never once had an aborted swing......

# 46 OnlookerDelay @ 01/11/16 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	Never once had an aborted swing......

You're a heck of a lot better gamer than me then.... damn, this just makes me realize how bad I truly must suck. It happens to me 30 times or more per round!?

# 47 DivotMaker @ 01/11/16 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	You're a heck of a lot better gamer than me then.... damn, this just makes me realize how bad I truly must suck. It happens to me 30 times or more per round!?

Then Practice Swing is your friend.....this is when a Training Facility/Driving Range comes in handy.....

# 48 pietasterp @ 01/11/16 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	Never once had an aborted swing......

It used to happen w/ some regularity on the previous gen versions, but as I got more used to it it stopped happening as much. But still, I would venture that you're a seasoned pro at the games, and so - perhaps you are unaware - but you've trained yourself to understand the rhythm of the game. Which is completely fine and to be expected, but what I was trying to get at was that if you 'buy-in' to the way the game plays, it's fine. But in my opinion, the game's 'real-time' swing timing and rhythm are not particularly intuitive, at least to me. I'd stop short of calling it a criticism of the game(s), but perhaps more of a personal observation.

But what do I know? I still use the 3-click method.

# 49 OnlookerDelay @ 01/12/16 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	Then Practice Swing is your friend.....this is when a Training Facility/Driving Range comes in handy.....

I've tried this and it helps me get a feel for the shot at hand. It still surprises me how many practice swings it takes to get a feedback report that tells me I'm close to what I want. What's weird is I can tell what a good swing - as in Perfect +/- 2%/ Perfect +/- 2% - feels like, but when I want to try to get a quick tempo, as in +8% or more swing, it usually winds up being - 2 to -4%.

In the long run, I might as well just consider my false start/aborted swings as practice swings. I'm not charged a stroke for them when they abort. On the other hand, I can't see where I'm on any sort of learning curve with it. I do know that when I put a piece of tape over the tempo bubble meter, I tend to do a good bit better at hitting the "Perfect" backswing distance, as I purely use the golfer's animation to gauge when I've reached the "100%" backswing distance on fully shots.

# 50 BL8001 @ 01/12/16 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	I purely use the golfer's animation to gauge when I've reached the "100%" backswing distance on fully shots.

This is the key. I have had no issues with the swing.

Also from the very beginning I have paid zero attention to the bubble. I honestly don't even know how it works. It turns green and red. It's just a terrible idea and never should be there and shocking it has no off option.

But I digress, watching your swing gives you all the info you need.

This is another miss by EA.

Tempo is not an absolute like in this game.

Tempo really is 3/1 as in a ratio of screens during a recorded swing.

It's something around 2/1 for the short game but that is a shorter controlled swing so let's just focus on the long game swing.

So if it takes you 24 frames to reach the top it takes you 8 from there to impact with ideal tempo.

But someone quick might swing 21/7.
Or slow might be 27/9.

The tempo seems to only give you one tempo choice which is totally wrong. If there is a way to tell the tempo meter I am a fast or slow swinger let me know.

# 51 OnlookerDelay @ 01/13/16 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BL8001


	This is the key. I have had no issues with the swing. Also from the very beginning I have paid zero attention to the bubble. I honestly don't even know how it works. It turns green and red. It's just a terrible idea and never should be there and shocking it has no off option. But I digress, watching your swing gives you all the info you need.

When I cover up the tempo bubble with tape and strictly watch the swing, I do better. I hate putting tape on my TV screen and a lot times there are things I want to see when the bubble meter is not on the screen in that spot.

I don't have enough control over my peripheral vision to tune the tempo bubble meter out to where it's not a distraction if it's not covered up, particularly on putts, chips and short pitches, where the clubhead is going to be traveling even shorter distances away from the bubble meter.

Quote:


	This is another miss by EA.

I agree it's a miss... I would have though by now they would have learned their lesson about giving options for meters and HUD devices, particularly since providing the option to turn off the precision putting meter in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 was such a critcially acclaimed success.

Quote:


	Tempo is not an absolute like in this game. Tempo really is 3/1 as in a ratio of screens during a recorded swing. It's something around 2/1 for the short game but that is a shorter controlled swing so let's just focus on the long game swing. So if it takes you 24 frames to reach the top it takes you 8 from there to impact with ideal tempo. But someone quick might swing 21/7. Or slow might be 27/9. The tempo seems to only give you one tempo choice which is totally wrong. If there is a way to tell the tempo meter I am a fast or slow swinger let me know.

I'm having trouble feeling the difference between a fast tempo and a slow tempo swing in this game currently. Your ratios make sense, I'm just not picking up enough feedback clues to quantify them in my experience. OTOH, I can distinguish a sensual relationship between what is reported as a "Perfect" tempo swing and one that's not. I get an even better sense of this when the tempo bubble meter is covered up. I imagine it's difficult for someone like you who can tune the bubble meter out to relate to what I'm describing, but no matter how I try, I can't avoid the distraction of that green/red meter flashing just beneath the golfer's feet.

# 52 BL8001 @ 01/13/16 11:48 AM

Understood.

When I began to ignore it successfully was when I realized it served zero purpose.

I am not even sure it's giving correct feedback.

It's just another one of those things where you think, did anybody play this before the game went gold? Nobody thought oh hmmm...not everyone will enjoy this so lets make it an option?

I wish games went back to transparent levels for meters and OSD elements. So with all games you could pick the transparency amount of anything in the HUD.

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