Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here

[ExtremeGamer]

EA ’S TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 10 DEMO AVAILABLE NOW
ON XBOX LIVE AND PLAYSTATION NETWORK

May 21, 2009 – Come experience the thrill and spectacle of tournament golf! The Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 demo is now available on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network. Play a couple of holes in the demo and get an early taste of what the real-life PGA TOUR pros will be facing at this year’s U.S. Open on Bethpage Black and Turnberry, which will be hosting the 2009 British Open. Gamers will also get a chance to check out the all-new Tournament Challenge mode as the demo features a playable event from the famous 17th hole at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course - TPC Sawgrass.

In addition, tournament atmosphere has been ramped up this year and players will experience dynamic weather conditions and its effects on gameplay, huge galleries, a new commentary team and broadcast style introductions. Looking to tune your clubs prior to a big tournament? Come check out the new Practice Round mode in the demo where gamers can place the ball anywhere on the course and really dial in their shots before taking on the official leaderboard.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 takes golf fans inside-the-ropes to experience the drama and emotion of tournament golf. New additions to this year’s game include Tournament Challenge Mode, Tournament Atmosphere, Precision Putting, EA SPORTS Live Tournaments and new courses and golfers.

To see additional information regarding Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10, log on to www.tigerwoods10.com.

Developed in Orlando, Fla., by EA Tiburon, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 will ship on June 8 and available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PLAYSTATION3, PSP (PlayStation®Portable) and Wii.

[OnlookerDelay]

Biggest demo file size I've ever seen at 1.57 GB. I'm downloading now (40 percent), so I have no idea how it looks or plays. You get to play two holes at Bethpage Black and two at Turnberry, so that's one more hole than I expected. Back later with a report.... what a shock to see this so soon!

[N51_rob]

Thanks for the heads up EG. I want to give this new version a go.

[OnlookerDelay]

I'm glad I was warned about the difficulty setting being locked at Beginner before I played the demo. Stupidly easy is an understatement... I went birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle on the two holes at Bethpage Black and Turnberry..... (sigh). I didn't have anything longer than a 17 foot putt, so I didn't really get to try the Precision Putting stroke to its fullest in those four holes. I holed a 110 yard wedge for eagle at Turnberry, but it just looked predestined to me... I got no real thrill out of it.

The Tournament Challenge did show me how difficult the new putting system can be though. I didn't make the putt in a dozen attempts. I would either come up two feet short, or roll it past the cup to the front of the green. There were a couple of times where I pushed the putt. This was encouraging to see and I was able to tell that I'll get so much more out of this in Tour Pro mode, with the meter off. Thanks to my indoctrination in Advanced mode in Links 2004, my eyes were wanting to watch the golfer animation and not the meter. I actually found the meter to be a distraction.

This was the best implementation of rain I've seen in a console golf game. It usually calls attention to itself in its conspicuousness, but it blended well with the environment, IMO! I could see the added detail in the grass textures and density, so I gotta say the new graphics engine is getting the job done. OTOH, the icons on the screen look a little bit rudimentary. What's up with the clubheads? They look to be 150 percent of their natural size!

I haven't tried the practice mode yet, so I'm off to do that now. You can practice on any of the holes and that will allow me to test some of things I'm interested in... well, as much as one can put it through its paces in the insultingly easy mode in which it's locked.

[N51_rob]

Thanks, that is what I'm really looking forward to is giving the new putting system a try.

[Zalf]

Here is what I am seeing after a while playing with the demo. I buy TW every year and I am sure I will buy it this year. If anything, I am a fanboy. I have played a lot of '09 lately to finish up my season before '10 comes out so I know the feel of '09 and I am not just going from memory.

Pros:

-Pop up box that shows how the hole has been played so far that day. X Pars, X Birdies, X Bogies, Avg Score, etc.

-Active on course scoreboards. These show current leader board, course conditions, your score card, etc.

-Club tuner available during practice rounds. Adds a little more to the club tuner idea. I am not sure how it will work in combination with online tournaments. Possible that this could allow someone to really tune for the course/conditions of the day and "pre-set" every shot.

-Rainy condition plays nice.

Cons:

-Gameplay from Tee to Green is EXACTLY the same as last year. Having Club Tuner during practice makes this even more obvious. 6 Iron into a green gives exactly the same result on every shot with the perfect swing; down to the pixel. Driver doesn't have much more variety.

-The new putting system actually makes putting easier. This might change on harder difficulty levels, but your putting bar starts off with the indicator at the exact distance. All you have to do is adjust the target bar for green speed and slope. You still have to adjust for break. You pull the stick back and push it forward when the meter advances to the target. It seems better than the old system with different putters for different distances but it plays a lot easier. You don't swing harder or take the club back further for long putts you just wait longer for the meter to get to the target bar. There is no real feel to it.

-I am really hoping this is just a demo thing but I played each course three times. Tiger made Eagle at 7 on Bethpage and 8 on Turnberry to get the exact same score all three times. It screams scripting but again I hope that is a demo thing.

It looks great, but I thought the last one looked great. They get points for some advances in presentation and new courses. Everything else is a wash and doesn't really feel any different from last year. The online tournament push is going to have to be really special to consider this much of an advancement in the series. I will be buying it because I love golf but there isn't anything in the demo to sway someone that has '09 and is on the fence about '10.

[fishepa]

Oh boy....

[OnlookerDelay]

Now for a few more observations (some pro some con):

1.) I think the chip shots are playing more realistically now. I hit an 8 iron chip out of 85 percent rough at Bethpage Black, and it came out at a believably trajectory and actually bounced three times before settling out in a roll. Previously, I'd found the chip shots in TW to be too "scuffy". They came out low and didn't seem to bounce as much as they should even with the lower than expected trajectory.

2.) I'm really digging the way the swing camera holds your golfer's perspective view longer. It really lets you visually frame the shot properly. Furthermore, most of the camera views after the shift from the golfer's view are more practical. Yes, there's still too many angles simply painting the ball against the sky, but there is definitely a broadcast flavor to the overall camera production.

3.) There has GOT to be an option to turn the comet trails off! I really don't like them, even though I can see where they help you follow the ball. I can follow it fine without them... it just somehow cheapens the look of the game to me.

4.) Beginner difficulty is an insult to anyone who can breathe and chew gum at the same time. The worst I can tune the sweetspot on my clubs to is 51 percent! I have to purposely try to miss a fairway or green to setup a trouble shot.

5.) 360 users don't get the 1:1 swing that the Wii version gets. I hit a driver 15 percent, with barely a perceptible backswing, yet my golfer had a full follow-through. OTOH, the shorter putts are accompanied by a proportionally believable stroke by the golfer's animation.