Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 (GameCube) Review

A good walk spoiled, that's what some famous guy said about golf but with not a step to be taken, what can this game possibly spoil? This is a golf simulation, based in the real world but somehow EA have managed to put an arcade feel to it so the enjoyment factor is massive. The tension in the game is huge, if you hit a good shot the camera zooms into your golfers face, you can hear a heart beat and the pad vibrates in time with this. You actually feel like your playing golf due to the analogue control method. You pull back for the back swing and push forward for the downswing, which sounds easy, but it's all to do with timing and rhythm and try doing it while tapping Z as fast as you can to get a power shot. The games consists of various different modes including 14 tournaments to win, numerous scenarios to complete awarding either bronze, silver or gold medals and Tiger Challenges involving playing various opponents in either match play (over 9 holes), skins or tourneys. And what's the point of all this we hear you ask, well the point is to earn money thus improving your stats and being able to buy new equipment so you can play better.

Also included is an online ranking system so you can rate yourself against other players around the world. This is done using a password system generated by the game itself and the EA website. You can virtually compete against someone in America or else where in Europe by entering a tournament password in the game (obtained from the website) and getting a password based on your performance. Your stats can also be recorded via the same password method so you can see how you rank over all. There are around 10 pro's including Parnevic, Monty, VJ Singh, O'mera, Leonard, Furyk and the ever present Tiger. There are also some fantasy players such as Dominic 'The Don' Donatello, a kind of mafia golfer who says he scares his opponents down the back nine, nothing too silly but they do flesh out the game a little. There are around 12 courses in the game, again some real like St Andrews or TPC Sawgrass and some made up (and incredibly difficult) like the Highlands, Black Rock Cove and the evil Predator! Tournaments consist of between 1 and 4 rounds on a mixture of these courses. You can save after each round so you can't cheat too much but you don't have to play forever before you can save.

One contentious issue with this game is putting and the lack of a green relief grid. It does take a while to get used to but thinking about it, it is quite realistic. Instead of seeing every contour of the green your caddy helps you out. You have an arrow on the green, which is where you hit you ball. Your caddy tells you how far to the side of the cup and how far short or past the cup you should place this arrow. You then have to judge the distance from the cup the marker should go so when you hit the ball it is guided in by the slope of the green. You have to learn the distances in the game and can be frustrating as it changes from inches to feet so knowing how many inches are in a foot is very useful (it's twelve by the way.)

The stats in this game are good too, you'll forever be trying to sink the longest put or just shave that one stroke off you round to get the record. There are awards called bonus balls that you get for achieving certain tasks, for example getting a whole in one, eagling every par 5 in the game or sinking a 55+ foot put. Some of these are very hard to get and again this adds to the life of the game.

There is also a good practise and multi player section. This consists of hitting targets (over 3 different courses) at different distances in certain time periods or as many as you can with so many balls. Also there is T-I-G-E-R, a variation on horse on these same targets. There is also speed golf, which is a great multi player game. You have to hit the ball and run after it. You are awarded money from your opponent for completing certain tasks before them such as teeing off first or getting to the green first. The first player to lose all their money loses. Sounds fun? It hurts a lot, to run after your ball you have to hit the L button as fast as you can, try doing that for between nine and 18 holes, your muscles really hurt!!!

The graphics are superb and the scenery quite beautiful. When you walk up to the first tee the camera pans over the scenery and it's breathtaking. Some of the views on the Highland course as the sun goes down over the mountains can only be found in picture books. The golfers are very recognisable as themselves even when the camera zooms in on their faces during on of the tense moments after a good shot they remain recognisable and there is no distortion. The animals running in the background are quite a nice touch too.

The sound is what you'd expect from a golf game, jazzy music before a shot and then quiet as you prepare with just a few birds singing in the back ground or waves crashing on rocks if your by the sea. If you hit a good shot you get a heart beat to increase tension (as well as a vibrating pad in time with the heart beat) and the typical American whoops and yells if the shot is good and the groans if your get unlucky (or are just rubbish).

Think of something really long, say the film AI, then double it and add twenty and you're not even close to how long this game lasts. That's not even mentioning the replay value. There are around 14 courses, nearly 40 scenarios and numerous tournaments to enter each consisting of between one and four rounds of a mix of the courses. It keeps just about every stat, you can think of, even puts per round and average puts per green so you'll be constantly wanting to improve these as well as your total round scores. The online function adds a lot of life to it as well. New tournaments are out up on a regular basis so you'll want to beat the rest of the world all the time. We can't stress how long this game lasts, we got it before Christmas and we're still playing it regularly now and we're not getting at all bored of it. It is a great game.