Tiger Woods 08 - Wii

Nothing beats a good golf game. Any sports enthusiast, whether they play golf or not, should own at least one golf game for their video game console. I have Tiger Woods 2004 for my PC, then I got an Xbox and got Tiger Woods 07 for the Xbox. Now that I have a Wii, it was only natural to get Tiger Woods 08.

Here's the lowdown:

Gameplay: The Tiger Woods series are all pretty typical as far as game play is concerned. From one year to another, the only major differences are the addition and subtraction of golf courses and EA's addition of a "new feature." The one thing that makes this game unique is the controls that allow the Wii to create a more realistic golfing experience. Its not perfect, but its good.

The controls, which is my first concern that I research before purchasing a Wii game, are fairly intuitive. You swing the Wii remote like you would a golf club. You have the option of practicing your swing as much as you like too, which is almost a necessity when trying to finesse a shot. I have noticed that the swing can not be too large. If your back swing brings the Wii Remote over your head and points at the TV, it probably will not pick up on the rest of the down swing. I have also found it to be a little tricky to make a swing that is not 100% or greater. You really have to slow down your motion. This could be the game telling me that my golf technique needs a lot of work (and it probably does), but I doubt that is the case. Putting is a little different. You still make a natural putting motion (and its probably a more realistic swing than you make during a typical swing), however the practice mode is a little different. They call it "Putt Preview" and when you enter the Putt Preview mode, a timer starts to count down. You only have so much time to preview your putt. There is a lot of time for previewing your putt, however, the timer is shared for the entire round. If you spend a lot of time on one green previewing your putts, you will want to conserve your time on another green or risk running out of time and losing the ability to preview putts.

All this talk about the Normal Swing Mode, and I have nearly forgotten the other swing modes. There are two other swing modes. One allows you to swing the remote in any direction as long as you go one way, then the other. This allows people to swing while sitting down. I tried it once and did not care for it too much. The other swing mode requires the Nunchuk and is the traditional swing moving the joystick down for the back swing and forward for the down swing.

Getting back into the game, the player creation remains to be as specialized as its always been. Every little detail can be included. I have heard about the Xbox 360 and PS3 having a automatic player creation with the use of a digital photo or two. Unfortunately, that did not make it to the Wii. I was looking forward to it and it did not make the jump.

Taunts are back, which were in a previous Tiger Woods, but not 07. I'm not sure exactly how efficient they are because I have not yet tried any of them, but that was always fun. There is also a confidence meter for your individual golfer. Depending on the course, the type of shot, the difficulty of the shot, and your abilities, a meter shows your confidence in making the shot. Its a pretty interesting feature. If you play one course a lot and you are in a similar situation attempting a particular shot that you have attempted before, your confidence meter is higher than it would be on a native course, attempting a rare shot, and it increases your chances of making the shot.

The game modes are extremely similar to Tiger Woods 07. They include the Tiger Challenge (though with a LOT more content), the PGA Tour season mode, all the different round options (stroke play, match play, etc.). The Mini Games are similar as Tiger Woods 07 too. I think there is a new putt-putt mini game, however, I have yet to try it out.

Graphics: The graphics could use some work. There is a great deal of realism, but I think it could use a little work and attention. I believe the graphics look cleaner on Tiger Woods 07 for the regular Xbox. They look alright, I just think there should be a smoother transition when things move following shots and previewing holes. The animals that are occasionally seen on courses are extremely unrealistic and incredibly disappointing. They should not have been included.

Sound: EA sports has always done a decent job with sounds. Its nothing too special. The occasional chirp or the sound of wind blowing through a tree. The soundtrack is always something to admire with EA sports games too. They did not miss a beat here either.

Replay-ability: Despite the graphics, this game has a lot of replay-ability. There is always something to do, whether its following the PGA Tour season or taking on another Tiger Challenge, there is a LOT of content here to keep players coming back.

Wrap-up: A great game for the Wii. I have read this in a few reviews and I will repeat it here because it stands true: If you own Tiger Woods 07, its probably not worth getting Tiger Woods 08. EA Sports will have to come up with something radically different to get people hopping on 09. The past couple years have produced extremely similar games. Regardless, any Tiger Woods game is worth owning on whichever system you currently own.