This year's update to the golfing simulator drifts more towards simulation. Tiger 09 keeps most of what's worked in the series, the Tiger Challenge, Career Mode, Challenges, etc. Though this year's iteration includes the addition of the GamerNet Challenges, Club Tuning, Simultaneous Play, and a fully functioning interface for the XBL vision camera.
GamerNet challenges work as the challenges by any XBL user can update a challenge per the hole or course they have just played to XBL. Points are based upon the degree of difficulty of the challenge, and are prompted when you are playing other game modes or at the XBL GamerNet challenge screen. It's fun and addictive, but only after you leveled up your golfer, as most challenges are for the hardcore player. Several challenges are based upon hole-in-one conditions, -18 on 18 holes, etc. Thus players who either haven't completed the Tiger Challenge, or newcomers just popping in the disc may waste time heading straight to the GamerNet challenge. However, after time challenges can be fun and rewarding when players choose challenges based upon the right criterion.
Another addition is Simultaneous Play within the multiplayer modes via Xbox Live. This is a welcome addition, and dramatically speeds up multiplayer games. Your opponents shots will be represented by streaks of color showing how and where there ball has been shot and is going. Going this route makes the game more accessible to casual golf fans, and breaks the monotony of having to watch another player adjust his avatar's stance, club, swing, etc.
the last notable addition is the Club Tuner. If your more likely to swing into a slice you can adjust your clubs to negate your natural swing so you can hit straight. It's an nice little addition, but it may be overlooked or underused as the results don't feel exact.
This year, the putting seems criminal. You simply get away with everything. Most puts take little time or effort to setup and those who are unexperienced at Tiger will either do well to start off or be amazed by the simplicity of the putting. Though later challenges get harder the overall putting on the default difficulty is too easy.
Moreover, EA Tiburon still hasn't nailed down shots from the sand, awkward shots or flops. All of the aforementioned seem forced and unrealistic. Yes this is a videogame - but it is still one that is at least attempting to capture reality and this is one aspect where the game fails. When you land in the beach the ball is sometimes "repositioned" to a favorable spot for the user; thus eliminating a players' fear of hitting bunkers. This is the same for lies where your at a steep incline. Magically the ball gets repositioned to favor a good shot for you. I sort of understand why they do it; complaints about difficulty and camera issues and such, but this is the forth iteration of Tiger on next-gen hardware and the problem should be addressed at the least. Finally flops feel incredibly vulnerable to wind; almost so that the ball has no weight at all. While I understand the lack of velocity or spin in a flop shot, it still feels like once you flop your ball it carries across greens like a leaf along the wind.
Tiger 09 is really good. Actually it is one series where EA continually improves upon the latter version. It's just that where 9 is good it could be great, but perhaps that's just what they want to feel; and to get us to purchase next year's game.
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