Description:
While Tiger Woods rose to the top of PGA almost overnight, his ascent in the world of computer games has been more of a steady climb. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 changes that pace by making a significant leap. It serves up killer graphics, a vast selection of game modes, and strong replay value. Of the six courses available, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hill, and Sawgrass Hill are exclusive to this game. Additional courses can be designed through Course Architect (the game's creation tool) or downloaded from the Internet. You can choose from 12 professional golfers (including Tiger Woods), play the game as one of its six fictional characters, and even play as the two commentators. Game modes include practice, stroke, tournament, skins game, shoot-out, match play, foursomes, fourball, and three PGA Tour season modes. Up to four players can participate on a single PC, over a local area network or on the Internet. The game's swing can be set at classic two-click (start backswing, start swing) or three-click style (start backswing, start swing, connect with ball), but those looking for a more challenging experience will opt for TrueSwing. This new technology tracks your mouse movements to simulate the swing and requires some wrist gymnastics; it's very tricky at first, but is ultimately more rewarding. Graphically, the game looks fantastic, with outstanding reflections, shadows, and character models. Unfortunately, the game's listed minimum requirements of a PII 400 and an 8 MB video card are very misleading; a high PIII and a 32 MB card is a more accurate assessment. While the box rightly indicates that Internet play is supported, the manual notes that EA will only support it until March 1, 2003. Steep requirements and limited Internet play aside, this is a very complete game that looks and plays great on systems that can handle it. --Raymond M. Padilla Pros: - Incredible graphics
- Strong replay value through course creation, downloads, and Internet play
- Vast selection of game modes, options, and configurations
Cons: - Misleading minimum requirements
- TrueSwing not appropriate for standard laptops
- Time-limited online play
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