Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play (Wii) Review

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play is the best golf game available on the Wii, but it still has a number of flaws that will leave most players anxiously awaiting the Wii Motion Plus enabled 2010 edition. While the controls are so far the best imitation of real golf available on any video game system, there are still problems with swing recognition that will negatively affect the performance of the player. Add to that an overly complicated presentation and poor audio-visual performance and there are just too many problems to make this year’s version a must have experience.

In making a conscious effort to provide a simplified control scheme for all of their Wii games with All-Play, EA Sports have made great strides in opening up their games to players of all skill levels. The All-Play mode in Tiger Woods 09 works well and really opens up the game to everyone, allowing inexperienced players to compete with Tiger Woods veterans. The main control system attempts to mimic a real golf swing and for the most part it works well. Sadly though, there are some serious inconsistencies in how the swing is recognised. A swing which would normally be around 100 per cent power will often only register as 80 per cent, leaving a shot falling well short of its intended target. Shots requiring less than 100 per cent are also extremely difficult to pull off as it is insanely hard to judge how much backswing is required. Another problem area is the putting system. Instead of measuring the length of the backswing, the putting system reverts to a traditional power bar. In theory this is not a bad idea, but the shot power is very difficult to judge accurately, especially when the cup is above or below the ball. Over or undershooting the hole and three or four putting can be a regular occurrence. For the most part the controls do work well, but the margins for error in golf are often very slim and even one mishit shot can ruin a round completely.

One of the other problems with the Wii-remote control system is something that the game has no control over at all. Even though golf is seen as a leisurely sport, the stresses a golf swing can put on the body are severe. When playing golf in real life, the player gets a natural rest between shots while making their way to where the ball lies (usually a fair distance away). A game usually takes a few hours to complete and players will usually play 18 holes, then head for the 19th hole (the bar) for a drink. In Tiger Woods 09 on the Wii, 18 holes takes far less than an hour and there are no natural rests between shots. It is quite possible to play four or more rounds in a single play session, putting extreme stress on the player’s body. Serious back injuries are a definite possibility and should be a consideration for anyone not in good physical condition.

Gladly there is the option to use the more traditional analogue stick control scheme by plugging in the Nunchuck controller, and some players will find that a far more comfortable and reliable option for playing the game. In the end it is entirely up to the player which control option they use, but until the Wii Motion Plus add-on becomes part of the Tiger Woods experience, analogue control will always be the more accurate (and comfortable) option.

As far as content goes, Tiger Woods 09 certainly ticks all the boxes with a comprehensive career mode (including the full PGA Tour Season, the FedExCup and Tiger Challenge events), a detailed create-a-golfer feature, a coaching and club tuning system, a mini-game party mode, online competition and more. There are more features in the package than most players will ever have the time to experience. Whether this is good or bad will depend on the player’s familiarity with previous EA Sports games. Overly complicated menus, inadequate explanations and a ridiculous number of menus and statistics splashed across the screen make it extremely hard to work out what the player should be doing next. The whole experience can be extremely intimidating to any player new to the world of video games and even veteran gamers will find it somewhat hard to comprehend. If EA want to continue to open up their games to the broader market, they really need to do something to make the whole experience simpler and easier to understand.

Another area which could do with some much-needed attention is the graphics. Tiger Woods 09 is the third game in the series on the Wii and surely by now EA Sports should be able to make it look better than a PS2 game. The Wii has now got many great looking games that prove the little white box and pull off some amazing graphics. Obviously nothing as detailed as the Xbox 360 or PS3, but certainly something better than what is on offer here. The audio could also do with a makeover and a more appropriate soundtrack. Rock music and golf don’t really go hand-in-hand and I am sure there are plenty of artists out there that can supply music better suited to the game. The commentary and sound effects are good and suit the game well.

The online mode is one of the standout features in Tiger Woods 09 allowing simultaneous online play against up to three players. It is easy to follow the successes and failures of the other players, as their shots are displayed in real-time on the screen. There is no waiting for others to take their shots and each player is free to move through the hole at their own pace. There are no friend codes to worry about and there are plenty of options to keep matches interesting. It is great to see EA Sports taking the time to implement a proper online system on the Wii and hopefully they can inspire others to do the same. One thing missing is voice chat, but that should be taken care of with the 2010 edition and WiiSpeak.

Sadly Tiger Woods 09 is not free of a few quirks and bugs. Accidentally starting a tournament on day two caused the first round to read as a score of zero, giving a second round starting score of 72-under to all golfers. The commentators didn’t seem to notice, providing comments on such an amazing score. Also of some concern is the frequency of the loading screens, which seem to pop up at least every couple of minutes. While nothing game-breaking, they are problems that will turn some players away.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play is a very good game. The Wii-remote control scheme works well, but still has enough problems that make the traditional analogue controls a far better option. The presentation is overly complicated and creates a barrier to anyone not familiar with the series and the graphics and sound leave a lot to be desired. Online play is fantastic and there is so much to do that most players will never complete everything. The addition of Wii Motion Plus controls and Wii Speak functionality will certainly add immensely to the 2010 version, but that is no reason not to pick up the 09 version.