Xbox

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06

When it comes to the games people play, it's likely that none has resulted in more frustration or misery than golf. I don't mean the video game variety either. I'm talking about the kind of golf you play on a windy course with your buddies, where poorly kept fairways and debris-covered greens make life a living hell a few hours at a time. It's a sadomasochistic way to spend an afternoon, but it remains one of the world's most popular games, precisely because it's so hard to master. Video games, on the other hand, make us feel like the golfers we watch on TV, hitting booming drives that roll onto perfectly manicured greens. But is that really what we want?

I love golf. No, not in real life or on TV, but within the confines of video games. The same goes for baseball—can’t stand to watch it or play it, but I can play the cyber-versions for hours without getting bored. So is it with golf. Though I like playing it when I can, it’s an expense game to play, and that can take the fun out of learning it. So, I again fall back on the video versions when I need a fix. Sometimes, you just need a break from killing atrocious aliens or driving unrealistic sports cars through the streets of places you have no intention of visiting. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 is here for that niche.

Teach me Tiger! Wieder einmal führt uns der Vorzeigestar des Golfsports auf die unterschiedlichen Fairways, Greens und Rouhgs dieser Welt. Die Serie, die übrigens wieder für alle gängigen Konsolen erscheint, weiß schon lange mit einer Vielzahl an Modi und einem ausgeklügelten Belohnungssystem zu begeistern, ob sich der Umstieg von der Vorgängerversion auszahlt oder ob das Greenfee dafür dann doch zu hoch ist lest ihr hier.

When I think about it, my obsessive collecting of equipment in Tiger's career mode is really what keeps me going, not old golfers. So what did EA do? Perhaps sensing that it had hit a wall with this mode, the developer turned to the gameplay and gave us a (kinda) new way to play a series that was quickly becoming stale. It's not a revolution, but it's an improvement.

Whatever professional problems Tiger Woods had over the past handful of years have seemingly dissipated, and with them goes any doubt that Woods is once again the premier golfer on the planet. Part of the "problem" with Tiger's game during his difficult times, according to the pundits, had been attributed to his new swing which, they said, fundamentally changed his approach and thus damaged his game. Interestingly, the very golf game to which Tiger lends his name has seen a similar change in its swing system as well. Yet unlike the real Tiger, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 doesn't seem to be reaping the full benefits of this switch just yet.

Sans prendre le risque de revoir leur copie, les concepteurs de cet opus 2006 de Tiger Woods PGA Tour ont tout de même rajouté pas mal de petites choses qui se répercutent sur les modes de jeu mais aussi sur le gameplay, encore plus technique qu'avant. A vous de voir si tout cela justifie d'investir à nouveau dans une énième mouture si vous possédez déjà une version précédente. Dans tous les cas, on peut être assuré que la série ne s'arrêtera pas en si bon chemin.

Hitting the links is still a blast, but I don't like the new putting mechanic and the overall quality of the game has deteriorated since the stellar 2004 entry.

Through five console iterations and more sugarcoating than a Krispy Kreme donut, EA has finally made some actual changes in the final current-generation installment of the Tiger Woods franchise. It is still far from revolutionary, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06 is the virtual golfer's best bet for a realistic round out on the links.