Back in the 90's golf games (probably more so in Japan) where around by the hat full (official metric). These days 2K sports are single handedly holding the fort in the golf sim department with the odd few 'not really, but fun in a zany (not Zany Golf)' way. EA famously used to do the rounds (puntastic!) with their PGA/Tiger games, but we haven't seen one of those since Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (2015), which kinda put a nail in EA's golfing coffin. Not sure why, but I seem to remember a battleship during the trailer and I didn't not pick it up to find out after seeing that. 2K have since picked up the mantle. Actually (not Actua), it was HB Studios that dared to steer golf back into a sim direction, with The Golf Club. A game that felt like it had potential. In fact, 4 games later (plus a dash of being acquired by 2K and 2 years worth of the PGA license in 2018, 20 and 22), the game grew to be a golf game fan favourite. EA looked to have quietly moved on... OR DID THEY!!!
Yep, in April 2023 EA Sport's PGA Tour arrived on the current-gen consoles and PC to a lukewarm reception. Oh...
Upon its release I tried the trial and you know what? I bounced off it hard. Disappointed, I went back to 2K's PGA 2K23. I really wanted EA's return to be a good one. Maybe it was kind of a rose tinted feel I was after having enjoyed their series since the Megadrive games. I must admit, I really didn't like the later Tiger Woods games. I played them and I did enjoy them to a degree, but their arcade elements didn't really sit well with me in the end. These arcade elements, power and spin mashing are still here. However, switch the game to 'Tour' mode and they are gone. You are left with the standard affair of reading, lies, careful club selection, wind, elevation all that real goodness that has a player going...
So, why did I come back to the game? During the trial, I always felt I was missing something. Misunderstanding the game. My shots were running off the back of the greens. Drives slipping off to the sides of the fairway. Spin was confusing. The swing mechanic different or I couldn't get used to. Since its release however, the game has had a fair few patches. 12 to date, I think. As of 2 weeks ago, the game went on sale. I'm sure it will continue this trend. I picked it up for £14. I thought that's an acceptable price to find out whether this game has improved or not. There did feel like there was something there when it was first released.... maybe it was that EA presentation that got me...
So, after a couple of weeks with the game, I am happy to report that I am loving it. However, this feeling only came in the last week or so. See, some of those issues with the ball not going where I expected were still happening, but I had seen that people were having a blast with this and so I thought, I must persist to find out if I am playing this wrong. I was. It sounds silly, but the game was just being a sim and I was probably looking for those more acradey approach shots where the ball lands and sticks to the suggested area the cursor indicates. That area indicates where the ball will probably first bounce. Of course, hit a shot here with a lower club, then the ball is most probably have legs. This along with understanding the lie angle and ultimately, the hole themselves turned my "what the hell?" face into a proper golfing game dad game face.
I'm am currently playing career mode where you get to initially play through 10 weeks of amateur rounds in order to make the cut to the PGA and then Masters (if I remember correctly), which is great and it feels like you are earning it (decently balanced difficulty).
One of the features I like most about this game is the ability to drop in for several holes, say in between big games I'm playing. When playing career mode, you can play 6 holes of each round. The computer simulates the rest of your scores erm somehow, but it's a really nice option to have.
Lastly, I did say I didn't like the analog stick swing mechanic on this and I have not gone back to see if it has improved BECAUSE! they recently updated the game with a 3-click swing mechanic! Rejoice old skool gamers! Really happy about this and to be honest, I don't think I would be playing this game if it wasn't there.
So, there you go, my impressions of EA PGA Tour after a few weeks.
Yep, in April 2023 EA Sport's PGA Tour arrived on the current-gen consoles and PC to a lukewarm reception. Oh...
Upon its release I tried the trial and you know what? I bounced off it hard. Disappointed, I went back to 2K's PGA 2K23. I really wanted EA's return to be a good one. Maybe it was kind of a rose tinted feel I was after having enjoyed their series since the Megadrive games. I must admit, I really didn't like the later Tiger Woods games. I played them and I did enjoy them to a degree, but their arcade elements didn't really sit well with me in the end. These arcade elements, power and spin mashing are still here. However, switch the game to 'Tour' mode and they are gone. You are left with the standard affair of reading, lies, careful club selection, wind, elevation all that real goodness that has a player going...
So, why did I come back to the game? During the trial, I always felt I was missing something. Misunderstanding the game. My shots were running off the back of the greens. Drives slipping off to the sides of the fairway. Spin was confusing. The swing mechanic different or I couldn't get used to. Since its release however, the game has had a fair few patches. 12 to date, I think. As of 2 weeks ago, the game went on sale. I'm sure it will continue this trend. I picked it up for £14. I thought that's an acceptable price to find out whether this game has improved or not. There did feel like there was something there when it was first released.... maybe it was that EA presentation that got me...
So, after a couple of weeks with the game, I am happy to report that I am loving it. However, this feeling only came in the last week or so. See, some of those issues with the ball not going where I expected were still happening, but I had seen that people were having a blast with this and so I thought, I must persist to find out if I am playing this wrong. I was. It sounds silly, but the game was just being a sim and I was probably looking for those more acradey approach shots where the ball lands and sticks to the suggested area the cursor indicates. That area indicates where the ball will probably first bounce. Of course, hit a shot here with a lower club, then the ball is most probably have legs. This along with understanding the lie angle and ultimately, the hole themselves turned my "what the hell?" face into a proper golfing game dad game face.
I'm am currently playing career mode where you get to initially play through 10 weeks of amateur rounds in order to make the cut to the PGA and then Masters (if I remember correctly), which is great and it feels like you are earning it (decently balanced difficulty).
One of the features I like most about this game is the ability to drop in for several holes, say in between big games I'm playing. When playing career mode, you can play 6 holes of each round. The computer simulates the rest of your scores erm somehow, but it's a really nice option to have.
Lastly, I did say I didn't like the analog stick swing mechanic on this and I have not gone back to see if it has improved BECAUSE! they recently updated the game with a 3-click swing mechanic! Rejoice old skool gamers! Really happy about this and to be honest, I don't think I would be playing this game if it wasn't there.
So, there you go, my impressions of EA PGA Tour after a few weeks.