This years Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Playstation 3 hasn’t redefined the golf sim but it does have some nice improvements. The visuals are truly spectacular, and the addition of real-time weather courtesy of the weather channel makes the game seem more immersive and realistic. The game’s attention to detail is unparalleled from the 60 frames per second and reduced rate drop, and the broadcast commentary. It is almost like watching a tournament live on TV. The new putting mechanic is much more simple where you don’t have to know every bump and slope angle to get the ball in the hole, you just pull back the right stick for power and push it forward to determine the angle in which the ball is putted.
The new live weather feature adds much more realism to the game. When you turn on live weather the game mimics actual weather conditions at the course you are playing. The dynamic weather option adds depth to the games physics, by having the weather play a crucial role to how the ball reacts. The core mechanics is the same as it was in previous years, you can still preview your shot before hitting the ball. There are some minor adjustments, such as the layout of the menus and the look of the leaderboards. They added 7 new courses including Bethpage and Hazeltine.
The graphics as a whole is very good. Players look like their real life counterparts, although some players look better than others. Tiger looks as real as can be. The scenery is good, not breathtaking especially the grass and trees. The game is meant to be played not just simply looked at so it is understandable that these look good, and thankfully it doesn’t distract you from your short game.
Tiger Woods also includes some of the campy aspects of golf that would seem at home with hot shots golf, like the bunny and biker outfits. You can even get outfits that make your player look like characters from other games, it doesn’t add much but it can make the game seem more casual. When you are going through your career you can buy outfits that increase attributes, such as shirts that can increase your power and accuracy. There is also photo game face where if you have the Playstation Eye you can take a photo of your face and put it on your character which is neat if only a novelty.
One noteworthy feature is Tournament Challenge which is meant mostly for the diehard golf fans. Tournament Challenge mode has you replay dramatic moments from recent golf history. This mode can be frustrating because instead of trying to remake history, you simply have to mimic what the pros did, ball placement and everything. Just be thankful it will let you sink that birdie on a par 3 without having to go back and drive the ball if you mess up the putt.
Tiger Woods 10 finally includes the U.S. Open Championship Tournament which should have been included in previous years. The Live Tournaments are a welcome addition to this years Tiger Woods especially the play the pros tournaments, which have you competing directly against the score from an actual pro tournament. It lets you see how good you really are at golf, well at least the video game incarnation of the sport. There really is not that much to improve with the Live Tournaments it is close to perfect.
With the additions of new features and 7 new courses, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a definite step up from last years offerings. The recent trend of games relying on user generated content future installments of Tiger Woods PGA Tour could include an ability to create your own course. It is not a complete overhaul in how the game plays, but the precision putting system makes the game much more inviting. There is nothing about this game that is really earth shattering, if you liked previous Tiger Woods games then you will probably like this game as well. It gets an 8.5 out of 10.