On the Green

FoEvery sport has its poster boy. Basketball has Shaq, baseball has Jeter, and hockey is still tied to Gretzky's aging mug. Linksman Tiger Woods is a phenomenon—people who have no interest in or knowledge of golf have an easier time identifying the sporting legend than some of their own family members.

Tiger Woods 06 boasts impressive visuals.

It's no surprise that with the advent of Xbox 360™ publisher Electronic Arts would tee off the launch lineup with its signature licensed series. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06 is everything you would expect of a next generation golf game (and a few things more). Read on for the details.

Big Brother
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 for Xbox 360 shares some similarities with its current-gen cousin. As with the original Xbox game, you play through a variety of tournaments on a host of different courses. The swing mechanics utilize both analog sticks—one controls the club while the other acts as the "shape stick" that lets you apply topspin, backspin, draw or fade on the ball. You can even switch the control assignments in the options menu to tailor it to your liking.

Those looking for a meaty career mode can enter the PGA Tour and take their customized character from the amateur league up through Q school (the PGA's grueling qualifying tournament). Along the way you'll face off against other hopefuls, play against some of the sport's luminaries, and earn a sponsorship or two.

Gorgeous scenery.

Evolution
On the surface it's easy to spot the many graphical enhancements that the game has undergone in its transition to Xbox 360. The game's many courses sport rolling hills, lush forests, and detailed crowds—visuals only dreamed about on current-gen hardware. Courses not only look better, but they play differently as a result of the finer detail. Players will undoubtedly face stiffer challenges when tackling each hole due to the hyper-realistic landscapes featured in the game.

Likewise, the series' excellent Game Face creator is present on Xbox 360 as well. As in the original Xbox version, gamers can choose from a variety of different facial models which they can then push, pull, tweak, and stretch to an alarming level of customizability. Hardcore enthusiasts can spend insane amounts of time crafting their likeness from the ground up if they so choose. The rest of us can simply go with a cookie-cutter avatar.

Online
We didn't get a chance to take Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 online (our copy was a prerelease build), but we're told that players will be able to partake in pickup matches with other Xbox Live® gamers as well as engage in hosted tournaments. At this time there's no word on future downloadable content or microtransactions for new items (though presumably, anything's possible).

Keep checking back for more details on Electronic Arts' flagship golf title including a more in-depth look at what puts the Xbox 360 version head and shoulders above the rest.

Article by Franklin Beans

• Links 2004.
• PGA home.