Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006

Low and behold, autumn is here. And what better time to play a soothing, relaxing game of golf? Now that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 has surfaced, players can rejoice taking on Tiger on many different levels. However, this time around Electronic Arts pulls off the biggest disappointment since Thrill Kill wasn't officially released in the United States.

EA simply repackaged Tiger 05 with minimal new features coinciding in tedious and horrendous interfaced layout. The aerodynamic ethics for golfing still go disregarded as bouncing in the rough are greatly exaggerated and unrealistic, ball striking is inaccurate as well as it sounds more like an aluminum bat hitting a softball, then an actual club connecting with a golf ball.

Graphically: The game looks the same as last year with minimal upgrades in sharpness. Animations, whether positive or negative still lack personal/individual attitude amongst each character and mouth movement deems to be very cartoonish, as your characters jaw drops straight up and down, while the rest of their face has no expression. No eye movement, nostril flare, wrinkles in cheeks, etc.

Announcing has not changed much, as most of Feherty and McCord's commentary are like the club percentages of the game. Inconsistent, redundantly random and unprofessional, which doesn't show their true self, like at a traditional televised PGA event. For example, when Feherty uses the metaphor "I'm sweating like a fat chick at her sisters wedding." Yeah, that's the right message to send EA. Push away more of your fan base by excluding those that don't fit the hollywood image. Disrespecting golfers and anyone else while plugging other EA products, such as the Madden Challenge is as bad as the senseless mass advertising in Need 4 Speed Underground 2.

Other voiceovers, such as the character you create, which all the default models look like Tiger mind you, lack ethnicity and seems to follow the cultists of Happy Gilmore and Caddy Shack, but fail on execution. Last year you acquired Gilmore's swing and this year you get his phrases like "Why won't you go in your home?!" And instead of Caddy Shacks "Be the Ball" you get the phrase "Be the stick" and "Be the number", which may be due to copyright issues.

Even though your character gets his or her own voice, some statements can be delayed in comparison to the announcing voices from Joe Montana's Quarterback or Sports talk Baseball for the Sega Genesis. It can be the other golfers turn and your character is still rambling on, telling their ball to stay on the fairway. Camera angles are random, glitchy and completely out of the ordinary of the current situation your golfer is in.

Putting seems to be the only option this year that gets one thumb up, due to the loading time between your ball reaching the hole after being hit by your Putter. Although partially freezing on it's way for birdie, you can't help but feel better about the pressure sensitive putting. Finesse is the key just like in real golf, but this feature simply isn't enough to persuade the conscious gamers of last year to spend another fifty dollars.

Ball placement has actually gotten worse as there are times your character will be automatically turned around, facing the wrong way of the hole. Some popular placements the computer puts you, especially when chipping. Are near rivers, right behind tree trunks and in bushes, even when you were on the fairway. Regardless which club you use to get out of the mess, Wedge, Pitch, Iron or Driver you're pretty much screwed. Rivals mode is nothing more then legends mode with wacky characters, but if you want wacky, over the top, off the wall characters. I would suggest Hot Shots Golf Fore!

And if that's not enough to steer you astray from this game, online play is still a problem. EA's server lags too much to even have an authentic golfing experience amongst others. This coming from a company who made sure to put on the back of the box "# 1 selling Golf Franchise". Well if it's the "# 1 selling Golf Franchise", then why can't EA fix its servers that gamers have been complaining about for years? It's happened with Madden, Fight Night, NBA Live and the Need 4 Speed franchises online. What's even more funny is that they've known about this issue, the lag will continue until the release of Tiger 07 and they will continue to turn a deaf ear to the gamers, as reported at www.tigerwoodsonline.com. Xbox players beware: You will have the same problems online as everyone else, except you're actually paying for your service through your Gamer Tag.

Speaking of problems and online, the community continues to struggle. With this years default controller function switch up, EA still has not solved the problems of turbo controller cheating. Actually if anything, EA glorifies it due to the controller switch up. Using both hands due to the non-accurate ball striking system, it's hard to boost, so people with the mad cats controller will definitely have the advantage. It's already pathetic enough code breaking and racial remarks are used online, go without any repercussions or consequences from the over seers. Now we have online Golf cheating... That's right, online Golf cheating... I never thought I would see the day.

Simply put, Tiger 06 barely offers anything new to the table and no matter how many hardcore Tiger fans, such as myself anticipated this title, you will be disappointed. Just look at the EA message boards... Casual Golf fans looking for some fun, you're better off playing Hot Shots Golf Fore!,Outlaw Golf or Tiger 04. Hell, even go out with your friends and play some miniature golf before playing EA's recent release of Tiger. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 exceeds it's shot limit this year, due to laziness and drops their balls while gripping their shafts on the stroke of last years success, as it falls short of par and bogeys a 2 out of 5. EA may want to take a mulligan on this one...