by Drew Brenner
Generally speaking, I am not one that buys into the idea that games in the EA Sports franchises improve each year. New editions of Madden, NCAA Football, et. al never seem to make some great leap, and their new bells and whistles each year are usually a letdown. Tiger Woods 08 takes that tradition and throws it right out the window.
In short, Tiger Woods 08 is the best golf game since the halcyon days of Mario Golf and Hot Shots, and far and away the best of it's franchise. The gameplay itself is much improved, with smoother graphics, a slightly higher degree of difficulty, especially on the greens, and the courses are more true to life than ever. Ball trajectory seems easier to control this year as well, giving it the most realistic on course control to date as well. All the old standard features are there, with the new addition of the FedEx Challenge to PGA Tour mode. The addition of LPGA golfers such as Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr, and the great Annika Sorenstam is a nice touch as well. The overused and annoying "heartbeats" have been scaled back, something this reviewer had been waiting on for years. Simply put, a round of Tiger Woods 08 is the most enjoyable video golf experience I've had in quite some time.
Online play this year is improved as well, losing the choppiness that plagued it even on the fastest connections in years past. Online player is much quicker as well, and the drag time from lobby to course has been greatly decreased. It's unfortunate that the PS2 edition doesn't have the capability to feature the new GamerNet that is available to 360 and PS3 users. However, even without that, the online play of Tiger Woods 08 keeps in line with the rest of the game in improving upon past versions of the franchise.
In closing, I can't remember the last time I got so much pleasant surprise out of playing a new release of a member of the EA Sports realm. I can't recommend this game enough to any gamer with a love of golf.
