Tiger Woods 12 Review

Introducing The Masters for the first time in the series, Tiger Woods 12 thrusts players into the heart of the action offering immersive game-play and gorgeous graphics adding even more excitement to an already popular franchise and creating what I believe to be the best in the series.

As a huge fan of Tiger Woods 08, I did find myself to be disappointed by some of the newer Tiger Woods games and even after playing the more recent ones, I always found myself going back to 08, this has all changed with the release of The Masters. As soon as you load the game you’re shown an interactive series of cut scenes that allow you to control Tiger Woods on the fabled 18th hole of Augusta putting for the birdie that will earn Tiger his 5th green jacket, it really creates the mood for the game and you can instantly feel the tension and immersion has been vastly improved compared to previous games.

To Caddie or not to Caddie?
One of the most successful aspects of the Tiger Woods titles is the instant appeal and pick up and play approach that EA have taken on all the games. Hardcore golf fans, casual gamers, first time gamers, the game really can appeal to almost anyone that likes having a good time and The Masters doesn’t disappoint in this area one little bit. Whatever level of skill, you can tweak the game options to your liking, I sat down as a seasoned gamer and played with two other people that have never touched a gaming console and everyone was able to compete on a similar level and really enjoy it. The introduction of Caddies into the game adds even more to the appeal by giving players various shot choices and useful bits of information which are a great helping hand for less experienced players and it doesn’t have a big effect for the more skilled players as you can always make a better shot than what the Caddie suggests creating an almost perfect balance.

Tiger Who?
One of the best aspects of Tigers Woods is being able to create your own, unique golfer and bring him up through the rankings to be one of the best golfers in the world. The Masters allows you to play against the greatest golfers of the modern era on the most famous golf course in the world, and even more is available off the course. As you improve your golfer and complete challenges you will be offered more lucrative sponsors which gives you access to better equipment and clothing which offers far more unique customization options than any of the previous titles. They’ve also added Course Mastery to help compliment the Caddie system, as you play 18 holes and achieve certain goals your Caddie will gain experience on that particular course and offer you better shots as you progress. If all that wasn’t enough they also have a large selection of “Pins” that are rewards your golfer can receive for performing certain tasks like your 10th career eagle or a 350yrd drive. All these features combine to offer a totally unique on course experience, each time you try to line up your perfect shot you have your score, the experience reward for the shot itself, the Caddie experience and your career total stats to worry about which just adds more and more to the pressure depending on your standings in a tournament.

A lot of the mechanics remain unchanged but the entire game feels polished compared to previous titles, a slight adjustment to camera angles and the HUD offer far more immersion than before and overall the game comes across as far more realistic. The game does have a few downsides but they’re mainly minor or cosmetic and really down to personal taste rather than design flaws, I very rarely recommend an EA game, especially one from a series they pump out year after year but Tiger Woods 12 is the exception, arguably the greatest golf game released to date.

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