Masters Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
Published by: Gavin (R&D SpecialEffect) on 3rd Jul 2011 |
View all blogs by Gavin (R&D SpecialEffect)
Masters Tiger Woods PGA 12 - EA Sports (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3)
I have to be honest when I first started to play The Masters I took a disliking to it.
The first thing I had to do was set up an EA Account, I know it sounds lame as in actuality it probably only took a couple of minutes. The loading times before I got to start playing were reasonably hefty and the golfing quotes and music it throws at you are oh so worthy. Giving all this some thought it is probably more a reflection of how impatient I have become as an adult. What happened to the wide eyed child who would sit patiently by his Commodore 64 watching the television flicker multicoloured lines, while a tape player screeched analogue obscenity at him?
Then the game throws you straight into playing an ‘important’ hole in an ‘important’ tournament with no real instruction or guidance. So you muddle your way through and then you’re presented with the main menu. I can see what they were going for, trying to hook you in by throwing you straight into the action and you do only have to go through this once, but it really sets the tone for the rest of the game. This game does a very poor job at showing you how to actually play it. There is no training mode, no manual and the in-game instruction manual is sporadic in what it covers. The odd thing is this manual doesn’t really cover the basics of how to play the game. After reading it I was left more confused than when I started.
The menu system is secretive and options are almost hidden but once you do figure out how to access the options there are plenty available. Everything from character options of gender, left or right handed swing to course conditions i.e. weather and how fast the fairways are (how far the ball rolls).
There are two ways of playing this game – Standard and Three Point.
The Standard method I would describe as a bit like wii golf but using the anolog sticks. You pull the club back by holding down then swing by pushing upward. The strength of your swing is determined by how far you pull your club back and how fast you pushed it forward again. If your thumb goes to the left or right your shot will be affected, so an accurate swing may take some practise.
Before every shot you do get the option to take practise swings. On these practise swings, if you have the vibration function enabled, when you have raised your club to the optimum position the controller will vibrate. This method of control feels fantastic and there is a real skill to taking a couple of practise swings, feeling where the vibration lays and then taking your shot without the guidance of the vibration.
The Three Point method is much like any other golf game I have played where-by it relies on a gauge. You press the button to start the power bar rising, you press again to stop the bar at the optimum point (well you do in theory) then you do this again as the bar falls. I’m sorry if I didn’t explain that well but it will be similar to how you’ve played any golf game before.
The caddie is a great option, before every shot your right-hand man will recommend a couple of ways to play your shot and even line it up for you. His recommendations aren’t always spot on but his guidance is a real help and after a while you will be acknowledging his suggestion, using a bit of your own instinct and be playing like a pro.
Online play, tournament play and quick matches are all catered for but I just enjoyed playing by myself against the par.
If you’re persistent and take time to find your way around this game you will have a good time. When you take a couple of practise swings, find the vibration, line up to the ball and make your swing trying to remember where the sweet spot lay. Then hear the crisp sound of the club hit the ball, watch anxiously as the camera follows its flight and see it land on the fairway it really is a satisfying feeling.
Masters is a good game but one you will have to take time to learn.
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3 Comments
Thank you very much I am well pleased. I still have my C64 kicking around somewhere, I need to dig it out to provide some ambient background noise for the flat. The Atari 2600 was so pretty with the woody bit on the front we need more woody parts on consoles.
Gav
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