EA Sports has jumped on the free online social gaming train today that Facebook has been capitalizing on for awhile now, and the results are, well, pretty impressive. The game is Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, and while it may seem like a rehash of other accessible online flash golf games, this one clearly stands out from the rest. However, instead of giving this game a review proper, it seems more appropriate to address as a development, a new finding in the evolution of online social gaming.
Here’s the basics of what you need to know: it’s free, it’s easy to play, though it provides a genuine challenge, and it looks and feels like the real Tiger Woods PGA Tour console game experience. Granted with this installment, unlike the MotionPlus compatible Wii version, there is no motion controls, but everything else is there. A quick sign up on the site (linked below) gives players access to the whole gold career shtick, complete with virtual dollars, a pro shop, rankings, sponsorships, and your own individual player, who can be entered into single player, multi-player casual, or tournament games. A caveat about the pro shop, however: EA is looking to charge players actual money for some golf points that can be used to purchase enhancing clubs, equipment, and clothing, kind of like the Xbox Live Avatar system. Aside from this strange decision, though, the game is pretty much right on the mark.
The game mechanics for hitting the ball are the standard timed-click for a power-up and for accuracy, and arrow keys to adjust the direction of the shot. The graphics are really crisp and clean for an online 3D game, and the 10 different reproductions of actual courses are varied and engaging. Like you might expect, the golf sounds are, you got it, faithful representations of golf sounds.
This game succeeds in being incredibly accessible, easy to leave and return to (saves your games each hole), and most of all, is just fantastic to play at work. Say goodbye to flash games, Joe Workaday, and hello to that scandalous golfing legend, Mr. Tiger Woods Online.
