Tiger Woods returns yet again for a new round of golf with EA's latest release in the perrenial golf series. As is the case for most EA Sports games, this release builds upon last year's release and introduces new modes, features and the mandatory roster update. The real star, though, is the inclusion of Wii Motion Plus support which adds a new level of depth, fidelity and difficulty to the game.
The game comes with the Wii Motion Plus accessory for an extran 10 bucks on top of the normal $49.99 for a new Wii game. This is a pretty good deal and the support for the peripheral is great. You notice it's impact immediately on your first drive, where you either draw or fade the shot. You start to notice your tendancies in your swing and can compensate by aiming. Also the curvature is something that can become handy for getting around certain obstacles on the course. It makes for deeper gameplay than just aiming and swinging and having the only twist in the balls flight path come from the wind. It just feels more like what you would experience on a real course because no one's swing(except maybe Tiger's) is perfect. So far this is the best showcase of Wii Motion Plus support and the deepest use of it as well.
The game comes with an updated roster of golfers with Rocco Mediate being the biggest inclusion considering how famous he became after taking Tiger the distance, and breaking his leg. Also new courses are now in the game including Beth Page (black course) which is where the US Open is held. This also means that USPGA rules are now in the game. What the big deal about this is, I don't know but I guess it is just cool to have them associated with the game now.
The game still retains all play support and the classic Wii game mechanic support. But the gameplay really shines when using the Wii Motion Plus. Putting is a lot harder but feels more natural. Swinging and getting the right power on the swing is also more intuitive. It just feels good.
New modes include Disc golf which can be a fun distraction and a nice addition. Not really that engaging for me but its easy to see how some could really get into it. Online support is pretty barren and considering this is on the Wii, it's not really a surprise.
The graphics can be good at times, when the camera flies through a course, the water and landscape look beautiful. When being up close, however, it can be bad. Tiger has a good model and animation but the textures on him and on the grass can look terrible. Every time I drive, and my ball passes by trees, I wish the trees looked less like cardboard cut outs. I don't know if they are really pushing the Wii here but I don't see why textures on the land and player can be better. While I am at it, I wish that there would be a higher resolution on this thing.
Tiger 10 is the game I had been waiting for to turn my Wii back on after having finished Super Mario Galaxy. It has a great feature set and amazing gameplay enhanced by Wii Motion Plus. Though the graphics have their ups and downs, the game is at its best right after you swing and wait to see where your ball drops. A great experience that any adult who owns a Wii should own.
9/10 - Must Own!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Movie Reviews
Occasionally I may review a movie I see at the theatre on here as well. So I will set forth a simple 5 star system for movie reviews. Which not the 10 point system used for games, i just think that movies are easier to recommend that movies because movies will only cost you 10 bucks while a game can be 60 bucks that you will be stuck with. So here it is
1 star, terrible movie that no one should see or support
2 stars, crappy movie that a few select will enjoy because they like that type of movie or source material. B-movies and Twilight goes here
3 stars, ok movies that many may find enjoyable but not perfect. Most should probably wait to rent.
4 stars, good movies that will be worth the price of admission to most and are competent pieces of entertainment. Maybe not thought provoking but good.
5 stars. Must sees for all. This is where the academy award nominees go along with the great blockbusters that are worth every penny.
1 star, terrible movie that no one should see or support
2 stars, crappy movie that a few select will enjoy because they like that type of movie or source material. B-movies and Twilight goes here
3 stars, ok movies that many may find enjoyable but not perfect. Most should probably wait to rent.
4 stars, good movies that will be worth the price of admission to most and are competent pieces of entertainment. Maybe not thought provoking but good.
5 stars. Must sees for all. This is where the academy award nominees go along with the great blockbusters that are worth every penny.
Game Review Format
So I will begin reviewing video games on this blog and will be following a pretty normal standard of scoring games out of 10 points. But many have noticed that there are problems with these kinds of systems and I will try to really change how the 10 point system is viewed, at least here.
Most of the time a site, such as GameSpot will give a game a 4 or a 5. But those scores are basically the same and when a game gets a 6 or below, it usually means no one should buy this game. But other times you have systems like at my favorite web site GiantBomb.com where there is a looser scoring system but I feel the flaw in that 5 star system is that some games can be close to greatness but not there. A game can feel like 4.5 stars but you can only give 4 or 5. Either score does not feel right. So the following explains my scoring system.
1/10 Reserved for the worst games, those which should never have been made
2-3/10 Games which are terrible and nearly unplayable
4-5/10 Games which a select few will like and can overlook some major flaws
6-7/10 Games which are not without flaws but playable and enjoyable by most
8-9/10 Games which are the cream of the crop and usually a must buy for all
10/10 Reserved for the absolute best games, only a select few will ever get this score
This system will provide some ok games with 4s and 5s more often than most 10 point based systems and the 10 point system does allow me to differentiate which games I think are great and must buys but if one has to make a choice, well then the difference is how you can make that choice. I would buy both 8s and 9s on day one, but one game might be a better choice if you only have money for one.
Most of the time a site, such as GameSpot will give a game a 4 or a 5. But those scores are basically the same and when a game gets a 6 or below, it usually means no one should buy this game. But other times you have systems like at my favorite web site GiantBomb.com where there is a looser scoring system but I feel the flaw in that 5 star system is that some games can be close to greatness but not there. A game can feel like 4.5 stars but you can only give 4 or 5. Either score does not feel right. So the following explains my scoring system.
1/10 Reserved for the worst games, those which should never have been made
2-3/10 Games which are terrible and nearly unplayable
4-5/10 Games which a select few will like and can overlook some major flaws
6-7/10 Games which are not without flaws but playable and enjoyable by most
8-9/10 Games which are the cream of the crop and usually a must buy for all
10/10 Reserved for the absolute best games, only a select few will ever get this score
This system will provide some ok games with 4s and 5s more often than most 10 point based systems and the 10 point system does allow me to differentiate which games I think are great and must buys but if one has to make a choice, well then the difference is how you can make that choice. I would buy both 8s and 9s on day one, but one game might be a better choice if you only have money for one.
Introducing my new blog covering everything from politics to video games!
Well this is the beginning of my journalist career. This will be more opinion based but hope to get some people reading and thinking. Video games will be a big focus here but if you are looking for sports and politics and business, you might get lucky and find something for you as well. Lets get this started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)