‘Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14’ is a winner
By CHRIS CAMPBELL
The beautiful weather arrived in Washington, D.C., just in time for Masters week. Sure, the PGA Tour season kicked off months ago, but the world at large only starts paying attention when Augusta’s flowers bloom and the season’s first major comes around.
So it makes sense that EA Sports would release its annual rite of golf passage a few weeks beforehand so golf gamers can enjoy tearing Augusta National apart virtually before Tiger and the pros do it on the real thing. While some editions of the video-game franchise have lacked spark and inventiveness, this year’s game has updates and features that make it a worthwhile buy indeed.
On the surface, the ability to play all four major tournaments feels like a massive accomplishment and a ridiculous one at the same time. But gamers should overlook that and focus more on the Legends of the Majors mode. Here, you take a time warp back to the game’s infancy and slowly progress forward in time, playing on classic courses with wooden clubs and sepia-toned footage. The lengthy mode gives you a feel for the advancements the game has made and is a better history lesson on golf than you would find watching a typical weekend broadcast on TV.
The Career mode returns as well and, thankfully, the game finally gives women a chance to participate in the game via the LPGA Tour. Unfortunately, the Career mode still ramps your skills up too quickly and gets you winning or placing in the top three in almost every tournament before you even finish your rookie season.
But this year the franchise is scoring birdies instead of pars and bogeys. Impressive visuals and the trip through the lore should compel gamers to tee it up with Tiger, Jack, Arnie and all the rest.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Genre: Sports
Publisher: EA Sports
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Grade: 4 stars (out of 5)
