Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004

"Video golfing on steroids"

Note: my review is a 9.5 but I'm rounding up to 10.
Tiger Woods 2004 was a great game that surpassed both the 2003 edition and, sadly, the new Mario Golf. With all its special features, unlockables, customizable settings, and challenges, this is a game for the ages.

Story: Being a golf game, it really doesn't have story. You're a golfer on the PGA tour, and you play golf. What did you expect?

Graphics: 7/10
I really would have liked more graphical improvements from the PS2 version, looking at a screenshot of this game for gamecube or even xbox looks just like it, and with the massive differences in processors and power this shouldn't be. Characters have enough detail that you can make out eyebrow shape, if their teeth are crooked, etc., but the lines just don't look sharp, making them look sort of like balloons. The landscapes are fairly well-done, although like I said, the game lacks a certain sharpness to graphics, making everything look almost cartoonish and fuzzy.

Gameplay: 10/10
Now that I've bashed the graphics of this game, let me show you why my review is a 10. As you begin the game, you customize a golfer down to a wide variety of skin colors, body shape, face shape, even teeth design. With these kind of customizables, your character can easily look almost exactly like you, or incredibly funny. With the hundreds (Definitely a few thousand) unlockable clothes and golf equipment the game presents, it's almost impossible to find 2 characters who look exactly the same. As you gain money by defeating golfers and participating in the PGA tour, you can buy better clubs, which improve your character, or statistic points such as swing power, almost similar to an RPG. the PGA tour contains I think 32 tournaments in a year, each of which have 4 rounds of 18 holes each, and your character doesn't expire until 10 years. That's a lot of serious golfing. With other modes including the familiar World Tour and a scenario challenge mode, you can spend even longer unlocking new, cooler looking outfits, or just getting cash. The game also features a real-time clock that lets you play certain events on certain days of the year, to gain special one-time rewards. The multiplayer in this game will keep you and your friends playing and making fun of each other for many long hours, and the game allows you to customize your settings for a match to allow for Gale force winds, or massive downpours, to keep things interesting. The game moves fairly fast-paced after you get used to things so even with 4 people playing you won't be sitting around bored for long.

Sound: 9/10
Let's face it: there's only so much you can do with sound in a golf game. The game plays an assortment of rap and pop tracks during menus and, optionally, during gameplay. Some of the songs are so bad you want to plug your ears, but some of them, like my personal favorite song about cereal,(you'd have to hear it) are actually quite catchy. Gameplay contains the sounds you'd expect, ball swinging noises and occasionally a chirping bird or whatnot. Two real-life announcers run an ongoing and surprisingly good AI'd commentary (I forget their names) which is very amusing because they make fun of you, and is, as I said, so accurate that it makes you feel like you're not playing alone.

Controls: 9/10
Again, being a golf game, there's not too much you can do with this. You aim with the d-pad, and swing by flicking the control stick back and forth straight and fluidly. This is harder than it sounds though not impossible, and it makes for a swing meter that's pretty fun and pretty easy, but no so much so that you slam the ball every time. The game also features a ''power boost'' special ability, but it is nearly impossible for even very skilled players to pull off, and messing it up results in a terrible shot, so I lower this area.

Replayability: 10/10

There are easily much more than 100 hours of scenarios, world tours, and PGA tournaments, but this game shines in its excellent multiplayer. This is one of the few games for gamecube (relating more to xbox's limited but long-lasting repertoire of games) that you really can sit down and play with your friends for days at a time. Even people who didn't like Mario Golf will love this game's fun gameplay, witty commentary, and massive scope of options.

Overall: 9.5/10 (rounding to 10)
This game definitely goes down in the record book as an excellent game. I do not give this game a perfect 10 because of its graphics, but it's still very fun to play.

Buy, Rent, or forget: Well, you heard the story. Great, long-lasting game both alone and with a friend. Buy it. If you REALLY hate golf games you may want to rent this first, and prepare to be amazed by how it stuns and mesmerizes even non-sports game players.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/03