While the core gameplay for the
Tiger Woods franchise has remained relatively intact since the implementation of the analog swing, there are a few improvements worth noting. The main addition to the swing is the use of dual analog sticks. While one stick will control the backswing and follow-through, the other will allow you to find the correct striking spot on the ball. If you need to keep the ball out of the wind, simply aim for the top half of the ball. On the other hand, if you’re behind an obstacle or need a lot of backspin, aiming for the bottom of the ball will give you the best results. Of course, aiming your strike to one side or the other will result in either a hook or a slice.
On the green, the putting has drastically changed. Only you will be the judge of whether this is a good or bad thing, though. While the new grid system makes sense and is pretty well implemented, it can be extremely difficult to sink swooping 5-7 foot puts. On many occasion, I was able to drop ridiculously long puts on one hole, only to 3- or 4-put from 7 feet on the next green. You can see a preview line that will show you the exact path to the hole, but it is not a real-time line on the screen, so you have to use this as a guide to somewhat guess where to aim.
In addition to the main gameplay enhancements listed above, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 also has a new Gamebreaker Meter, similar to that of EA’s over-the-top Street series of games. As you perform positive shots, your meter will continue to fill. Once filled, you’ll be able to perform the Gamebreaker to gain an advantage over your opponents and have a better chance of making an amazing shot. As you make incredible shots, you meter will fill rapidly. But be careful, as hitting the ball out of bounds, or even simply in the rough, will result in your meter dropping.
As a side note, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06’s Create-A-Golfer is incredible. Not only can the visuals of your golfer be tweaked out to some amazing degrees of precision, but you’ll also be able to tweak out many other attributes, including the type of voice and each individual section of your swing animation. Now you can truly recreate yourself, including your ugly form during your backswing. You’ll also be able to create your own course and even set up side bets to earn money by performing difficult shots.
