Back again ripping up the course is Tiger and the gang over at the PGA in EA's latest, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. The courses look great and are ready to take a beating from weekend warriors like you and I. The grasses, bunkers, and water all give the feeling of being fully involved on the golf course. Unfortunately, when it comes to presentation, this is where Tiger 2011 loses its luster.

The character models just don't wow this year and in fact are a bit odd looking, and if I may, sub-par. Tiger is by far the best looking model, but many (if not all) of the golfers have a weird sheen to their skin and contain odd normal mapping that doesn't help make them avoid the ugly train (especially in the arms). It almost feels as though the developers over at Tiburon couldn't decide on a realistic approach to character models or to go for a more stylized approach. The crowd animations top off the unpleasant humans by all animating at exactly the same time as if in some sort of bad episode of the Twilight Zone. One positive note in the visuals is that there was a fairly successful attempt at making the golfers' shirt and pants animate in the wind.

Then comes the audio. An unfortunate side effect for the slow pace of golf means that the commentators aren't all that smooth. The chunky sound clips are quite forgettable by the commentators, which unfortunately makes them unforgettable. What is there could have worked, but the lack of any true between-shot color commentary just doesn't help the game flow from an audio standpoint. The sound fx and music tracks are at least enjoyable.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 has changed the way you approach created players this year, which is the heart of the game from many aspects. Sure, you can always play as Tiger or some other professional, but the reality is that there's a certain feeling in building up your own avatar (you can once again even use your own face in-game). There's also something to be said about building up your character to take others on while on Xbox Live... not to mention that people despise when you take Tiger as your online golfer.

This whole buildup revolves around the new XP system. Not unlike most RPGs, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 allows you to earn XP (Experience Points) for accomplishing golf-related tasks like getting a birdie or sinking a long putt. The XP that you earn allows you to level up and earn new items in the Pro Shop, but it also allows you to put your earnings toward personal attributes. On the surface, this looks like a whole new system, but fans of the series will probably recognize it as more transition than a "new" system for managing your golfer.

The game itself offers up a host of features, both online and offline. You'll be able to take the challenge of competing in the Ryder Cup, a full PGA Tour Season, or one of many different games-within-a-game like match play, foursomes, fourball, and others. When it comes to building your character's attributes, you'll earn XP in any mode that you use your creation, but the Challenge Mode generally offers up quick ways to boost your attributes.

Online, you'll be able to also take on other players in the many gameplay modes that you've come to love from past games in the series. However, this year's outing offers up Team Play where up to 24 gamers can compete (12 vs. 12) in head-to-head competition. You'll also be able to compete in a host of online tournaments. Unfortunately, the competition is stiff and unless you have a knack for pulling off unrealistic scores, you won't stand a chance at making the leader board (see Difficulty below).

The one main aspect of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 that I absolutely love is the new Shot Focus mechanic. For years I've been complaining about the ability to spin the ball after the moment of contact on the fly. While I know that the series will never go back to the good ol' days, at least now you have a limited amount of "focus" to use up for power boosts, spins, or getting a glimpse at the line of your put. When put to use strategically (usually on the green), this aspect of the game can give you an edge over other players, but it limits the use to keep the playing field a bit more fair.

On top of that, you'll have the option to turn on the True-Aim, which is a more difficult way to play the game. When on, you won't be treated to the usual hints and clues of shot distances and other "cheats" that are in the normal game. As such, you'll have to use in-game clues like using the distances of known markers to gauge how far you have to hit the ball. Finally, a more true and authentic experience to a golf game. Combined with the Swing Tuner, you'll get a fun golf experience in the end.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 offers up multiple difficulty levels for you to compete in. By default, fans of the series will probably have their run of the Tour and will likely want to jump up the setting a bit, but newcomers will likely feel right at home. Like anything, practice is the only way to truly improve. One of the mechanics that gets me is putting. For whatever reason, I can't seem to get a handle on things like putting in wet conditions. The amount of extra power needed doesn't feel realistic, in my opinion, so I suppose that hitting the practice green would be the best option to keep at it.

The swing mechanic is the other main aspect of the game's difficulty. Using the Analog Sticks is absolutely the best way to enjoy the game, but older fans can always opt to switching back to a three-click meter system. Unfortunately, the ability to switch from a Left Analog swing to a right one is good in theory, but for whatever reason, I had a very hard time getting the same power percentages (and I absolutely love using the Right Stick). To this day I don't know if there's something to it or if I'm out of practice, but I'll have to keep at it.

When it's all said and done, however, golf is a sport where you truly do just compete against yourself. No matter whom you play against -- computer or human -- you'll still be trying to get your own individually low score. The obvious exception, of course, is when you play any of the team games. Either way, your progress can easily be seen by collecting and using XP.

The controller scheme for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is relatively unchanged this year. As such, you'll once again use the Left Analog Stick (by default) for swinging, the (A) button for power or spin, and a few other buttons to switch clubs and aim your shots. When taking a glimpse at the controller layout, it certainly looks complicated, but the reality is that you could effectively play the game with just a few simple clicks.

One thing I always do is give other controller options a try when it comes to the Tiger Woods series because I would rather swing with the Right Analog Stick. It is probably just lack of practice, but I really felt like it wouldn't allow me to get the power that the default controls gave me. Part of the problem is that powering up gets switched from the (A) button to the (LB), which is a bit more awkward to try and tap as your swing. Fans of the three-click meter are still in luck, because that's an option as well.

So, is this year's game worth picking up for those who bought last year's? It may be worth a quick rent to find out, quite honestly. The overall gameplay is more or less the same for those who don't care to go online or who don't care to check out the new True-Aim functionality. However, the new Shot Focus system definitely helps even the playing field a bit more for those who do like to hit the 'Net because the limited amount of "focus" energy definitely causes players to consciously use it wisely. Overall, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is a really good game that just misses the "great" mark, but true fans will likely see a reason to purchase.