Tiger Woods 08 impressions

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:42 pm

Rodster wrote:
JackB1 wrote:
Rodster wrote: Jack I have the PC version as well and I like it. Right now it has less issues than the 360 version as it should just like Madden on the PC.
You like it and Db says it "sucks". Is the freezing issue the only major issue with the 360 version, because they are supposidly coming out with a patch to fix that. Gamespot sure gave it a rough review. 65% I think it was? Gamepot is usually pretty accurate with their reviews, but that specific reviewer sure sounds like he has an agenda.
The two biggest problems with TW 08(PC) is a) no course editor so you can't import additional courses. b) The other is a stuttering in the graphics if you play it in super high resolution like db was try to run it in.

Those are the only two complaints I can think of right now. I play the game in 1280x1024x32 and the game is silky smooth with the exception of the very first shot in the game on any course. There's always a slight pause. After that it's forever smooth thru out the game. I also play the game with all the graphics settings maxed out too and it looks good.

Thanks Rod. That's what I needed to know.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:28 am

DivotMaker wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:Well, personally I think it's a b.s. review by GS. I'm almost certain the 360 looks better, but beyond that the gameplay has made significant strides that '08 is clearly more challenging than '07.
It is a BS review when you consider what he/she posted for the "BAD":

1) Analog swing is too touchy
2) Many features don't work well, if at all
3) Doesn't play as well as last year
4) Crashes make it impossible to finish Tiger Challenge.

Wow, I got a lot more bads out of his review than you did. I'll add:

1. Lack of any new game modes.
2. Skills challenges remain largely unchanged and are tedious/uninteresting.
3. Cumbersome level-up process that ultimately results in created golfers being the same.
4. Tendency for CPU to go from making unreal shots to missing very short puts.
5. The crowd lining the course gets in the way.
6. You can't skip the CPU turns, practice swings, and some other animations.
7. Can't make a highlight on Gamernet.
8. Gameface photo doesn't work and they had trouble with various digital cameras.
9. Career mode crashes (it's great that they are "working" on it but a review is a point in time not a looking into the future of a developer with a somewhat spotty record of fixing things).
10. Dry presentation and need for new commentary.
11. Golfers taking unecessary drops (I agree with this and will also add that the game will many times move your ball to be able to render your next shot...for instance there have been many times when I was right up against a tree, shrub, or bunker and for my next shot the game simply just moves the ball to allow room to place my golfer).
12. Laggy online play.

I'll also add a few of my gripes:

13. Can't play a season with a Pro golfer. Absurd.
14. Can't conceede a hole in match play.
15. No in-game saves, something I believe Mario Golf 64 had.

6.5 on Gamespot's scale is "fair." I think the score is a little tough and should probably be around 7.5, but the reviewer brings up a lot of good points.

I could only recommend this game to die-hard sports gamers like us that are just thrilled to not be shooting in the 50s. I *love* the game, but I think a site like gamespot does have to review the game for the general public. $60 for a game with broken features, dull presentation and sound, horrible commentary (how many years now have the announcers been giving away the results of the shot WAY before any real person would know), and such a dull and boring career mode is worth a mediocre review score IMO.

Please don't take this as criticism. It's the facts. This is actually one of the games where the "fun factor" is very high but only because I like the difficulty and graphics. If I consider the entire package it's a very mediocre game and should be reviewed as such.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:45 am

Very well said, Leebo. I pretty much agree with everything. Despite the gameplay being fun, for the most part, there are still some glaring issues.

spooky157 · Post by **spooky157** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:26 am

Not to mention one of the biggest problems with offline play is the awful rubberband AI that is still in the game. Absolutely ridiculous that this was not addressed.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:33 am

Mine should be arriving today or tomorrow from Gamefly. It's the 360 version. I'd really like to try the Wii version too. Maybe that's next on my queue.

I did give the PSP version a spin last night and was quite impressed. I haven't played a Tiger game on the PSP since the first one and this version is worlds better than that one.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:25 am

Man, you cats weren't kidding with the complaints about the PC game. EA mailed it in with Tiger 08 for the PC, big time.

The last Tiger I played on the PC was Tiger Woods 2004, and the only thing I see different in this game is the confidence meter, which is pretty cool, GamerNet and the FedEx Cup. Whoop-dee-doo.

The gameplay mechanics and ball physics are identical to a game released four years ago.

Plus the graphics arguably look worse in Tiger 08 than they did in Tiger 04. I have settings turned pretty far up, and the golfer models look so flat. The clothes have hardly any creases, course textures are bland once you're a few yards away from the golfer, etc.

I would NOT spend the money on the PC version if you have any recent PC version of Tiger with which you're happy. Or if you have the 360 version, which I haven't played but have read the positive reviews about in here, I would skip past the PC version.

Very disappointing. A turd from EA, which is a bummer since it did such a nice job with the PC versions of Madden 08 and Rugby 08.

Take care,
PK

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:29 am

Yeah, I'm back to 07 on the PC...along with the 30 or so extra courses I downloaded. The variety 07 allows is just so far superior, it's not even funny.

PK, there is one major addition (in 06 anyway, but that hasn't changed since), is that sidehill lies actually effect the shot. Prior to that year, it didn't matter how you were standing, you'd always hit it solid and straight. So they have actually added something in the past 4 years.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:19 am

pk500 wrote:Man, you cats weren't kidding with the complaints about the PC game. EA mailed it in with Tiger 08 for the PC, big time.

The last Tiger I played on the PC was Tiger Woods 2004, and the only thing I see different in this game is the confidence meter, which is pretty cool, GamerNet and the FedEx Cup. Whoop-dee-doo.

The gameplay mechanics and ball physics are identical to a game released four years ago.

Plus the graphics arguably look worse in Tiger 08 than they did in Tiger 04. I have settings turned pretty far up, and the golfer models look so flat. The clothes have hardly any creases, course textures are bland once you're a few yards away from the golfer, etc.

I would NOT spend the money on the PC version if you have any recent PC version of Tiger with which you're happy. Or if you have the 360 version, which I haven't played but have read the positive reviews about in here, I would skip past the PC version.

Very disappointing. A turd from EA, which is a bummer since it did such a nice job with the PC versions of Madden 08 and Rugby 08.

Take care,
PK

I was going to ask why did you pay for TW, then I realized the error in my thinking. .

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:25 am

JRod wrote:
pk500 wrote:Man, you cats weren't kidding with the complaints about the PC game. EA mailed it in with Tiger 08 for the PC, big time.

The last Tiger I played on the PC was Tiger Woods 2004, and the only thing I see different in this game is the confidence meter, which is pretty cool, GamerNet and the FedEx Cup. Whoop-dee-doo.

The gameplay mechanics and ball physics are identical to a game released four years ago.

Plus the graphics arguably look worse in Tiger 08 than they did in Tiger 04. I have settings turned pretty far up, and the golfer models look so flat. The clothes have hardly any creases, course textures are bland once you're a few yards away from the golfer, etc.

I would NOT spend the money on the PC version if you have any recent PC version of Tiger with which you're happy. Or if you have the 360 version, which I haven't played but have read the positive reviews about in here, I would skip past the PC version.

Very disappointing. A turd from EA, which is a bummer since it did such a nice job with the PC versions of Madden 08 and Rugby 08.

Take care,
PK
I was going to ask why did you pay for TW, then I realized the error in my thinking. .

As the saying goes, "Nice Catch" !

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:48 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:Yeah, I'm back to 07 on the PC...along with the 30 or so extra courses I downloaded. The variety 07 allows is just so far superior, it's not even funny.

PK, there is one major addition (in 06 anyway, but that hasn't changed since), is that sidehill lies actually effect the shot. Prior to that year, it didn't matter how you were standing, you'd always hit it solid and straight. So they have actually added something in the past 4 years.

Shiver me timbers!

Thanks.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:50 am

JRod wrote:I was going to ask why did you pay for TW, then I realized the error in my thinking. .

Trust me, this is a game for which I'm very grateful for "alternative methods." I cannot believe how little the PC version has changed in the last four years, and the graphics seemingly have regressed!

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:03 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:Yeah, I'm back to 07 on the PC...along with the 30 or so extra courses I downloaded. The variety 07 allows is just so far superior, it's not even funny.

PK, there is one major addition (in 06 anyway, but that hasn't changed since), is that sidehill lies actually effect the shot. Prior to that year, it didn't matter how you were standing, you'd always hit it solid and straight. So they have actually added something in the past 4 years.

DB, can you give me a link for additional TW courses? I've never had any luck in the past trying to import them but I would like to get Augusta. What are some must have real life courses for TW07? I don't follow golf so i'm lacking in this area.

Blublub · Post by **Blublub** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:38 am

Rodster wrote:DB, can you give me a link for additional TW courses? I've never had any luck in the past trying to import them but I would like to get Augusta. What are some must have real life courses for TW07? I don't follow golf so i'm lacking in this area.

http://www.coursedownloads.com/
http://www.tigerwoodscommunity.net

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:46 am

Blublub wrote:
Rodster wrote:DB, can you give me a link for additional TW courses? I've never had any luck in the past trying to import them but I would like to get Augusta. What are some must have real life courses for TW07? I don't follow golf so i'm lacking in this area.
http://www.coursedownloads.com/
http://www.tigerwoodscommunity.net

Exactly.

I usually just pick up the highest rated courses because they usually get pretty fair reviews.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:26 pm

I can't get the so-called "workaround" to work. I'm still freezing in career mode even if I clear the cache.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:30 pm

Fellas:

Does Tiger 07 support more add-on courses because it's an older game than Tiger 08, or does Tiger 08 have some sort of programming that prevents existing mod-built courses from being used with it?

Just curious. Thanks.

Take care,
PK

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:31 pm

07 allows you to install more courses...they took that feature out in 08 for some reason. At least no one has cracked it yet.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:56 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:07 allows you to install more courses...they took that feature out in 08 for some reason. At least no one has cracked it yet.

Actually there is a community created file that takes the 07 COurse Utilities and renames it for TW08 that is supposed to work flawlessly. Look around the various TW PC sites for details....

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:00 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I can't get the so-called "workaround" to work. I'm still freezing in career mode even if I clear the cache.

If you have a memory card, read further.

What some users have done is take their XB Live profile and game saves and saved them to the memory card. Remove the hard drive. Start the game with just the memory card. Play the game with the memory card only, then save your progress to the memory card. Shut the game down and the 360. put the hard drive back in and then reboot the 360. Move the game saves and profile information back to the hard drive and you should be able to proceed. Ridiculous workaround for any game, especially for a console game. It is looking more and more like a hard drive cache issue with the game from what EA programmers are discovering.......and this WILL be patched.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:11 pm

Boy, in reading this thread, you would never know it that the 360 version is getting rave reviews in all the major mags and websites. I am very confused on this one. Looks like I will have to gamefly it and try it out.

grtwhtsk · Post by **grtwhtsk** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:19 pm

JackB1 wrote:Boy, in reading this thread, you would never know it that the 360 version is getting rave reviews in all the major mags and websites. I am very confused on this one. Looks like I will have to gamefly it and try it out.

I'd saying it's getting mainly good reviews, not "rave reviews."

http://gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/9390 ... er%20woods

This review actually talks about what doesn't work:

http://gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/9390 ... er%20woods

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:01 pm

I held back impressions until I got some more time to understand what's going on with this game.

Two things that TW does poorly, putting and upgrading your own player.

I just want to play the PGA tour mode. I don't want to play mini-games or seperate games to fiddle with my character. So now I have to build my player and hope I don't over do it to create a super player.

Putting system needs to be scrapped. When I miss, most of it is because of the distance control problems TW has. The swing animation also helps to destroy the putting game. I'll just beat a dead horse, the 160 ft animation makes a 10 foot an adventure.

On the flip side, hitting it straight all the time isn't easy. Even with the pros you can have major misses to hitting into the first cut.

I'm playing on tour mode.

I think most of the reviews are lukewarm to it beucase you can't shoot 47. But I think the other reason is Tiger has had the same game modes for the last 17 years. They just package it differently. The mini-games and level up system are mostly the same. This year its in hex form. You still have silly challanges with odd ball characters. No doubt a bad leftover from Hot Shots.

And half of the courses are locked so you are forced to play the mini-games.

Overall the gameplay is a step up. The features are the same. I wish I could just play a PGA tour season without creating a character.

I like the confidence system although I'm not quite sure what it affects.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:39 pm

I know this sucks and I chose to do it, but I paid the 200 gamer points to fully max out my character. Reason being is so I wouldn't have to play the Tiger Challenges which I find quite tiresome.

I was worried that I might have taken the difficulty out of the game by doing so..... that is until I reached the first tee box in the first tournament and I hit two shots OB.

Hooked the first one left and then over-corrected and pushed the 2nd one right.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:55 pm

My Gamefly copy still hasn't shown up so the earliest I'll get it is Tuesday.

I am enjoying the PSP version quite a bit more than I expected. It's definitely no walk in the park either. I just got my ass handed to me by Anika early in the career mode. I also shot a +10 (with my lowly created golfer) at TPC Boston.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:05 am

PRBoom wrote:I know this sucks and I chose to do it, but I paid the 200 gamer points to fully max out my character. Reason being is so I wouldn't have to play the Tiger Challenges which I find quite tiresome.

What does it say about the Tiger challenge when people are willing to spend more money to *not* play the core offline mode in the game? I may be in the same boat when they release the DLC to unlock all courses. I can't think of a single other game that I would pay money to not play. Then again Madden doesn't make me play for 20 hours to play a game at Heinz Field

Is there any way to tell where the out-of-bounds is on a course? In real life on the relatively cheap courses I play there are white posts or something on the scorecard. How can I tell in Tiger? I was playing today and just hit it to the left of a cart path that wasn't *that* far off the fairway and it was OB. WTF?

Also, in real life I never hit off the cart path and take a free drop. What is the "official" ruling? I've been forced to hit shots from on the cart path a few times in this game.

On a positive note, I'm really impressed with the physics in the game and I'm still very impressed with the difficulty. I only have a few eagles so far and they were earned IMO.