We’re not usually this paranoid, but the presence of a golfer other than Tiger Woods on the cover of PGA Tour 11 strikes us as a little suspicious, almost as if EA are ashamed of having a rehab-fresh multiple adulterer fronting their family-friendly series of golfing games, and are itching to replace him with someone else. The ‘someone else’ in question is celebrated Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, and he’ll be standing next to Tiger on the box.
But, paranoia aside, there is a legitimate reason for him to be there. Teamwork is the big new thing in this year’s Tiger Woods game, and unusually for an EA Sports title it could be a significant addition, as this is the first installment in the series to tackle the team-based Ryder Cup. Tiger’s fronting the US team, and Rory’s fronting the European one; you can select either side before playing, and pick which format the competition will take. ‘Foursomes’ (which has nothing whatsoever to do with Tiger’s indiscretions) lets golfers take alternate shots, while ‘Fourballs’ and ‘Singles’ end with two of them going head-to-head. Again, nothing to do with cheating on your wife.
The other consoles will have the option to play and communicate in online teams, but players of the Wii version will have to make do with a more competitive bunch of online modes. To compensate, we get MotionPlus goodness instead.
EA are promising “two all-new enhanced swing mechanics”, and we should probably interject one final time to assure you this is completely unrelated to Woodsy’s multiple mistresses, and the game will not contain a waggle-based orgy. It will, in fact, have two different MotionPlus control schemes, one of which allows for a first-person perspective – or, to use EA’s special words, ‘True View’. First-person golf? It sounds a tad unwieldy, but should help when making short-range, accurate shots.
Above: Erm, minigolf?
Advanced Plus, the other option, appears to be an enhanced version of last year’s MotionPlus scheme, detecting swing rotation and the point at which you make contact with the ball on the remote, as well as a number of other things that sound terrifyingly scientific. Tiger may be in his wife’s and the world’s bad books, but with the recent good form of their popular, long-running sports franchise, EA continue to make the philandering golf star look like a consummate professional.
May 3, 2010
