Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 review

Sept 5, 2007

If it ain't broke, don’t fix it. That must be the adage that EA Sports followed with this year's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for the PSP; after all, it's another solid golf title that works on virtually every level. However, there's no denying one simple fact- with the exception of a few more courses and a couple of gimmicks, it's the same game from last year. Even moreso than your typical annual sports title, Tiger suffers from a serious case of been there, done that.

Of course, if you haven't played a portable Tiger lately, you won't be disappointed. Most aspects of the game are slick, including the perfectly executed swing mechanics from tee to green and the character-building PGA season that's well-suited for your portable links exploits. The PSP version is also notably easier than its big brothers on the consoles, as the analog stick won't punish you too badly with hooks or slices unless you really botch the swing something fierce. Becoming an expert putter doesn't take too long either, once you get the hang of properly aiming, powering, and reading the break of the greens.

The biggest change this year, such as it is, is the addition of the Confidence meter. This per-shot measurement is constantly moving up or down, depending upon your relative successes or failures every time you swing the club. Sock a 350-yard drive down the fairway and it bounces up a few points, or net a triple-bogey to send it plummeting. It even factors in your historic scores by hole and club selection, so past successes and failures will continue to buoy your hopes or haunt your dreams.

On occasion, when your unseen caddy thinks your confidence is waning, he'll interrupt your shot to have you play a minigame. Assuming you do a decent enough job, these minute-long, golf-themed diversions will help get your mojo back. We're not entirely sure how cleaning shoes, polishing golf balls, or clearing debris truly helps your game, but they're entertaining enough for a few moments. After awhile, though, you'll grow tired of stepping away from your shots and tell your caddy to bugger off.