Of all the improvements that have been made to the game over the years, none have been as wonderful as the new True View shot mode. It’s basically a first-person view of your ball as if you were actually playing golf. True View, when combined with the enhanced sensitivity of Wii MotionPlus, catapults Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 past not only competing golf games, but past this year’s version of the game on Xbox 360 and PS3 as well if you’re looking for an experience that most closely replicates playing golf in real life.
You get true 1-to-1 motion of your golf club at address and once you’ve completed your swing, your character’s head lifts up and watches the ball soar off into the distance. It almost makes me wish I could put my TV on the floor or play wearing a pair of those head-mounted video glasses. Almost.
And where last year’s initial foray into the Wii MotionPlus arena brought with it a massively more accurate swing mechanic, it’s been refined again this year to collect data not only from your swing speed and the position of your wrists at impact, but also the angle of your swing plane and the thoroughness of your follow-through. The result is that on the higher difficulty levels, you’ll rarely hit a shot perfectly square—much like real life—and you’ll quickly realize the importance of a nice, easy swing—much like in real life.
And just like in real life, you’ll find it hard to play more than 36 holes without needing to take a break. You now basically need to swing just like a full golf shot, which takes as similar a toll on your body as a real day on the links.
(More on Techland: E310: Electronic Arts Press Conference Highlights)
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There are a few additions to this year’s version—Ryder Cup mode, online disc golf, a much more elaborate mini golf mode—but the general overall polish and feel of the game is pretty close to last year’s version. Casual golf fans probably won’t be as impressed with the various enhancements and the graphics, sound, and TV-style presentation elements are still due for a major overhaul, but for golf purists looking for the ultimate way to get a round or two in during the winter, at night, or when it’s raining outside, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 on the Wii provides a very fulfilling experience.
Techland Score: 9 out of 10