Game Review: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR ’12 for Android

As a longtime fan of the EA Sports hit franchise game, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR, I have to admit I was kinda excited to see the 2012 version of the game arrive for Android a short time ago. I’ve always enjoyed the series on console systems, so I assumed that the mobile version of the game would be equally entertaining.

Unfortunately, I was just a bit disappointed with this one. It has almost everything it needs to be an awesome title. The graphics are smooth, crisp and vivid. The game has a full PGA TOUR mode, as well as the Tiger Challenge mode that allows you to create your own character and build their stats by progressing in the game.

For the most part, driving down the fairway is a pretty simple challenge, but the one thing that makes this game almost impossible for me to play is putting.

Before I get into that, I should begin by explaining the game’s controls. When your character steps up to the tee and is ready to make his or her first shot on a hole, you see an open golf course with two buttons on the left-hand side of your screen. The first button is your club selector and the second button is your swing type selector. The button in the middle of your screen opens up your swing, while the button on the right is used to zoom in to the predicted end of your shot.

To initiate your shot, you tap the middle button, which brings up a swing meter on the right, which is controlled by sliding your finger down towards the bottom of your screen and then quickly sliding it back to the top of the meter. Theoretically, the straighter your shot, the better. Of course, that’s only in theory, as there are all sorts of elements and other factors standing in between you and that perfect shot. You can also aim your shot by sliding your finger to the left or right of your screen.

Now, back to putting. Once you’ve successfully managed to get your ball onto the area close to the hole, known as the green, you automatically go into putt mode. This is where the entire gameplay experience falls short for me, making my perfect approach wither away into a triple-bogey-infested (or worse) nightmare.

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When putting, you again have to slide your finger to aim. The problem is, the green turns into a grid when you are on it (to represent realistic surfaces and show slopes, dips and curves in the green). On my HTC Amaze, I have a helluva hard time being able to read those grid lines — the same one used in the console version, for those familiar — and basically have to putt a good 6-7 times before I make the shot.

The putting issues unfortunately have caused me to cut my review short. I hope that EA will take this into consideration and nerf the game in some way, shape or form to make it a bit more playable. Of course. I’m not going to completely dismiss the game just yet, so I will give it a 3-star rating and leave it at that. If you’d like to try it for yourself, the game will run you $4.99 on the Google Play Store.

Summary

Like – Graphics

Dislike – Controls/gameplay

Final Score – 3/5

If you snag it up, be sure to let us know what you think.

Download Tiger Woods PGA TOUR ’12