The PlayStation 2 is a magnificent machine — anyone who owns the PS2 certainly has to be enamored with the console system’s engineering and capabilities, however, in order to truly test the power of such a device, a good, solid game is needed. The title must be one that both newbies and experienced gamers can enjoy, and one that presents numerous hours of exciting play. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2001 (TWPGA2) is just such a title.
The motion–captured Tiger Woods, and the other five pro golfers in the game, offer a realistic presence whether on green or tee. The ambient sounds, such as birds, are even cool. But what strikes us as the most authentic aspect of the game is the manner in which you play your golf ball. Using your Dual Shock 2 Analog Controller (or compatible), your left and right analog joysticks become your golf club.When you address the golf ball, you pull back on either of the sticks and watch the swing meter in the lower left–hand corner of the screen. The bar fills with dark color from right to left, with the leading edge marked by a bright, yellow line. The meter’s power percentages fill with color, and the yellow line is the marker indicating exactly what percentages are being met. When the yellow line meets the 100 percent mark, push forward on your stick and watch the golfer smack the ball!
What makes this a more realistic method of striking the golf ball is that, when you push forward on your analog stick, the straighter your push forward, the more accurate your drive or putt. The slightest deviation in your analog stick control during the club’s forward motion, the more chance you’ll actually experience a slice or hook. And one must be especially carefully if overpowering a shot! Let’s suppose you wish to drive the ball an even greater distance than a normal hit might produce. The second the yellow line in the swing meter travels OVER the 100 percent mark, the greater the odds that your accuracy diminishes if you don’t push your analog stick forward in a straight path. It’s not much fun watching your ball hook across another fairway, due to your exuberance in trying to overpower your hit.
You may select any club you wish when driving, chipping, wedging, or putting. Once again, the swing meter comes into play, for on many occassions the club you wish to use may offer a much greater distance than is needed to sink your shot. By carefully watching the swing meter as you pull back on the analog stick, you can adjust your forward push on the stick as the yellow line approaches the 25, 50 or 75 percent mark. To determine if such a percentage swing is required, note that the screen display in the lower right corner reveals the total yards to the cup. You may note when viewing the course with an elevated view (R1 is the elevated camera command), a full–force swing can easily land your ball in a myriad of sand traps (especially on the Spyglass Hill Golf Course). Therefore you must determine if your hoped–for drive of 275 yards or more can land you in the midst of sand traps, or whether a distance of 206 yards would better suit the course conditions. You pull back on the analog stick, watch the yellow line on the swing meter approach 75 percent, and then press forward to power the golf club forward. If your aim is straight and true, you should find yourself in a marvelous green approach position. Again, that forward thrust on the analog stick must be as straight as possible, unless you wish to use a slice or hook to counter wind or other factors (such as trees).
The game offers three nicely recreated golf courses: the aforementioned Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills, which certainly offer you grand environments in which to golf. Other game features include the ability to incorporate backspin, draw, fade and top spin during the swing meter’s color fill, all through use of the directional (D) button. If a top spin is what you are seeking, simply depress the D–button’s up button, all the while making certain the crosshair is hit dead center for the highest accuracy. Plus, you can work with the ball even after you’ve hit it. Real–time spin and shot steering is applied by the D–button as the ball is in flight. This is only usable, however, when you’re taking your shot from the fairway or from the tee itself.
The tutorials are adequate and include basic and advanced swing info, as well as how to putt effectively. All shots are a combination of swing meter power percentages and use of the D–button. And, yes, complete command does take practice! Our only wish for inclusion in the game would’ve been specific practice segments for putting and a driving range. Practice requires you to select a hole on one of the three offered courses and to play that hole completley through. In order to acquire a better sense for driving and putting, the inclusions of a putting green and a driving range would be an improvement to an otherwise perfect game, instead of having to play an entire hole just to practice driving and putting.
Games you can engage in while playing TWPGA2 include stroke play for one– to four–players; one–on–one match game play; a skins games (for money!); and tournament play where you compete against PGA Tour stars in a 72–hole marathon. Here the winner is the golfer who completes play with the lowest total number of strokes.
TWPGA2 would make a grand addition to a family’s library of PS2 games. And, since this is the ONLY golf sim currently available for the machine, thank heavens the game is hole–in–one! Highly recommended.
"Tiger Woods PGA Gold Tour 2001 is the ONLY golf sim currently available for this fine machine, so we can all thank heavens the game is hole–in–one!"
