Well, July seems to start the EA Sports franchises rearing their heads.  The problem with it is that it is hard to judge how far advanced the game has become from last year’s version.

So with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 in our hands we need to look past what we already know.  That is that the Tiger Woods franchise has stood head and shoulders above any golf game (are there any other golf games out there now?) for quite some time now.  With complete domination over the sport a game like this could become very stale indeed with nothing to challenge it but somehow, EA Sports seem to wring the neck out of this title every year to produce something that can always be considered the definitive version of the game.

The big question will always be, when reviewing a title like this, is whether to write for the newcomer to the series and go through the gameplay as a whole or to concentrate on the finer points of the title and what new features that have been implemented that make this the next great version of the game.

Well, I can safely say that the core mechanics of the game have remained the same and overall plays the same as last year’s version.  With that in mind, we had better concentrate on the new features, how they fit in to the new Tiger Woods game and if you can justify spending the money to upgrade from last year, the year before that or even further back.

One of the most dynamic changes this year has to be the Focus meter.  In previous titles you were able to spin, power the ball at will as well as use your Tiger vision once for every hole.  This made for very easy gameplay and in no time you were shooting 20 under par rounds which is kind of ridiculous, but also gave you a buzz that you could achieve on this game what no other golfer could in real life.  The Focus meter has somewhat changed the boundaries now with every extra spin of the ball or harnessing that extra little bit of power costing you some of your focus from the meter.  A bit of focus will be built up if you do not use any on a shot so it now becomes a little more strategic with when to use it as you actually start to appreciate the build and design of the courses rather than bash the ball almost robotically for your next eagle.  It’s a great little innovation and something that brings the game back to a purer version of Tiger Woods than we have seen for a while.

The skills system has also been changed as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 has now opted to streamline the system to an RPG stat based system rather than adding skill points to your power, accuracy etc.  XP is awarded for greens in regulation, birdies etc and can now be applied as you wish to your skills or spend them in the shop for extra equipment.  The beauty of this is that you now have more control on where to apply your points and there was nothing more frustrating before than shooting a good round only to have skill points knocked off of your short game because you were driving 400 + yards.

True Aim is also a new system that has been brought in for this version.  A lot of the hardcore golf players have probably been up in arms before at how arcade like Tiger Woods has become in some elements of the game so this one is definitely for them and practice does make perfect as you will see if you decide to purchase it.  In basic terms, True Aim gets rid of all the assists that Tiger normally provides and you will now have to rely on judgement and repetition, a knowledge of distances with clubs etc and the GPS overhead view to gauge your shots.  This is something that improves with time so don’t think for a moment that you can step up immediately and shoot an under par round.  This has been designed to be as close to simulation that a golf game can offer as you bed yourself in for a lot of pain initially but putting in the work will get your rewards in the long run.  Although this option may be off putting to many, the introduction of the Playstation Move system into the PS3 version of the game when Move is launched may add the extra authenticity that some may want and after all is said and done with the guts of the career, adding that extra challenge once you have maxed out your golfer.

Talking of career, the last big feature of the game is to add the Ryder Cup into career and multiplayer modes.  It is the typical American vs European challenge that a lot of us from both sides of the pond crave and can be played out in both modes.  Up to 24 players online can team up in head to head matches that is played in matchplay style to declare which team is the winner.  In career mode you will be able to enter one of the teams as your career golfer to play your matches but will also be able to jump into another match to help out one of your team that may be struggling.  This means that you may be playing a few of the same holes during the matches but to achieve the end goal it will need to be done.

So there you have it, the new features in full.  Overall the mechanics are solid and have been for a while.  The multiplayer is also solid and provides hours of entertainment with the same gamernet challenge system put back into this year’s version of the game.  The big decision will come with the people that may consider purchasing it.  It is a lot of money to spend for a yearly update and people that are either entering into the Tiger World for the first time or have an old version of the game they have been playing should really buy it.  The problem lies with the big Tiger fans out there and with any yearly version of a game feel they can justify spending the money for the updates that I have just explained.  Personally, I cannot fault it and does make for the best Tiger Woods ever.  I am hoping that what you have read makes you feel the same way.