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The Tiger Woods franchise has really taken on a completely new style of play since the Wii was released in 2006. For the first time you were able really get into the game of golf and simulate an actual golf swing. The release of Wii Motion Plus in 2009 made the accuracy of the controller that much better and increased the realism of the game even more. There’s always been one thing missing, though, and that was the grandaddy of golf courses, Augusta National. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 rectifies that situation and very well could be the greatest golf game of all time.

What You Need to Know

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 brings a huge roster of professional golfers, 25 real and fictional golf courses, mini-golf, disc golf and so much more to your home console. For the first time ever you also get to walk the grounds of the famed Augusta National golf course. You’ll take part in a career mode called the Road to the Masters and this time you’ll be bringing along some help in the form of a caddie.

Augusta National

Obviously the biggest addition to the game this year is the inclusion of the Master’s Tournament and Augusta National. This is, for anyone who follows golf, the holy grail of golf courses and has been a glaring omission of the Tiger Woods franchise for years. They also want you to know that you’re going to be playing the Masters. It’s plastered all over the box for the game, the menus are decorated with pictures of Augusta National and you even play the 18^th hole of the golf course before you ever get to a menu screen. There’s a very good reason that it’s in the game as well. It’s an amazing golf course and worth the purchase price alone this year. If you think you were good at the game then Augusta National will serve up a nice big piece of humble pie and you’ll love every minute of it. It’s an amazing challenge to the best Tiger Woods players and really changes the way the game is played.

The Career Mode this year is called “The Road to the Master’s” and you will be doing everything you can to get to the Master’s and become the best golfer in the world. The Master’s also takes center stage in a couple of new modes of play. Tiger at the Masters will have you relive Tiger Woods’ four Master’s victories where you have to match or better Tiger’s real scores to continue.

The Caddy

Along with the inclusion of Augusta National you’ve also got a new caddy that will follow you around during your round of golf. They’re armed with all kinds of knowledge on every course and give you multiple suggestions on how to attack most shots that you’ll take. I would highly suggest you follow the advice of your caddy as well. During your career you gain experience for how well you do during a round. Taking the caddies advice will grant you additional experience points that will help you level up your golfer much faster and make you a more competitive golfer very quickly.

More Ways To Play

For those of you who occasionally like to get away from the golf course and enjoy some relaxing miniature golf you’ve got five courses that are each nine holes. Four of them return from last year’s edition of the game and there’s one new course. This new course is called The Boardwalk and it’s a much more traditional mini-golf course than the older ones. Disc golf players can also take advantage of motion plus to throw three discs around each of the courses offline and online.

The other new feature that EA has included to make the game even more realistic is balance board support. For those people who really want the most realistic golf experience ever in a video game just break out the Balance Board stand on top of it and enjoy. Proper balance during your swing is a must. Otherwise you’re going to shank the ball or lose considerable power on your shot. As with Motion Plus it’s not required, but does add a bit of realism to the whole experience.

Last year the Ryder Cup took center stage with player’s competing as a member of one of the Ryder Cup teams in an attempt to bring the cup to their respective continent. This year the Ryder Cup is out, but the President’s Cup is in and take’s place on the real life location for this year’s tournament, Royal Melbourne.

Other Stuff

All of the modes return from previous entries in the series. Mini-games make a return and are a fun diversion for people at parties. The online mode is as smooth as ever using the EA Nation online infrastructure. Foursomes are played simultaneously making a round of golf very quick. Daily and weekly tournaments are back and allow you to take on golfers all around the world. You even have the option of playing against the actual scores of the pro’s each week to see how you fare against the greatest golfers in the world.

Conclusion

EA Sports has a very hard job trying to better their annual sport’s franchises every year. The Tiger Woods franchise has been top notch over the last four years, but EA Sports managed to do just that. Augusta National is a great inclusion and really changes the way the game is played. Menu’s have been streamlined and are very easy to navigate. All of the game modes really compliment each other very well and bring the fun of golf to your home. People looking for realism have the ultimate version of the game. There’s no reason to pass up Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12. It’s the best golf game I’ve ever played.

Final Score: 5/5 Excellent

Review copy of the game provided by EA Sports
Played through an entire season in career mode. Multiple rounds of Disc Golf, Mini-golf and sampled a number of mini-games.
Total Play Time: 15 hours