REVIEW: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters

Hello friends, and welcome to Guyism’s review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, edition. I’m your host, Will Brinson … oh, sorry.

I got caught up in my Jim Nantz moment, y’all.

Because, you see, Nantz finally made it into EA Sports’ popular golf game, and he’s joined by his old friend Augusta. Yes, America’s most famous golf course is finally available for virtual golfers the world round, and it’s the primary reason why you should invest in the 2012 version of “Tiger” (what I’ll probably be calling the game from here on out).

Lest we go further without addressing the giant black, wrecked Escalade in the corner, yes, yes it is kind of awkward that Tiger’s not on the cover. But it’s also understandable — his Q-rating isn’t exactly through the roof these days. And big, big ups to EA Sports for finding another creative way — last year they paired Tiger with Rory McIlroy on the cover for the purposes of Ryder Cup synergy — to continue to market a popular game in the face of difficult circumstances.

Anyway, the game itself, which is pretty fantastic.

For starters, Augusta. I mean, Augusta, man. Anyone who’s ever played golf or even ever played video game golf knows that the sport’s mecca resides in Georgia, and now everyone gets a chance to play it. And it’s as pristine as you would expect the real course to be.

There’s also three features distinctly tailored to the Masters: “Road to the Masters,”  ”Masters’ Moments,” and “Tiger at the Masters.”

“Road to the Masters” is actually just the “franchise” version of the game, as you create your own player and navigate challenges and tournaments in order to build up your golfing skills.

“Masters Moments” allows you to go back in time and recreate memorable events in Masters’ history, such as Phil Mickelson’s ridiculous shot out of the pinestraw onto the green. (Don’t bother trying that one unless you’ve got power boost turned on — more on that in a minute.)

It’s really quite the cool feature, especially if you’re a golf buff or a just a fan of sports history.

And there’s “Tiger at the Masters,” which lets players attempt to “relive Tiger’s four wins at the Masters by attempting to equal or beat his scores in each round of the Tournament.”

As to the “regular” portions of the game, well, they’re quite awesome too. Although, I will say it’s surprising to see that in any sort of advanced play, power boost and mid-air spin are out of play.

Which is to say, if you play at the “Pro” (second-easiest) level and you’re any good at this game, you’re going to destroy the opposition. I won my first tournament by about 10 strokes. Once I moved up to “Tour Pro” (second-hardest), I won a tournament, but only by one stroke, and only by burying a really hard birdie putt on the final hole of Sunday.

If you’re a novice, there’s plenty of assistance, though. Caddie tips are abundant, even in the Tour Pro mode, and it’s interesting that you’re offered a shot selection (layup vs. aggressive, with corresponding colors) and setup on each swing. It’s pretty crucial in the early-going, because of the difficulty involved in getting out on Augusta and swinging the old stick.

Plus, for someone who’s never played the game, stinking up the course is miserable. This is a good way to get more involved. Having said that, not everything the caddie suggests is “smart.” There are plenty of times when the caddie will tell you to use that draw to run the ball nicely around the treelike. Which is great, but just like in real-life golf, usually easier said than done.

“Course markings” that exist in real life, like a 100-yard-marker and 150-yard-marker are now on the course as well, which is a fantastic touch, because it lets you know how far out you’ll be following a particular drive.

And for people who don’t play real golf but want to learn, there’s a nice offering as well the USGA rulings — learn to play the game as you go. Like, did you know that in real golf rulings, if you happen to just miss a putt and then “instinctively throw your club at the ball,” you won’t incur a penalty?

Which means I’m slinging my putter all over the course next weekend. Provided I’m still not sitting inside playing Tiger 12.

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