Didnt see a thread for this yet (just a discussion of the demo). Figured we'd gather all reviews and discussion here. Anyone else planning to get this today or are you waiting on reviews? I havent read any yet, just OXM gave it a score of 85/100 according to gamespot's website. I havent bought a Tiger game since 06 (which was a joke), so I'm looking forward to this one. Club Tuner and online play where you no longer have to wait for your opponent to hit before hitting seals the deal for me. I really hope the gamerface feature works properly, I read last year's was a nightmare to get working.

I played the PS3 demo version and was not impressed at all. I was hoping for a major leap forward and it seems that we got nothing in terms of a major graphics overhaul or gameplay. Yes, the club tweaking was interesting but it is something you would do once and probably never do again. Maybe the full release will be better than the demo but it would need to be significant for me to pull the trigger. I don't see that happening so I will stick to the arcade style Hot Shots Golf on my PS3 for now.

If Microsoft ever resurrected the Links franchise..........that would get me interested. Links 2003 on the PC was/is the best golf "simulator" ever.

I'm waiting on Mutant League Golf.

I played the PS3 demo version and was not impressed at all. I was hoping for a major leap forward and it seems that we got nothing in terms of a major graphics overhaul or gameplay. Yes, the club tweaking was interesting but it is something you would do once and probably never do again. Maybe the full release will be better than the demo but it would need to be significant for me to pull the trigger. I don't see that happening so I will stick to the arcade style Hot Shots Golf on my PS3 for now.

If Microsoft ever resurrected the Links franchise..........that would get me interested. Links 2003 on the PC was/is the best golf "simulator" ever.

I disagree about the club tuner, but I think its very dependent on the individual. I golf a lot, so I enjoy anything that can tweak ball flight. I will really enjoy messing around with my players shot shape, spin, ball flight, etc. and will probably tweak almost every round. I too though agree the Demo felt a little lackluster in terms of graphics and audio, however I am holding high hopes that, like last year, the demo was a much dumbed down version compared to the real game.

Hopefully someone with the retail game can chime in soon, I wont be able to get it til after work today.

I played it for 4 or 5 hours yesterday. I'm enjoying it and some of the courses are pretty darn cool (Wolf Creek). I didn't put much time into the previous 360 Tiger games but was a complete junkie on the PS2 back in the day.

I'm enjoying it, but it's fairly similar to the others with some new additions like the club tuner and simul. online play. Haven't played an online match yet.

Your player ratings are a bit different this year which I like. The old method of buying stats was getting quite old. In 3 hours, I had my putting rating up to a 9 out of 10 and I haven't bought any equipment yet (which could boost it). If you're a vet and playing on the default level, you'll level up fairly quickly.

Graphics aren't leaps and bounds better, but it seems a bit better. Not sure how I'd feel about buying it if I had worn out 08 for the past year. However, since I haven't played Tiger in awhile, I'm having fun with this one.

Can someone check and see if you can play Stableford scoring online? It has always been included but you couldn't play with another person online.

Have you used the gamerface and created a character? How easy was it?

Have not done gamerface and really don't plan on it. Sorry I can't help there.

Just got my 360 back from our beloved Texas repair shop and tried out the Tiger 09 demo. I really liked all the detail you get now on each swing (how much power you actually hit it with, and how straight your swing was). I also liked the swing customization. I probably wouldn't use it every round, but would use it occasionally.

Although I like the idea behind the new leveling system, it seems like it would level up too fast. I really liked the way it worked in 07 (at least on the xbox, not sure if it was this way on the 360). It was similar in that you got points for different categories based on each shot (a good putt gave you putting points, long drive gave you power points, etc.) It still took quite a while to max out your character, so you always felt like you were working towards something and progressing. Also seems strange that they simplified everything to only 4 categories? Is that just in the demo, or is the full game like that also?

I swore 07 was the last one I would buy as it just felt like they were just changing things up each year, rather than actually making improvements, but I may have to take the plunge "just one more time"

Have you used the gamerface and created a character? How easy was it?

I was wondering the same thing. I had actually thought about picking up the vision camera.

I was wondering the same thing. I had actually thought about picking up the vision camera.

I believe you can do it just using EA's website and any digital photo that you upload. No Xbox Camera required...At least that's how '08 was, I haven't played '09 yet.

Ive already started "greasing the skids" to get ready for using the gamerface. Evidently the process goes something like this:
-Create/Register an account at EASportsworld.com
-Link the account to your gamertag
-Add the gamerface feature to your profile in EASportsworld
-Upload photos to website
-Download face to game

Ive been reading all kinds of horror stories (mainly from 08, but a few surfacing now from 09 with same problems) about people doing all these steps and then when trying to download their face into the game, the game won't recognize the photos that were loaded onto the website. EA will supposedly say its because your sports world account isnt linked to the gamertag, but all the users have already done that. Ive read that one possible reason could be the email address you use in your EA sports world account has to be identical to the one your Xbox Live account is linked to (NOTE: IMPORTANT: THIS IS NOT necessarily the same email you receive communications from. Example, I created my live account years ago with an email account that I know longer use, so I have all of my Live communications sent to my new email, however to link any accounts to my gamer tag, such as Bungie.net, I have to use this old email to get them to link properly).

Anyways, Im going to give this a whirl in a few hours!!!

Some links to the forums I was getting this info from:

http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/blogs/view/bid/2845

http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/news/view/item/Photo+Game+Face/page/2

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?threadID=420587&tstart=0

Well, I have the game at home now, havent played yet, but I have managed to successfully upload photos and they can actually be seen by the game!!! Right now my gamerface is 70% complete, its going through the face generation right now. This is pretty sweet, and if it actually turns out looking like me I dare say this game has already exceeded my expectations after reading about all of those folks who couldnt get it to work. We shall see though.......let me know if you have any questions about the process (I basically followed exactly the instructions above....create easportsworld account, link that to your live gamertag account...upload photos, view photos from game, create face).

(Im one of the freaks who actually enjoys the character customization...its one of the reasons I loved 04 when the character generation feature was introduced)

Well, I haven't gotten a golf game since Links which I liked so I always figured I should pick up a Tiger Woods. After a friend sold me NCAA 09 cheap and the NHL 09 demo got me ver interested I decided this should be the year to fill out my 360 sports lineup. (I wont buy any after this unless there are MASSIVE upgrades). Still I may not have gotten Tiger Woods today if Tales of Vespira or Infinit Undiscovery had been out, but they werent so here I sit with Tiger Woods 09. I havent played it yet but I did like the demo well enough so we will see how it goes tonight.

Well, I have the game at home now, havent played yet, but I have managed to successfully upload photos and they can actually be seen by the game!!! Right now my gamerface is 70% complete, its going through the face generation right now. This is pretty sweet, and if it actually turns out looking like me I dare say this game has already exceeded my expectations after reading about all of those folks who couldnt get it to work. We shall see though.......let me know if you have any questions about the process (I basically followed exactly the instructions above....create easportsworld account, link that to your live gamertag account...upload photos, view photos from game, create face).

(Im one of the freaks who actually enjoys the character customization...its one of the reasons I loved 04 when the character generation feature was introduced)

post a pic if you would. Interested as to how this comes out

post a pic if you would. Interested as to how this comes out

I'm a bit shy about putting pics on the internet of myself. Not because Im a gangly beast or anything, but....well just because. Anyways I'll do my best to describe: The gamerface can really get you much closer than ever to your picture, however it does take some work. The first cut at it, the guy didnt really look much like me at all. I tried again, with some pictures that were closer up, and made them fit the template on the website much more closely. It literally gets some aspects of your face right on identical. My eyebrows, cheeks and nose all looked perfect...it even captured a freakin spot I picked at on my face and my 5:00 shadow. However, it seems to think I have a skin eating disorder. The shadows and variances in brightness on my face due to the flash of the camera resulted in some ungodly multi-toned/splotchy skin! You can't tell from afar when golfing but up close its kind of hideous. I'm going to try one more time I think with my wifes 8MP camera and some better lighting.

Realize that it still takes a good amount of tweaking after your face is generated. Id say it gets you a good 60% of the way, and the rest is up to you. I just pulled up the same photos on my laptop and tweaked away. Overall, from the side at least, my golfer literally looks like a photo copy of me when standing over the ball. Close up shots of the face resemble me moreso than the previous tigers, but Id still like to make it better.

As for the game, about 2 hours worth of actual playing time. The audio is better than I thought it was in the demo (the commentators). The gamernet challenges are fun and addicting. Graphics are pretty good, not revolutionary though. The crowd is kind of annoying, they all do the exact same thing like they are synchronized, and there is a 10 foot shield around them where a ball anywhere near will hit someone.

Id give the game an 8.5 thus far. Its Tiger.

I would like to know if the game still cheats like all the other TW games.

You know, whenever you try to get a good whack, somehow the game doesn't want you to benefit from that type of play, so they force the ball to cut towards the trees. Or you want to get on the green with the 2nd shot. The AI usually sends the ball beyond the entire greem, or somehow suddenly your clubs give away 20-30 yards and you dont reach the green. No matter what you do, the ball will not come close. Or how bout in tournamants during the 4th round, suddenly EA SPORTS style bad luck comes in full force, and nothing you do turns out the way you planned.

Or when you play the computer AI, and their shots are obviously BS for better or worse. I have seen full speed balls stop directly in front of the cup. Gee thanks for spotting me a point Colin. Again.. wow, nice guy.

I understand that the player gets better as he/she works their way up and gets better equip, but there has to be a better way of imitating the early inaccuracy rather than just flat out cheating by making every shot a random toss up on the golf course. Whats the point of playing when the computer controls where the ball is gonna land?

I can see how the computer could cheat with the opponents but I dont see how it cheats with your own shot. You can now see how you swung (and its not always as straight as you think it was) and you control how much power you use so its not going to overshoot the green unless you didnt compensate for the wind.

However, this will be my first Tiger Woods so I guess I can't really judge. I can just tell you that this new version lets you see HOW you did with your swing... so I guess if it does cheat it should be more obvious.

I can see how the computer could cheat with the opponents but I dont see how it cheats with your own shot. You can now see how you swung (and its not always as straight as you think it was) and you control how much power you use so its not going to overshoot the green unless you didnt compensate for the wind.

However, this will be my first Tiger Woods so I guess I can't really judge. I can just tell you that this new version lets you see HOW you did with your swing... so I guess if it does cheat it should be more obvious.

Yeah, there isnt really any funny business going on, and I agree that the new swing feedback really gives you insight into how you dont really pull the stick back straight every time. I have a bad tendency to sharply turn it to the right at the very end of the swing, so a lot of my shots start out slightly right because of that.

^^That is so good to know.

I have played so many of the TW series, and I know that on certain courses, the ball is favored towards certain obstacles, no matter how you slice... it seemed to be a component designed into the game. Like if the winds are 10mph to the west and you decide on a line drive counteracting just a tad right, the ball then goes 50 yards right... whereas if those trees were on the other side, the ball would have went left with the same swing.

And also those freak landings where you try something...anything, and somehow the ball finds it way into the small bunker placed somewhere off the far fairway. Bull eye, I always say with a smirk....

I love this game though. I'm in. :D

loving the game so far, Shot a 44 on westchester last night from the tips.

loving the game so far, Shot a 44 on westchester last night from the tips.

What did you shoot on the back 9?

What did you shoot on the back 9?

lol, no kidding. I usually start off wanting to build up a super golfer who is 15 under every round, but after awhile I start turning up the difficulty and making it more realistic. One criticism I have thus far is it is pretty easy to build up your golfer quickly. It took one round of golf and a bit of club tuning and my average drive went from 230 to 295.

My only problem is that after you doing the practice part of the skills upgrade and pass, I always find myself wanting to hit the "B" after my shot which makes me deny the extra challenges. I have done it at least 3 times now!

+1,000,000!!! I did it twice last night and missed the extra challenges.

What did you shoot on the back 9?

22 on front and back



Its only easy to build up your golfer, if your good at tiger games to begin with. I have saw plenty players struggle. Getting your character maxed on the other hand is hard as hell. One bad shot can make you have to play 2 18 holes with no mistakes.

PaRaSiTe 1976 is my gamer tag if anyone wants to challenge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1st1Vw2kY

ALL HAIL TO THE ALMIGHTY MR. ELDRICK WOODS

For a casual gamer who hasn't bought a woods game since 03 on the ps2, would last years on sale be good enough or is the new one that much better?

The reviews are saying this year is much better than last year and probably the best of the current gen iterations, which I guess isn't saying too much. I am picking it up tomorrow.

Check the MP to see if last year's demo is still available and compare it to this year's. I remember playing last year's demo and having a hard time hitting the ball straight. They apparently fixed that for this year.

For a casual gamer who hasn't bought a woods game since 03 on the ps2, would last years on sale be good enough or is the new one that much better?


From reading on the forums I get the impression if you are going to get a Tiger Woods game you either want this years 09 or you should get 07. Apparently people like 07 much more then 08. So if you want to get an older one you may not want to get last years but get the one from two years ago.

Anyone finding the game way too easy with the instant analog swing feedback? It's like: oh, my backswing is slightly off? ok, let me start my swing over again. Is there a way to remove the feedback so that players actually have to rely on their own judgement instead of being told whether their swing is on target?

well if you call shooting 44 too easy then yes.

well if you call shooting 44 too easy then yes.

yes, that would qualify ;)

If you think its too easy, you are probably one of those who refuse to crank up the difficulty. Its the exact same as Tiger's in the past, where yes, you can build a super golfer and shoot 20 under almost every time out on the course. Turn on tour difficulty and you will get an increase in difficulty and reality. I'm actually finding the super golfer aspect of it boring since its pretty much same old as the past.......Tour difficulty is going on or the game will get stale.

If you think its too easy, you are probably one of those who refuse to crank up the difficulty. Its the exact same as Tiger's in the past, where yes, you can build a super golfer and shoot 20 under almost every time out on the course. Turn on tour difficulty and you will get an increase in difficulty and reality. I'm actually finding the super golfer aspect of it boring since its pretty much same old as the past.......Tour difficulty is going on or the game will get stale.

I'm not "one of those," but thank you for the presumption :rolleyes:. What aberration of logic would lead you to think that someone who finds the game too easy would "refuse to crank up the difficulty"? But I digress...

The instant swing feedback is present at any difficulty level (I play on tour difficulty for the record). The problem is that it leads to perfect or near-perfect swings the vast majority of the time. Even the best golfers in the world have errant shots from time to time, but the instant feedback in this year's version practically removes that element of the game. Still a fun game; just wish the gameplay was more challenging.

But do you really sit there and stare at the feedback while you are making your swing, and adjust it or even stop real time based on what you see? I just let it rip, and if I see that I wasnt straight, I try to make an adjustment on the next swing. I have a feeling the majority of folks do it that way as well but who knows. Out of curiosity, did you own TW 08? If you played that a lot on tour difficulty and got used to the swing, then I can see how it might seem too easy this year.

I play one balanced, but Just to test your theory I played tour difficulty last night on bay hill. I still shot a 51. Dont assume everyone just plays easy play. I built my golfer up to 12 on all stats, and that was hard as hell. One bad shot can make you have to play 36 holes flawless.

Thanks. That what I needed to know. Maybe I can find it on sale or get 07.

From reading on the forums I get the impression if you are going to get a Tiger Woods game you either want this years 09 or you should get 07. Apparently people like 07 much more then 08. So if you want to get an older one you may not want to get last years but get the one from two years ago.

If you think its too easy, you are probably one of those who refuse to crank up the difficulty. Its the exact same as Tiger's in the past, where yes, you can build a super golfer and shoot 20 under almost every time out on the course. Turn on tour difficulty and you will get an increase in difficulty and reality. I'm actually finding the super golfer aspect of it boring since its pretty much same old as the past.......Tour difficulty is going on or the game will get stale.

This is so true... the gamer has to take the responsibility to tweak this game to the level of challenge they're looking for. Club tuner, attributes, and equipment amount to what we call "sliders" in team sports games. I play the game in Tour Pro mode, but I was already finding that I could carve up the courses with surgical precision if I left my sweetspots too high, and let my attributes climb above 9.

Let me share this story of what finding the right balance did for me. I played my second season even first round at Pebble Beach Wednesday night (which BTW, is stunningly natural looking in TW 09! It's like a new course!!), with my new settings. My player attributes overall are 8.1, my driver is 21% sweetspot, woods 21%, irons 23%, and wedges 23%. I shot a 75 in round one, which included two double bogies, including one on the 18th after I sliced my tee shot OB (and it really was OB, but only slightly).

I missed fairways and I missed greens, but I always knew why and didn't feel cheated in any way. The swing feedback meter keeps showing me the same tendency with my swing, but I just can't get around it. I've got some draw bias built into it to counter it, but I still tend to fade/push the ball.

Am I complaining here? Heck no!! That 75 was probably the most fun and gratifying round of TW golf I've played offline in its next-gen incarnation. I can see myself keeping just what I've got, tuning and attribute wise, for some time to come. I'll get killed online with these settings, but what they hey... I love the realism this affords!

Just got a copy late yesterday and plan to golf some holes today...

Anyone finding the game way too easy with the instant analog swing feedback? It's like: oh, my backswing is slightly off? ok, let me start my swing over again.

I'm with you on this one Terryb. The feedback meter has saved me from making many a bad backswing. I think it's fine for when you are on the practice range, but I think it's an unrealistic advantage to have while in game. I just starting imposing a "house rule" on myself to not use it anywhere but on the practice range. I definitely think they should have not made this tool available for competitive play in Tour Pro mode!

I'm with you on this one Terryb. The feedback meter has saved me from making many a bad backswing. I think it's fine for when you are on the practice range, but I think it's an unrealistic advantage to have while in game. I just starting imposing a "house rule" on myself to not use it anywhere but on the practice range. I definitely think they should have not made this tool available for competitive play in Tour Pro mode!

Yeah, that would make a lot of sense to have the feedback unavailable in Tour Pro mode. I wish I had as much self-control as you do and could stop myself from looking at the bottom left of the screen :)

Yeah, that would make a lot of sense to have the feedback unavailable in Tour Pro mode. I wish I had as much self-control as you do and could stop myself from looking at the bottom left of the screen :)

After thinking about this while playing tonight, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the feedback meter appear *after* the shot. Somehow that makes sense to me and wouldn't diminish the Tour Pro experience. Oh, I do watch my feedback meter after the shot is struck now ;)

Anyone go from Tiger 08 to 09? Can you import your gamerface, player skills, etc into 09? Hate to have to build another player all over again.

Bud

Anyone go from Tiger 08 to 09? Can you import your gamerface, player skills, etc into 09? Hate to have to build another player all over again.


I played 08 and am now playing 09. You cannot import your gamerface, skills, equipment from 08. The GamerFace/Photo GameFace isn't as good as it was last year, IMO. I still does a reasonable job, but last year was more faithful and flexible, IMO. I even had to upload a couple of new digital photos to EA Sports World for my Photo Face. It had wiped my pics from last year.

Character building is easier in 09 than 08. It won't take you that long to get your player where you want them. I had my player where I wanted him in two days (roughly 7/8 hours of play). I'm holding my player at ~8 skill points (overall average) for challenge purposes. The number fluctuates because of the dynamic skills feature, but it will go up and down. I think the players become superhuman as you approach the max value of 12, but eveyone will have their own set of expectations for what they want out of the game.

I strongly prefer the user tweakable gameplay in Tiger Woods 09, versus 08. The downside is my player is no match for the topped out Tour Pro mode players online and it's very tough to compete. I feel like I'm spotting them a 20 yard lead in a 100 yard dash! It's still fun to play online and seemingly more stable as well.

The patch was actually released a couple of days ago, but all of the details, including the more important one to me (Powercap) did not get disclosed until yesterday evening:

*********************************************************
Custom Coach Drill – Fixes an issue where specific Pro Shop items were causing a crash during Custom Drills.

EASW PhotoFace - Improved site connectivity when retrieving photos.

Power Cap Cheat – A password has been added to the game that will allow Players to cap their created golfer’s maximum Power rating. By entering the password “powercap” and a number (1-12) the player will be able to cap their created golfer’s maximum power. Example: powercap5 will cap the Player’s created golfer to a maximum power of 5 in game. This is only for a created golfer’s Power skill; no other skill can be capped. Correctly entering the password does not automatically change the created golfer’s power to 5 it simply makes 5 the highest possible power the created golfer may reach.

The Power Cap cheat is not permanent and will have to be reentered each time the game is booted. To disable the cheat you must either reboot the game, or enter “powercap12.” Please note that after using the Powercap cheat you may see a fluctuation in your overall Power skill rating and/or boost. This will go back to normal after your next round of golf.

Xbox Live Achievements – Players are now able to create a golfer and unlock the Big Spender and Member’s Fees Achievements without rebooting their console.

Fairway and Green Speeds – Fixes an issue where Fairway and Green speeds were being displayed in reverse on the Course Options screen.

GamerNet- Improved connectivity issues and server performance.

********************************************************

The Powercap system has turned this game into a much more satisfying simulation experience for me. I went with a "powercap7" and find that the distances that yields in combination with my expert driver and advanced clubs set at 19 to 22% sweetspots is very PGA Tour-esque! I'm really getting more out of this game now!!

Anyone finding the game way too easy with the instant analog swing feedback? It's like: oh, my backswing is slightly off? ok, let me start my swing over again. Is there a way to remove the feedback so that players actually have to rely on their own judgement instead of being told whether their swing is on target?

You don't have to always restart your swing. Some people just choose to roll with it, even on a bad backswing. As previously mentioned, consider this feature as well as club tuning/accessories as game difficulty sliders; it's as easy or hard as you want it to me. Instant feedback is a huge improvement to reduce the hair-pulling frustration of newer players who didn't know why they had so many errant shots. But I agree that being able to restart a backswing should be removed for online/competitive play.

I just picked up this game a few days ago; it's my first console golf game since Arnold Palmer for the Genesis, so my comparison is a bit dated.

Summary:

Graphics: Phenomenal, down to the wavy reflections off the water hazards. Trees, fairways, and bunkers are reproduced in near photo-realistic detail, down to the treecutter cranes and clubhouse in the distance off the 18th tee. If I want to enjoy a nice day outside, I'd rather spend it inside on the PGA Tour golf course.

Gameplay: Excellent, with the aforementioned instant swing feedback and dynamic attributes. The right balance with a reasonably gentle learning curve, including optional 3-button hitting at easier difficulties. Shot and putt previews take a lot of frustration out of the game, allowing you to judge for yourself the exact amount of power and direction. Golf character buildup lends an RPG element, including gearing up for stats. It's a nice twist that they lock some gear contingent on different goals so you have to play all the different golf formats and challenges.

Sounds: Not a big factor for a golf game compared to graphics, but acceptable. Commentary is dry but accurate. Crowd applause seems canned and doesn't seem to vary much; I feel like it's the same one or two tracks every time.

Issues:

- The crowd isn't well drawn with few polygons, and they always clap in perfect unison.

- It's difficult to estimate how much more club or power is needed to compensate for a lie in the rough or bunker.

- Hole flyby is skipped for the first hole of every course in favor of the welcome message from commentators; they should probably do a whole course overview for the welcome message then do the opening hole flyby.

Overall: 9/10

Issues are relatively minor. EA is notorious for taking a sports monopoly then sleeping at the wheel, but this is a remarkable exception. I am getting a Vision Camera just to get my face on my golfer and to see my wife's reaction to me being in the game, beer belly and all.