I was just looking at some screens of the new TW08 coming down the line. I gotta say, I'm very under impressed. It looks exactly like the last 2 games. When 07 came out I said to myself "ok, new hardware, it was probably being developed for the xbox 180, let it go and wait for the next one"

Man, where's the next gen leap in golf game, for any developer? The graphics on those screens BLOW. Anyone who disagrees is eating crack. I'm sure the game play is a blast, as most TW games are, but really, I've played it already (on my PS2 5 years ago)

I think we have advanced enough to where we could have some photo realisitc courses. I thought we were close to that many years ago with Links, I guess we hit a road block

discuss

I'll be buying it...

I'm a TW fan, but I haven't bought a game since '05 on the original Xbox.

This year looks like the one to get. I like alot of the new features.

I heard you can use the vision cam when creating your character which is alway fun.

Probably not enough for me to buy it since I have 07.

It isn't going to improve until they have some competition and that isn't happening anytime soon. We would have to wait until a game engine change, because right now it is just tweaks and added features. This is how EA does just about all there games. I am glad that a different studio is handling it and I hope they make more improvements. I like the new features they are adding also. I think the game looks fine, sure it isn't what some people are looking for in next gen, but they could be a lot worse. I will buy it just like I have the past games and enjoy it for what it is............

Can you post the screens or a link?

Realistic gameplay is more important to me then graphics. Of course, having both would be ideal but if push comes to shove, I would much rather have superior gameplay then pretty graphics and lousy gameplay.

I have not bought Tiger Woods since it has gone next gen since the 06 and 07 editions stunk to high heavan compaired to their current gen versions. But I am probably going to buy 08 because it is being developed by a new studio and I would hope that would add some spice to it. There is also that Gamernet thing they got going so I can take cool things I did on the course in single player and upload them to a friend and wager points that they can't beat it. Also being able to use the xbox live vision camera sounds cool too because it doesn't just map a face on a model like in R6: Vegas, but actually is supposed to build a custom head model based on the picture of your face. That sounds neat if it is done right. Might warrant picking up a used xbox vision camera on ebay. We shall see

I have not bought Tiger Woods since it has gone next gen since the 06 and 07 editions stunk to high heavan compaired to their current gen versions.

360, PS3, and Wii are current gen. Xbox 1, PS2, and GC are last-gen.

I'm not sure if I've outgrown the Tiger Woods series, or if the game just hasn't grown with me... but if it's the same game since 2001, I'll pass.

the 07 disc still works, it's not like I need to have a new roster or anything. It's all the same! Looks like the only cool feature is face mapping? hahaha

When they stop implementing AI cheating, IE. balls that go straight into sanptraps, or forced mistakes on the 16-18th hole in a close match... maybe I'll take a look.

360, PS3, and Wii are current gen. Xbox 1, PS2, and GC are last-gen.

Actually the 360 and ps3 are referred to as Next-Gen. Xbox and Ps2 current

I will probably buy it on the wii....

Can you post the screens or a link?

Realistic gameplay is more important to me then graphics. Of course, having both would be ideal but if push comes to shove, I would much rather have superior gameplay then pretty graphics and lousy gameplay.


http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/899/899085/imgs_1.html

I hope they don't turn this into a maddenized game...

I'll go against the grain here...I can't wait for it! I'm just now getting into 07 with my own character and everything, and I can't wait for 08!

ive always liked the TW series and planned on getting TW07 for the 360 but with 08 only a few months away i think i will just wait for that instead. Hopefully there will be more courses

I like it to but it seems like they are running out of new things to add...

I got a whole crew that will be getting this on all systems. Think the funnest will be Wii...

yall are totally going to hard on graphics (of any game). It's a golf game, not much to actually do.

every year i am amazed at people suprised at EA laziness. why should they work and and make big improvements. People buy their marketing based crap all the time.

Madden is using the same engine from 10 years ago. Links on xbox is still better than TW.

I'll be skipping it.. At work I play the best ones, '04 and '05 for the Xbox (1).. The new ones take FOREVER TO LOAD and the gameplay is horrible.. The ones I play look great graphically and each hole loads in about 5 seconds..

I got a whole crew that will be getting this on all systems. Think the funnest will be Wii...

yall are totally going to hard on graphics (of any game). It's a golf game, not much to actually do.


Will they have Legs on the Wii? And how about HD?

Maybe I'm crazy, but it appears to be shaping up into a good game. Graphics looks pretty good. New gameplay sounds like you'll have a bit more options. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

If you buy a woods game without renting if first you are nuts. I gues you people never played the 07 version. What a horrible game compared to the older ones.

I'll be skipping it.. At work I play the best ones, '04 and '05 for the Xbox (1).. The new ones take FOREVER TO LOAD and the gameplay is horrible.. The ones I play look great graphically and each hole loads in about 5 seconds..

I loved '04 as well and played it for years. But, I've had TW '07 since before Christmas and I have not noticed load times to be any longer than the older version. I can't remember ever waiting more than 5 seconds for a hole to load. The graphics are certainly an upgrade, even at 480p. The HD resolution is just icing on the cake. And how is gameplay horrible? I feel like it is a little more realistic, and in turn, more challenging. It is now not trivial to hit every GIR or fairway in a round. Sometimes you have to hit iron off a tee or aim for the middle of a green instead of pin seeking every shot to score well. If that's horrible, then I'm fine with that. After playing '04 for a few months, I was able to shoot in the 40's on 18 holes regularly. That is ridiculous. On '07, my best rounds are in the 50's. I actually feel like I've done something to shoot in the 50's.

Anyway, my view is: could the game be better??? sure, but you can (and everyone does) say that for any game. I'm happy with the upgrade from '04 to '07. We know EA doesn't seem to dramatically change the game for the better each year, but they do get better nonetheless. I'll probably look to upgrade to the next one in a year or two again.

Links on xbox is still better than TW.

I totally agree!

I loved '04 as well and played it for years. But, I've had TW '07 since before Christmas and I have not noticed load times to be any longer than the older version. I can't remember ever waiting more than 5 seconds for a hole to load. The graphics are certainly an upgrade, even at 480p. The HD resolution is just icing on the cake. And how is gameplay horrible? I feel like it is a little more realistic, and in turn, more challenging. It is now not trivial to hit every GIR or fairway in a round. Sometimes you have to hit iron off a tee or aim for the middle of a green instead of pin seeking every shot to score well. If that's horrible, then I'm fine with that. After playing '04 for a few months, I was able to shoot in the 40's on 18 holes regularly. That is ridiculous. On '07, my best rounds are in the 50's. I actually feel like I've done something to shoot in the 50's.

Anyway, my view is: could the game be better??? sure, but you can (and everyone does) say that for any game. I'm happy with the upgrade from '04 to '07. We know EA doesn't seem to dramatically change the game for the better each year, but they do get better nonetheless. I'll probably look to upgrade to the next one in a year or two again.

I also loved the increased difficulty/more realistic options they put in 07, but it seems to me that they've removed a number of "features" from the next-gen version so they can gradually add them back in over the next few years.

I really enjoyed the fantasy courses in previous games as a change of pace. Give me back predator and the highlands! Also, the number of items in the pro shop is pathetic. I don't know that we need the gazillions of items that were in 05 & 06, but more then the "tens" of items in a lot of categories on the 360.

Also, it seems that some of the physics have taken a step backward with the 07 360 release (comparing to 04-06 on xbox, I never played 06 on 360). It seems hitting your ball off an incline has no effect, whereas in older versions you had to take the incline into account as you aimed. Also, the short irons/wedges feel really off in their power. It's been a while since I played, so I may not be remembering accurately, but there were several times I recall when a partial backswing resulted in the ball traveling FARTHER than the aiming marker indicated a full swing would go (and it was not due to wind or elevation changes). I just recall situations in 05 where a green fell right in between my wedges and my 9 iron. I could use a partial swing with my 9 iron and, with some degree of accuracy, hit the green. In 07 on the 360 that seems almost impossible for me to do, and then to sometimes have it go even farther than the aiming circle, that just felt outright broken to me.

I really enjoyed the jump to HD with 07 for the 360 (it's hard for me to go back to the awful jaggies in 05 now). But I'm probably going to wait a couple years before I buy another version, until they get the next-gen version back on par (ha, ha, ya, shutup ;) ) with the older version.

For those that may have missed this (more in the link):

LINK (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/779/779964p1.html)


User-created gameplay took shape in a new challenge system. Let's say you're 300 yards out and stick the ball inches from the pin on the highest difficulty setting. EA has set point values for all of these variables. The longer the shot, the more points you get. The closer to the hole, the more points you get. The higher the difficulty setting, the more points you get. Once you upload the clip and the point value is set, other gamers can download it and try to beat your shot, earning these challenge points along the way.

"This is more than 'look what I did,'" Taramykin says. "This is 'I'm better than you and I can prove it.'"

The challenges can be as simple as a single shot or as complicated as hitting 18 consecutive eagles or even 18 hole-in-ones (on a custom course of all par threes, of course). But to create one of these impossible challenges, you have to first do it yourself -- user-created gameplay, remember? Then, a challenger can watch each of your shots and see exactly how you sank 18 eagles at Pebble.

What this also does is allow you to play online against a friend without a friend actually being online. Let's say Xbox 360 editor-in-chief Doug Perry shoots a 60 at TPC Boston (please, try to use your imagination here.). When he uploads the round to GamerNet and takes the rest of the day off to play Zuma, you can then download the round and play right along with him. You'll see his shots (or skip them), and then you'll take your own swings. When you score in the 50s, Doug will receive a message that his 60-in-Boston challenge was beaten, and you'll pile up the points.

Now those challenges are for the hardcore golfer. What about the players that just want to fire their drives into the gallery? Remember, you can save any shot to GamerNet. If something strange happens like you slice a drive off a house, bounce twice on the path and hit a fan, then you simply upload the clip and show your friends. After the laughing dies down, you can make a challenge of the shot by selecting up to three different "win conditions" -- hit a building, hit a fan, and two bounces on the car path, in this case -- and GamerNet will automatically assign a point value to the shot. The first gamer to complete your challenge will get double points, encouraging a race to complete newly-created challenges.

i played every one through '05 and about half of '06 (ps2).

once they changed the putting that was about it for me.

in addition, they changed the controls around and the last time i tried they wouldn't let you switch the function of the L and R sticks on next-gen. for years i always swing with the right stick.

i played every one through '05 and about half of '06 (ps2).

once they changed the putting that was about it for me.

in addition, they changed the controls around and the last time i tried they wouldn't let you switch the function of the L and R sticks on next-gen. for years i always swing with the right stick.

I know in 07 on 360 you can switch the L & R sticks. I think on 07 on xbox1 you could choose your control scheme and your putting method. Personally I prefer the new "read the green" vs. the "1 foot right 6 in long", but it shouldn't be that hard to make it user selectable in both the curr-gen & next-gen (last-gen & curr-gen, however you want to phrase it).

Links on xbox is still better than TW.
Also agree.
Multiplayer was a blast.
I liked the idea of everyone shooting at once.
The physics were lifelike compared to Tiger. If you made a bad shot in Links you new exactly why. In Tiger Woods bad shots would come out of nowhere.
A 4 player TW match online can take close to a couple of hours. It becomes a snooze fest.
PLEASE BRING LINKS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i played every one through '05 and about half of '06 (ps2).

once they changed the putting that was about it for me.

in addition, they changed the controls around and the last time i tried they wouldn't let you switch the function of the L and R sticks on next-gen. for years i always swing with the right stick.

THANK YOU.
This is so true.

You must be like me and went from very good (on PS2) to just ok (on 360) because of the putting and control changes, also something was different with the percentage accuracy and how it affects your shot.

Personally I prefer the new "read the green" vs. the "1 foot right 6 in long", but it shouldn't be that hard to make it user selectable in both the curr-gen & next-gen (last-gen & curr-gen, however you want to phrase it).

I'm with you on the new putting. Maybe it's because I play golf as well and it seems more realistic to, as you put it, "read the green" instead of just doing what your caddie tells you.

And with the slope that you lie is on (ie, not a flat lie), now that you mention it I have also noticed that it does not seem to have the same effect on ball flight as I remember in '04. I know for a fact that your ball will go right or left off of a severe side hill lie in '07 (happened to me 2 nights ago when I was playing) but it definitely has little or no effect if it is not severe. I haven't had any trouble with half power shots going too far, but I tend to use the loft feature or power boost to get those in between distances more often.

not to mention the lack of consistent control when putting above or below elevation. It's one thing to misjudge left and right, but what about when the hole is 2" below. I never figured out, do I change the putt distance, or do I ease on the swing. The people I've played online sunk some crazy putts, so I know that it's just something that I don't get... but on previous versions, I sunk about 75-80%.

BTW has anyone seen Hot Shots golf for PS3? I have seen shots of it, and it looks amazing. It's weird because (of course) they are using anime characters, but the environment and game graphic effects are mindblowing. Not that I have a PS3 or anything.

Oh, I didn't know so many ppl were into Tiger on AVS! Makes me want to get the game anyway, if everyone else is!

not to mention the lack of consistent control when putting above or below elevation. It's one thing to misjudge left and right, but what about when the hole is 2" below. I never figured out, do I change the putt distance, or do I ease on the swing.

When putting in '07, you can use the right analog stick to fine tune the distance up to 3 feet either way. So, if you have a 21 foot put that is 4" below you (17' equivalent), set your putting distance to 20' and pull back on the right analog stick until the meter is set to the minimum(20' minus 3'). Then make a full swing with the left analog stick. The same goes for a put that is up to 3" above (or 3' longer) Just push the right analog stick up until the meter is all the way up and you get 3 extra feet with a full swing. Then if you need just one or two extra feet, set the meter in between full and default.

The only time you need to use a partial backswing on the green is for those pesky distances like 50' when your putter distance is only 40' or 60'

I'm waiting for the next gen "Outlaw Golf". The first one was great.

Will they have Legs on the Wii? And how about HD?
Uhh, what??? :rolleyes:

When putting in '07, you can use the right analog stick to fine tune the distance up to 3 feet either way. So, if you have a 21 foot put that is 4" below you (17' equivalent), set your putting distance to 20' and pull back on the right analog stick until the meter is set to the minimum(20' minus 3'). Then make a full swing with the left analog stick. The same goes for a put that is up to 3" above (or 3' longer) Just push the right analog stick up until the meter is all the way up and you get 3 extra feet with a full swing. Then if you need just one or two extra feet, set the meter in between full and default.

The only time you need to use a partial backswing on the green is for those pesky distances like 50' when your putter distance is only 40' or 60'

i wasn't aware they fixed the granularity of the putting swing.. this was another major complaint i had of the new putting method. especially on downhill putts it was next to impossible to know what 50% < x < 100% is on the analog stick seeing as you only have about a centimeter of play on the stick.

even with the new putting, the easiest way i would make putts is to continuely press X (ps2) for the preview mode where the camera is very close to the surface and it shows and follows the dotted line of the curve. i just kept hitting x at the beginning of the preview to pick out a spot in the background that lined up with the start of the dotted line. kinda 'cheesy' in a way and not really as fun as using the caddie tip which i was used to.

BTW has anyone seen Hot Shots golf for PS3? I have seen shots of it, and it looks amazing. It's weird because (of course) they are using anime characters, but the environment and game graphic effects are mindblowing. Not that I have a PS3 or anything.

I'm a big 360 fanboy but I admit Hot shots is the series I miss the most from my PS2 days.
I have seen the PS3 shots and the graphics look insane.
Graphics whore + Golf Junkie = a new PS3 owner?

Uhh, what??? :rolleyes:



Wow, you really need that explained to you?

I stopped played Tiger when I started playing Links. I just can't go back now.

Yeah, ever since I got my copy of Mean 18, all other golf games just seem like crap.

I stopped played Tiger when I started playing Links. I just can't go back now.


i rented links04 back in the day and dont really remember much about it. Based on what others are sayin I think im go pick it up and give it another shot. If anything i'll atleast have a golf game to play until TW08 comes out.

I'm a big 360 fanboy but I admit Hot shots is the series I miss the most from my PS2 days.
I have seen the PS3 shots and the graphics look insane.
Graphics whore + Golf Junkie = a new PS3 owner?

i dunno about that. I hear you, but then you'd be paying six for one game. You know, it's the principle.

I think I'm just going to start playing more real golf.

I think I'm just going to start playing more real golf.


Good luck.. I play sometimes and usually get to drunk after the 9th hole to really care..

How come they can't make a TW game where two people can play at the same time, split screen, on one 360? Is the hardware still incapable of handling that?

why do you need split screen in a game where you take turns?

A lot of people liked the method of Links online where you got to shot simultanously because it made the rounds go quicker---I personally thought it took away from the golf experience and turned it into speed golf and even though you saw the path of the other person's ball it didn't actually feel like you were competing against them. Thankfully they did offer the other option where you took turns.

It isn't that I didn't enjoy Tiger---when I first tried it I played the hell out of it---I just didn't like shooting 15 under par for a round so easily. Tiger is a golf game for the casual gamer who wants to hit 4-5 eagles and 10-12 birdies in a round.

Realism is definitely an issue with TW on normal settings, especially when utilizing the power boost and spin control while the ball is in the air. However, have you tried playing on TOUR difficulty (I think that's the hardest) with no power boost or spin controll? That makes it much more challenging for me at least. I can go from shooting in the low to mid 50's regularly with the boosts on to shooting in the mid 60's at best on the settings listed above. It makes a huge difference when you can't alter your ball flight in mid air.

Personally, I enjoy the spin and power boost functions. That way I can make a few birdies per round. I'll save the ultra realism for the real thing out on the links when it's back to bogey golf... :(

How come they can't make a TW game where two people can play at the same time, split screen, on one 360? Is the hardware still incapable of handling that?

One of the earlier Tigers on the PS2 (2003 or 04?) had the split screen feature for one of the sub games. The object was to see who could get the ball into the hole the fastest. It didn't take strokes into consideration. It was totally goofy, IMO. They can do splitscreen, but I don't see any benefit in a turn based game.

A lot of people liked the method of Links online where you got to shot simultanously because it made the rounds go quicker---I personally thought it took away from the golf experience and turned it into speed golf and even though you saw the path of the other person's ball it didn't actually feel like you were competing against them.

Yeah, it felt like you were playing against telemetry tracers rather than golfers. You would see them finish out the hole if you happened to finish the hole before them, but it felt really strange.

Thankfully they did offer the other option where you took turns.

There was a compromise between the two methods (pure turn based and tracer arrows) offered in Links 2004 in the 1999 game, Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Challenge on the PC. It was called Ready Golf and it worked great, IMO! Each player would start by hitting their tee shots simultaneously. While you were hitting the shot, you would only see your golfer. However, as soon as you had finished watching your shot, you'd be taken to a virtual instant replay of your opponent(s) shot.

What was so cool about it was that you could fast forward the replay to the end of the shot. It allowed you to see as much of the opponent's shot as you wanted, and gave you the information needed to factor their result into your decision. This approach saved players from having to watch the other player setup and align their forthcoming shot, and therefore saved time.

Things did change once all players reached the green. Then it would resort to typcial turn-based play using the rules of golf.

It isn't that I didn't enjoy Tiger---when I first tried it I played the hell out of it---I just didn't like shooting 15 under par for a round so easily. Tiger is a golf game for the casual gamer who wants to hit 4-5 eagles and 10-12 birdies in a round.

I'm hoping that Tiger Woods 2008 will continue to equip the gamer with the option control needed to make the game challenge more realistic. Tiger Woods 2007 in Tour mode was easily more difficult than Tiger Woods 06 in Tour mode, under certain conditions. Unfortunately, some of those conditions can't be selected for online play... most importantly wind.

We really don't know enough about this game yet based on the limited previews. The previewers have gotten to see a limited glimpse of the game, and none of what they've reported thus far have answered my questions about the core gameplay.

I was just looking at some screens of the new TW08 coming down the line. I gotta say, I'm very under impressed. It looks exactly like the last 2 games.

If you happened to read Andy Eddy's preview that was published on the 20th, at teamXBox.com, he spent the first half of the preview fawning over the graphical upgrades in 2008. I haven't seen anything that bowled me over yet, but there are 5 new Gamespot screens of TW 2008 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/tigerwoodspgatour08/images.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gsimage&tag=images;all) at Gamespot which do look like an improvement over what had been presented prior to the 20th. Four of the five are zoomed out, overhead shots which doesn't tell my as much as I'd like to know, but I've seen enough to let me know that it *might* wind up looking more natural this year.

All we've really learned from the latest wave of previews is that Tiger Woods 2008 will offer a "3-click" control option, using the 2001-esque swing meter. It sounds like the gamer will be able to use stick and 3-click in the same round, which will probably lead to a lot of controversy. Maybe they'll be an option to make online rounds exclusively one or the other? We've also learned that downloadable courses will be available for purchase at launch. I welcome that option, provided the courses aren't outrageously priced.

We still don't know what core gameplay issues may have been addressed with TW 2008. I don't have a lot of confidence that much is going to get addressed since Tiburon is taking a handoff from the Headgate development team that had it last year. The analog stick interface needs some feel and the presentation options need to be more user configurable. I hate the obsessive ball-cam production and the "cut to side view" camera that takes place after most putts are struck... totally takes you out of the game and ties your hands from seeing the line the putt took. This would be valuable information if you missed. It would give you some data to factor when following up that putt!

Oh, EA Sports has started a http://www.easports.com/article.jsp?id=tiger08blogs Tiger Woods 2008 developer blog. There's one entry in it so far, but they promise it will be updated regularly.

Actually the 360 and ps3 are referred to as Next-Gen. Xbox and Ps2 current

Thanks for the back up!

Originally Posted by wilson10
Actually the 360 and ps3 are referred to as Next-Gen. Xbox and Ps2 current


Thanks for the back up!

Yes, I also commonly see the PS3 and XBox 369 referred to as next-gen machines, with the other as current-gen. Not sure where I would put the Wii in this.... maybe "new-gen"?

I'm waiting for the next gen "Outlaw Golf". The first one was great.

this game is actually being developed by the studio that made that game

this game is actually being developed by the studio that made that game

This makes me want to go out and rent Outlaw Golf, 1 or 2, just to see what they were really like. I played the demo of the Original Outlaw Golf on the XBox and wasn't impressed. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance. Anything that hints of being over-the-top with golf games just doesn't do it for me.

I can't imagine that we would see that much of the Outlaw Golf game mechanics in Tiger Woods 2008. It seems to me like Tiburon is more interested in getting GamerNet working with this game.

Love your username btw... Al Czervik was one of my favorite comedy movie characters of all time. $100 I bet you slice into the woods! :D