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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
For all major consoles, $50-$60
***1/2
I think I made a mistake by choosing to review the PlayStation 3 version of this game instead of the Wii incarnation, which has gotten ridiculously positive reviews. But the guys at EA Tiburon (the same company that develops “Madden”) have come back with the best golf game I've ever played on a next-gen system.
Golfers can play the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, site of Lucas Glover's recent win, or at Torrey Pines, where Rocco Mediate and Tiger can face off like they did in 2008.
Graphically, the PS3 version looks phenomenal, with more digital reactions from Tiger than ever before. You can also create some pretty realistic-looking golfers.
There are some great details in this newest version. The crowds are bigger and more vocal when tournaments get competitive. There are leaderboards on the course, and announcers Kelly Tilghman and Scott Van Pelt obviously spent a lot of time in the recording studio.
Better still, you can play tour events as they are played on the real PGA schedule, as well as incorporate real-time weather conditions (courtesy of the Weather Channel) into your game. So if you are at the Greensboro tournament and it's raining that day in Greensboro, it'll rain in your game. And as you play, you can move up or down the real tournament's leaderboard in real-time.
A new “Precision Putting” system is a welcome change. It may be too realistic for some, though, forcing players to get pretty good at reading how a green slopes and adjusting their arc and pace to get the ball in – or close to – the hole. If it's too difficult to adjust to the new style, you can revert to the “classic” putting system.
But as much as I enjoyed the PS3 version, I hope to try the Wii version soon. When playing a golf game, it doesn't get much cooler than being able to swing a Wii-mote like a golf club.
Grand Slam Tennis
For Nintendo Wii, $50
***1/2
Electronic Arts, no stranger to great sports video games, has aced it with this one.
The player renderings are dead-on for past stars like Martina Navratilova or John McEnroe, or current stars like Roger Federer or Serena Williams. Better still, those players perform like their real-life counterparts. Serena moves well around the court. Federer's ground strokes are wicked. McEnroe has that funny-looking left-handed serve and likes to come to the net.
Holding that Wii-mote and swinging it around like a tennis racket really works well. You actually start to bend over to receive serves and literally run around backhands in your living room – at least, if you're like me.
You can play singles or doubles and you can make a run through each of the four Grand Slams (I'd recommend shortening the games). You can also play online. The game helps you track calories burned as you bounce around and play, and is compatible with the new Wii Motion Plus add-on; I haven't tested it, but supposedly the experience is even more realistic.
“Grand Slam Tennis” is another one of those simple, easy-to-play games that is making Wii the console of the moment right now.
Get more Games N Gadgets news at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com.
