chris_santucci

I'm curious as to what the Wii-folk think about the new Tiger Woods.

After a week of play, I've had moments of pure fun and immersion and others of hair-pulling, obsessive, questionable annoyances. I'm no golfer, so keeping the stroke straight is quite an accomplishment for me, but the power meter is even more problematic. Shots that travel 100% don't reach the initial target grid. However, I think putting is much better than most people say. In fact, I've saved par by making some long shots on the green. What do others think?

jw2299

Sounds like real golf to me.

I've got a Wii and am interested in this title as well. From what I've read, many players have experiences similar to yours - a lot of frustration, but when it's going well, it a lot of fun.

McHawkson

Well, I cannot really comment on Wii version. But I've played on 360, it took me a while to improve my stroking - by playing challenges that give you a chance to improve your skill meter. I've reached Legend level and everything is cakewalk.

I have no idea if it's same as Wii.

Shadow Ace

Right now, it's a mixed bag for me. I don't mind the putting at all. What drives me crazy is the occasional shot that goes off at about 40% power when you intend to take a full swing. 2 or 3 of those in a row can certainly make for a bad hole. I'll leave the crappy menu navigation out of this discussion. A little more documentation in the manual and better tutorials would have been nice as well.

Overall, I'm enjoying the game.

rayw69

I find that shots pretty much go where I expect them to go. If you are having problems with power, check your ball lie, the wind, and the elevation of your target relative to your current location. The indicator will not adjust for these factors. The only time you might be encountering power trouble is when using chip shots. The game tends to suggest the use of chip shots when the best option is to use a pitch shot. You will find that choosing the next club higher, when chipping, is often the best option.

As for putting, it has its own unique problems. When the putt is level or uphill, the game almost does not let you putt it past the hole. When putting downhill, the exact opposite is true. It is too easy to putt it past the hole. All in all, the putting is far too generous once you level your character.


The random short swings can be avoided if you slow down your backswing, and concentrate on making the swing as smooth as possible. Any sudden movements are going to be perceived by the Wii controller, as an intentional forward movement.

CreatureX

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Tiger Woods likes Zelda!

Shadow Ace

Yeah, I've figured that out and also that it helps not to take a "full" backswing with the remote. Now if I could consistently hook or slice the ball, I'd be in business. I still haven't figured that out yet. No matter what I do with the Wii-mote, it seems to have a mind of it's own.

rayw69

My full tee swing either hooks left or is straight 99% of the time. I don't have a natural slice. If I need to slice, I turn the Wii controller clockwise.

steebo777

I played this for a few hours last night. I liked it a lot, and thought the controls were better than I would have expected. Putting is waaaayyyyy better than WiiGolf, and I really enjoy chip shots. Driving is so-so, as I did get a few glitches here or there. I did have a lot fo fun with my buddy. In the end I'd give it a 7.9.

P.S. The menus suck.

chris_santucci

Yes. Although my created character didn't turn out to resemble me by any stretch of the imagination, I'll be damned to try the gameface feature again. Did EA actually TRY the menu before shipping the game?

lordzeppelin

I'm going to concur with Shadow Ace. I'm definitely enjoying it, but there are a few minor annoyances (mostly putting...). And the menus are so shitty...I don't think anyone at EA tested the menus. They're so counter-intuitive, and it's even worse when there are 2 or more players.

In the end...I think it's a good start to the series on the Wii, and that next years version will be gold when they have a bit more time to tweak it...

drmoze

I finally spent some more time with TWG for the Wii. It really is fun and more golf-like (realistic) than pretty much any other golf game I've played. (Partly because of the controls, of course.)

I do understand some gripes about the game. Most folks are used to the old-school "golf" controls, where you simply aim and get accurate timing on 2-3 button pushes to control shot strength. And the results are very predictable, allowing for a bit of wind (if present). Scores of -20 or lower for a round are common. But that is nothing like real golf.

TWG at least tries to present a more realistic golf game. The target area for each shot (the white circle) starts out pretty big, so you won't know exactly where your straight, 100.0% power shot will land. Sounds like real life to me. As you get better, your shots become more predictable.

As for the Wii quirks, they mostly go away with a little practice. I noticed that once you press the B button for a swing, even a bit of slight random movement of the wiimote will start the swing. If you press the B button right when you start your backswing, there's never a problem with weak or uncompleted shots. I find a very slight pause at the top of the backswing helps too. And the curve (hook/slice) is all in the wrists. With a bit of practice, it is easy to consistently get short shots in the 70-80% range. You generally don't need to go lower than this; just use a shorter club. So the finesse controls also work fine.

Putting can be a bit frustrating, but again some practice helps to get the swing right for the desired distance. I do think the spin control (joypad direction plus shake the wiimote while the ball is in the air) is a bit lame, but there's no finesse for hitting a specific point on the ball so at least there's some spin control.

The variety of games is great, just like in the other TWG versions. But I feel like I'm closer to playing golf, with more golflike swings, now that I've played a bit more and am mindful of avoiding random wiimote movements while swinging.

TWG is much more realistic and has more nuanced control than Wii Sports golf. (Although I like that too for shooting a few quick holes.) I haven't tried Super Swing golf yet, but just picked it up for $25 yesterday from BB and hope to check it out this weekend.

Most of the gripes about TWG (apart from the very unfriendly menu controls!) seem to be based on either the wiimote control quirks (which can be eliminated with practice and awareness) or the fact that it is more unpredictable and not as easy as other button-timing video golf games.

Lastblade

drmoze, please compare SSG once you have a chance to play it. I have SSG and like it alot, but most ppl don't.

drmoze

I've seen a lot of positive reviews for SSG (except mainly from those who wanted a realistic golf sim or traditional golf vidgame). I'll post a comparison, with explanations of some details and reference to my own likes/dislikes for perspective. For $25, I couldn't resist giving SSG a try.

Shadow Ace

Don't take my comments wrong...I absolutely love the game. The more I play it, the more I have figured out what causes the "swing glitches" and I can now avoid them about 99% of the time. The biggest complaint I have is the lack of a useful manual or tutorials and the menus. I took me about 3 days to figure out the Wi-mote needs to be turned BEFORE the swing to affect the hook/slice on the ball. The only place that is noted is on one of the splash screens when loading. I usually don't pay attention to those and that was part of my problem.

Again, menu navigation is just painful. I think the product was probably rushed a bit and hopefully we will see a big improvement next year. Until then, I'll enjoy playing this game which, in my opinion, is the best Wii golf game so far.

drmoze

Agree 100% with all of the above. I've picked up some useful info from the loading splash screens too. It would be great if all of the tutorial info was available through a separate menu option! I also feel comfortable recommending this game (and buying a Wii if necessary) to a good buddy of mine who really loves golf.

deadlax

just picked this game up. where/how do i increase my stats?

drmoze

Play/win/buy?

Shadow Ace

Not sure of the exact menu titles as I'm not in front of the console. Basically, start with the Tiger Challenge. Play a few matches and you will be rewarded both cash and "stat" points. Save and from the menu, select Game Face (?) then my stats. Based on the stat points earned you can bump up the listed categories. Make sure to save again after bumping up the categories. If this doesn't help, let me know, I can give the exact menus once I'm in front of the console.

Apocrypha

I picked this up last night
If you are curious and have patience I would recommend getting it as it has many different modes of play. The controls are what they are they feel very golf like and mostly responsive, with the exception of the putting game which really should feel more intuitive, I am hoping that as my skills and stats improve that a more natural golf feel emerges but overall its decent, one thing is the menus take patience more so than the actual gameplay!

rayw69

In the first available tourney of the year, I shot -3 for the first 36 holes (2 rounds) and didn't make the cut. Talk about a tough field.

drmoze

Okay, I've actually spent a fair bit of time Wii golfing over the past week or so. As promised earlier, I'm sharing my observations on the relative "golf-ness" of the 3 Wii golf games now available. This is more to help people in deciding if they may like a game than a spark intended to incite flames. As an initial matter, I'm not a hardcore golfer, but an occasional hacker (not more than 2-3 outings/year) who doesn't shoot below 100 (although I do try...).

Summary up front: In terms of swing mechanics and similar feel to real golf (which has *nothing* to do with graphics, characters, etc.!), this is my rating (most golflike to least golflike):

Tiger Woods > Wii Sports > Super Swing

Now for the whys and other observations:

Tiger Woods initially had a few glitches, including swings that started unintentionally or never followed thru past the backswing. As noted earlier in this thread, this can be avoided by timing and smoothness. A slight jiggle of the wiimote after pressing the B trigger can start a backswing unintentionally. The cure is simply to press the B trigger and start a smooth backswing immediately. Don't hold the trigger while settling in for a shot. A smooth backswing followed by a smooth follow through gives very consistent results. You can put something extra on the ball (>100%) with a fst swing, or consistently get 70-80% swings (with some finer control) with a partial backswing and slower follow through. Putting is still a bit tricky to get the distance consistent, but smooth and distinct back and forward motions helps. Use practice shots to find the right rhythm and combo. Putting results do not quite foillow a purely natural putting stroke (you have to adapt your rhythm to the game control mechanics) but once you figure it out, putting is more consistent and not unlike a real putt. Ball mechanics and lies are decent, and hooks/slices can be done either by follow-through twists of the wiimote or by holding the wiimote at an angle thru the entire shot. Tiger Woods seems closer in difficulty to real-life golf than the other golf games (although my scores are better in TW than in RL!).

Wii Sports golf has a reasonable swing mechanic. It encourages you to have a smooth backswing and follow through for consistent results. Power is the main shot aspect controlled by the swing. Sadly, the hook/slice is random and appears only when you swing harder than the 100% top of the swing meter. Wind seems to be used as a bigger factor (it has more noticeable effect) in this game than the others. Putting is a bit easier to control, and is generally a bit easier overall than in the other games. I like Wii Sports golf for taking some hacks and playing a few quick holes.

Super Swing has the least realistic swing mechanics of the three in real life. I've read many reviews praising the mechanics, but let me explain why I beg to differ. Super Swing is the most like a conventional button-push swing-meter game than the other two games. The conventional meter is at the bottom of the screen. But most importantly, the strength of your swing is determined not by the height of your backswing, but by the precise angle of the wiimote at (or near) the top of your backswing. Why is this unrealistic? Because, no matter how much I might want to, I cannot prevent myself from pausing at the top of the backswing, adjusting the wiimote angle slightly to get to the right spot on the power meter, and then pressing the A button to lock that power and then following through on the swing. This game encourages and almost requires that sort of "cheating" to get precise power on your shots. And at that point it is more like a conventional button-pushing golf game than a "realistic swing" game. The follow through has some effect on hook/slice (corresponding to the second button push in powerbar-based golf games) which is OK. The speed of the follow through has little effect on the strength of the shot though. Putting encourages the same "cheating." It is hard to avoid adjusting the wiimote angle on your backswing to get the meter just where you want it, then pressing the A button and following through. Again, Super Swing encourages a separated 2-part swing to get the strength accurate. (Although I realize you don't have to play that way, it is hard not to! I'm sure enough practice may lead to good results with a more continuous swing, but the thinking is still split between top-of-backswing precision and follow through straightness.)

So, Tiger is my game for the most realistic golfing feel. Wii Sports is fun for playing a few holes for fun. And I do like Super Swing a lot (it also has a lot of unlockable features, "power-ups," a story mode with multiple characters, etc.). However, I actually found myself preferring to play Super Swing using the button control. And for that, I would recommend the essentially free PC version (aka Albatross18 or Pangya), which also has online multiplayer features.

redbill

I'm having trouble hitting straight in Advanced swing mode. should I not rotate the wiimote at all, or can i rotate/cock my wrists, like real life?