A few weeks ago we finalized our full review of the Xbox One version of Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (check out full review here). As opposed to writing something similar for the PlayStation 4, we thought we would break down the top four things we like and dislike about the game. And give you our final thoughts as to whether PGA Tour hits the mark on its PS4 debut.
Love List
1.) Quick Rounds
If you’re like me and don’t have time to play 72 holes in a single tournament, then quick rounds is the perfect solution for you. The game chooses the best five or six holes per round and lets you complete a single tournament in under half an hour. The game even does a pretty good job of simulating the holes you skip so their isn’t a drastic shift in score between rounds.
2.) Core Gameplay
At its core, PGA Tour is a solid game of golf. The game allows you to choose between three different swing styles: arcade, three click and tour. During my hands-on time, i felt right at home with the arcade swing style, since it utilizes the analog sticks and allows you to manipulate the balls power and spin. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, the three click and tour swing style will be right up your alley. The game even gives you the option of creating your own swing style drawing on elements from the above mentioned styles to create your own hybrid.
3.) Nightclub mode
When I think of nighclubs and golf, it brings me back to the escapades of Tiger Woods. Apparently EA and myself had different thoughts of what to expect with this mode. I didn’t think of an old guy trying to complete golf challenges on a neon lit course late at night. Aside from that, the nighclub mode is actually pretty fun. There’s dozens of challenges that can keep you busy for hours. You are ranked on a scale of one to three stars and I frequently found myself going back to past challenges in an attempt to three star them.
4.) Baba Booey Shoutouts!
You knew this was coming! Baba Booey shout outs at televised golf tournaments seem like a common occurrence these days and they are not just limited to this side of the pond. Even the recent British Open saw a live Baba Booey shootout on TV as well. It shows just how powerful the reach of the Howard Stern Show is, even if Howard is long past his creative prime. It would have been nice if the commentators had some reaction to the baba booey shout outs like acting annoyed with it or giving Howard their own shout out with a “Hey Now!”
Hate List
1.) Lack of Courses, Golfers & Game Modes
What happened EA? This always seems to be the case with next generation sports titles when they make their console debut. I still remember NHL 2001 for the PS2 lacking a lot of the basic features its PC counterpart had. Maybe a lack of development time is to blame for the lack of features. PGA Tour ships with only 13 courses and 12 golfers. To top it off, The Masters Augusta National course is not playable in the game either. Popular modes like Skins and Best Ball are nowhere to be found either. EA no longer plans to release yearly PGA Tour titles for the foreseeable future. Their new focus is to have PGA Tour serve as a platform by which DLC will be continually added, similar to what was done with the publisher’s other title, UFC.
2. Where’s All The Customization Gone?
The character customization options are bare at best. There’s only eleven head types, three non-white skin tones, little to no facial hair customization options, three main body types and strange eye colours to choose from (orange anyone?). You won’t have much luck recreating yourself in the game given the narrow range of options
3. Putting Could Use A Better Tutorial
The putting can be difficult to master. It’s only made more difficult by the fact that the game’s prologue doesn’t do a very good job explaining how to properly follow the white putting line. I sometimes found myself doing the exact opposite of what the putting line was showing based on my read of the green.
4. EA’s Servers Are Spotty At Times
On more than half a dozen occasions I had trouble connecting to EA’s servers. To ensure it wasn’t just my connection, I tried playing the game on two different connections from two different internet service providers and ran into the exact same issue. The easiest workaround for this problem was to log out of the Playstation Network since cancelling the auto sign in never seemed to work. Hopefully this is an issue that’s fixed with a patch down the road.
The Verdict
At its core PGA Tour is a solid title, but it’s the window dressings around it that seem to lack any depth. Limited course selection/golfers, spotty servers and lack of any real character customization make this a title that may be worth the wait down the road after months of DLC have been served to the community.