Gameplay
But how does the game actually play? To my mind, golf is a complex games that although simple to understand, is actually very complex and takes years to become even slightly good at. TW:PGA '04 has captured it perfectly, but let's you progress from novice, flailing maniac to smooth professional golf god in a much shorter period of time.There are four, yes FOUR, different ways to control your golfers swing, just for a start. For beginners there's a two-click method. One click starts the backswing, the further back, the more power is in the shot and the second click starts the downswing. You don't have to worry about hitting the ball properly, the game does that for you.
The next step up is a three click swing where the third click determines how you hit the ball, too early on the swing meter and you'll slice, too late and you'll hook.
But the only way to really play the game and get a feels for what a real round of golf is like it to use the 'True-swing' method, where the mouse simulates the movement of the club head. EA have thoughtfully provided both a vertical (push-pull) and a horizontal (side to side) variation of True-swing, which will accommodate those with minimum desktop space. It couldn't be easier to use. Pull back to start the swing, then push forward for the down swing. It's tricky to start with but with just a little practise you'll soon develop a pre-swing twitch like the pro's have before settling in to take your shot. Apparently it's very funny to watch as I pick the mouse up, line it up on the pad, let go, re-set my hand on the mouse and then let fly… but this is serious, ok? Oh, and please, no flash photography on my down swing, it really puts me off.
Using the True-swing option to control where you wave your shaft is really the only way to play the game and get a 'feel' as if you're really playing. With a little practise it's soon very easy to draw or fade the ball just where you want it, and this can shave off valuable yardage to a hole and give you the edge you need over the competition and trust me, at the higher levels, you need every advantage you can get.
Pull off a particularly good shot and the game zooms into a wide screen mode to either show you a close up of the pin with a the ball dropping into view nearby, or a replay of your last shot in full camera panning, cinematic glory.
Putting has always been a bit of bane in golf sims, but the True-swing system and the game mechanics are absolutely spot on here. When you're within chipping or putting range the game overlays a grid onto the green showing you the contours and aiding you in where to hit the ball. Combine this with the swing control system and pretty soon you'll be making a 10 foot putt across a sloping green as if it was second nature.
