It's like being reacquainted with that old girlfriend you dumped
As previously mentioned, the hitting of the golf ball is in itself extremely good fun. The difficulty level does seems to have been ramped up since last year as the sensitivity of the analogue swing seems far more responsive to touch, with shots more likely to veer off to the left or right unless you concentrate fully on each shot.The controls will be familiar to anyone who has played any Tiger Wood's game before. By using the analogue stick you swing the left thumb stick back and forward in a smooth motion you control the power and tempo, draw and fade of the shot, while the right stick controls the spin of the ball. It's an extremely effective and flexible control system that gives you total control over the shot. Once again, if you hit the ball sweet enough you'll be treated to a slow motion sequence that shows off your shot with some style.
Strangely, one of the new additions to the gameplay is the three click swing (from the old days) and the re-introduction of it just makes you realise why they got rid of it in the first place. It does improve your power and accuracy and in the earlier stages, when the going is hard, it's is a decent substitution and easier way to hit the ball than using the analogue control, but using the stick to swing still feels more like you're playing golf than using this old style of gameplay.
Seeing this old style of gameplay is rather like being reacquainted with that old girlfriend you dumped - you might flirt with the idea of getting back with her for a while as you remember some of those good times together, but at the end of the day you dumped her for a reason.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageOn the green, EA has provided some help with the putting, though it's still fiendishly difficult to master. In addition to being able to move the camera around the green and view the green grids to judge the slopes, there is now a putting preview. This can only be used once each time you putt and it shows you the line from your putter to the cup so you stand more of a chance of being able to sink it. I do think this is a great addition and without it putting is extremely difficult.
