Augusta National Golf Club sits atop the every golfer’s wish list. Getting a coveted tee time takes a lot of connections and a fair bit of luck. But EA Sports and the “Tiger Woods” franchise are finally taking you to the hallowed grounds of the Masters, even if it is digitally. “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters” is just another step toward turning golf video games into true-to-life simulations. The career mode more closely mirrors the rise from amateur to Tour pro to golf legend — your character has to work his or her way onto the Nationwide Tour, then through Q School, and finally climb the ranks on the PGA Tour.
It’s hard to find fault with the actual gameplay, as it’s as close to perfect as you would hope (though EA will find some way to improve it next year). The big issue “The Masters” has run into is bad press in the blogosphere and on some message boards. The firm has been blasted for having more downloadable courses than ones included on the game disc (16 included, 19 DLC), and it’s another $50 to get all the extra courses — it would feel less like getting ripped off if the company had them split evenly. At least the DLC courses can be used in career mode, unlike in the past. The other issue is the online play. An online pass is needed to compete with other gamers on EA’s servers. A code for this is included with each new copy of the game. However, may people will try to pick up this title used or rent it, where in that case you’d have to shell out $10 to buy the code. It’s understandable that EA would want a piece of the resale market, but it still comes across as being a tiny bit money-hungry.
