A golf sim to end all golf sims? That's what EA Sports promises with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

Before I go on, I have to say that I’m not a fan of sports in general, and my only experience of actual golf is playing a round of mini golf a long time ago.

Nevertheless, golf games have always interested me and I’ve had a golf game of some kind on various handhelds and mobile phones that I’ve owned over the years.

When EA Games announced that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Tiger 10) would be bundled with the Wii MotionPlus, Nintendo’s attachment that promises ultra-accuracy in reacting to your movements, I was sold.

I partly wanted a second MotionPlus (the first was bundled with Wii Sports Resort) and partly because I really wanted to try what promises to be the ultimate golf game.

Of course, when it comes to golfing games, there’s no console that better translates the experience of actually playing than the Wii.

Its motion controls almost perfectly mimics the actual act of hitting a golf ball with a club and MotionPlus support means that swinging your virtual golf club is now more accurate than ever.

As it turns out, my expectations were met — nay, were exceeded — because Tiger 10 is easily the best and most realistic golf game ever.

(Above) par for the course

This is usually where I give you a summary of the game’s story, but this being a sports simulator, there’s obviously none of that.

What Tiger 10 offers is to put you into the shoes of a golfer going through the PGA Tour.

At its most basic, the game allows you to pick up the Wiimote and get right down to the playing by just clicking on Play Now — Tiger 10 tries to present a user-friendly display which should be clear even to non-gamers.

Of course, Tiger 10 is much more than that — the advanced settings allow players to customise their characters, then work their way up the ranks in various tournaments in the PGA Tour and finally earn enough points to play in the prestigious FedExCup.

STORMY WEATHER: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 synchronises with online weather information to give you real-time weather effects.

Those familiar with previous Tiger Woods PGA Tour games will find quite a bit that’s new in this game.

Apart from the already formidable accuracy offered by MotionPlus, Tiger 10 can now go online and download real-time weather information and actual PGA Tour statistics so you get realistic weather conditions and compare your scores against actual golfers currently playing on the circuit.

Hardcore golfers can choose from a whopping 27 courses, seven of which, such as Banff Springs, Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines, are new in this game, so there’s certainly no shortage of challenge here.

And remember, all these are available with the live weather option if you’re connected to the Internet.

For more casual players, there’s a plethora of arcade and party-style games, such as one where you are given extra points for hitting your ball through a number of virtual rings while working the course.

RAIN: Real-time weather effects will constantly challenge how you play any particular course.

The multiplayer party games under the Golf Party heading are particularly notable — with up to four players, you can play, for example, Ball Battle, in which you and your friends can pull the ball in various directions as it soars through the air to achieve specific individual goals.

There’s even a silly game where players control a golf cart each and try to collect as many golf balls as possible in a limited amount of time!

Most of the Golf Party games were carried over from Tiger Woods PGA Tour 9, but one notable new addition is Disc Golf, which is a fun frisbee game similar to Frisbee Golf in Wii Sports Resort, except with more choices in courses.

It’s worth noting here that while Tiger 10 is available on other consoles as well (though vastly inferior in control, IMHO) Disc Golf is exclusive to the Wii edition.

All in all, a lot of stuff to keep you interested for months and possibly years.

Total control

As I said before, playing Tiger 10 is as easy or as punishingly difficult (and realistic) as you want to make it.

Thanks to the MotionPlus attachment, the game is the most realistic golf sim to date, offering you a lot of control of your swing and the amount of spin you can apply in your stroke.

USER-FRIENDLY: The menus in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 are designed to be easy to understand, even for non-gamers.

Having said that, Tiger 10’s user-friendly menus do an inadequate job of explaining which options actually utilise the MotionPlus attachment — for example, MotionPlus is only utilised when you choose the Precision Putting option, whereas in Classic Putting mode, it’s not used at all.

This is not explained when choosing your various options and you could very well be choosing all non-MotionPlus modes.

Never having actually played a real round of golf before, there was certainly a bit of a learning curve for me, especially in getting the golf swing right.

The good thing about Tiger 10 is that it can handhold you through this period — the game talks you through making a correct stroke as well as familiarising yourself with the control system and menus.

To be honest, it took me a few hours to really get my head (and arms) around the golf swing, but that’s because I insisted on playing in Standard mode instead of the much easier All Play mode for beginners and casual players.

PLAY THE PROS: Online play in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 allows you to play against professionals currently playing on the circuit at any given time.

All Play mode gives you a shot preview for your long drives towards the fairway, while Standard Mode is more realistic and you can only estimate the end point of your shot.

I’m pretty sure that if you’re a seasoned golfer, you’ll probably want to choose the Advanced swing difficulty, where all handholding and previews are turned off and every twist and swing of your Wii Remote is translated to your virtual club.

There are loads of modes in Tiger 10, so you really get a lot for your money.

UNIQUE: The Tournament Challenge mode gives you a chance to replay some classic moments in golf by pitting yourself against the scores of professionals.

Apart from the fun arcade modes, there’s Career Play for serious golfing as well as a new Tournament Challenge mode in which you play against the scores of actual famous golfers.

The scenarios in Tournament Challenge give you certain targets to aim for, such as completing a particular course to match Tiger Woods’ best score or something similar.

Completing each Tournament Challenge will also unlock more courses in the other games and raise your player stats as well.

MotionPlus

So what does MotionPlus add to the whole gaming experience in Tiger 10? Quite a lot, actually, especially in putting.

When making long drives in Advanced swing mode, for example, you can add spin to your ball by twisting your Wii Remote as you swing, which is just about as realistic as it gets.

Adding the proper amount of “fade” or “draw” (as a spin is called in golf-speak) is essential on some courses where you need to have the ball curve past trees to get the most effective placement of your golf ball on certain courses.

In Standard and All Play mode which mirror the pre-MotionPlus controls, you add fade or draw by dragging little arrows on the right and left sides of the target reticle that appears on the golf course and then swing your club like normal.

PRECISION PUTTING: Thanks to the MotionPlus attachment, putting in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is now more realistic than ever.

However, it’s in putting that you see the biggest change — in previous PGA Tour games, your putting distance is determined by a number of different putters, which is completely unrealistic.

In Tiger 10, on the other hand, you have Precision Putting with only one putter, and the strength and distance of your putt is accurately captured by MotionPlus from your movements alone instead of some unrealistic menu option.

Final round

I never thought I’d say this, considering my disdain of sports in general, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 deserves full marks as a game — whether you’re a golf fanatic, a hardcore gamer or just a casual player, the game is definitely worth a serious look.

The graphics are also some of the best available on the Wii, and together with MotionPlus support, there just isn’t a sports game better or more realistic than this on any console.

GORGEOUS: Though graphics aren't the Wii's strong suit, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 still manages to deliver some of the best and often beautiful graphics on the console.

Don’t let the fact that it’s a sports game prejudice you — if you give it a chance, you’ll find that this game goes beyond just being a golf game for golf enthusiasts and really offers something for everyone.

In the time I had it, I’ve played the heck out of the game, often averaging five to six hours a day, with more courses and modes yet to be explored.

It’s a long and rewarding game, and best of all, replayability is high, as the very nature of the game means you aren’t likely to be able to play the game the same way twice.

Pros: Great graphics; realistic gameplay; lots of casual party modes; online weather and stats download is great.

Cons: MotionPlus modes could be explained better.

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