Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR (PS4) review
Electronic Arts' PGA Tour Golf series is one of the longest in the world of video games. It premiered in 1990 and in 98 introduced Tiger Woods, a golfer who has marked an era in the sport, and starred in all games in the series until 2013 with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, when coinciding with the change of generation of consoles, the series finally took two years break.
Now again exclusively for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with a new protagonist, the young Rory McIlroy, No. 1 in the world ranking for 80 weeks and winner of four majors, who aims to be one of the best golfers in the coming years. The game developed by EA Tiburon, makers of the series since 2007, and runs on the graphics engine Frostbite 3 as almost all current titles from Electronic Arts, being a game made from scratch, to harness the power of the new consoles.
All this sounds great, but in practice, as the debut of other sports games in the new generation has run at half speed, very little in terms of content and game modes, paling to the previous installments, in one case very similar to the recent F1 2015. It looks good but not dazzling, the better for different control options to play, being more versatile than ever, but if you've enjoyed other PGA Tour - Golf, especially in recent years, almost it looks like a demo of the above comparison.
Hosting the game is encouraging, and welcome us a complete tutorial that explains the three control systems: Arcade, Tour and Classic, the first two hitting the ball with the left analog stick, and the third lifetime the three pulses (start of scrimmage, definition of power and accuracy), the more we like those who have spent many years enjoying golf games. The good thing is that we can also create our custom control, defining different parameters, such as the difficulty of the swing, to give effect to the ball in the air, display the slope of the green, and so on.
Once we have chosen the control system with which we start playing, we get the proper Rory McIlroy with a motivational videos of real image, giving the impression that this new PGA Tour - Golf will have a good presentation and a high production values. In the skin of young golfer, and while listening to their advice and speeches, we have to play the last hole of the final round of the US Open, a positive first contact with the game.
Once we finished the prologue we loose hand, and that's when we begin to see all the shortcomings of Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR, beginning with the menus to us in the game, moving in fits and starts moving, little fluid, unfit an EA Sports title, as if it had been of lower production. An idea that you start to be more or less clear when you discover the few game modes, and a shortage of fields and athletes.
We have twelve fields, of which only eight are real, although it is noted that not taste invented the purist or those looking for a game as realistic as possible, we must recognize that they are spectacular. We have twelve real golfers to choose, and then some fictitious pretty crazy, like a couple of nice elderly or soldier Battlefield, plus the ability to create our character. It is announced that new content will come soon in the form of free updates, but not yet specified anything and have to be cautious.
In the game modes have Play Now, in classical quick game in which we can set our own rules, and you can have four players locally, Pro Career, a rather loose career mode with very few possibilities, starting with an editor of characters more spartan than we have seen in recent years in any sports title, Night Club Challenge, one of the most interesting developments of this issue and we now discuss, and two online modes: Head2Head, which compete against three other players in real time and rankings, and Online Tournaments, with daily or weekly tournaments and differentiated by the control system, arcade, classic or tour.
You see when compared with the last installment of the series or virtually any sports title, has very few game modes, which together with the shortage of fields and poor career mode, make the content offer is unbecoming a game from EA Sports. At least we have introduced a novelty in the series that we liked a lot, Night Club Challenge, an arcade mode with 170 challenges that depending on our score can get from one to three stars, inherited from classical mechanics mobile games.
The first challenges are a good tutorial on how to play, as you are forced to implement the basics of the gameplay, while you entertain getting points. Before embarking on the standard fields, we recommend that you test with these entertaining. Then things start to become more and more crazy, and abandons its functions tutorial to introduce power-ups typical of an arcade game, with the possibility of giving a boost to the ball in the air, let it close to the ground when boot, or even on the floor like a car radio control and can be equipped at a time up to three of these enhancers. In short, a new way of very entertaining game, and it's a shame it did not go with equally well with the other game content.
The technical section has also disappointed, expected more from a game moved with Frostbite, in titles like Battlefield 4, and 60fps, has shown us what it looks in the new consoles. Here it is limited to 30fps, and also with some details somewhat ugly, as sudden appearance of elements in the panoramic fields, or a lawn sometimes poorly defined and even unattractive. It is in the fictitious fields like the Grand Canyon or the map of Battlefield, when it shows its best side, thanks to the lighting effects.
It is appreciated that no load times between holes, one of the greatest achievements of this generation gap, but the game does not move too much fluid (or menus as noted above), and neither the modeling of athletes, or the fields on which we play, surprised too, can do much more with this engine.
What has liked the atmosphere in general it is in the fields, much better than in previous games of golf, with enough public surrounding the holes also enthusiastically applaud our actions, even excessively, but we like it. Okay this relaxing and peaceful to go playing the hole by an empty field listening to the nature side, but the competitive and spectacle of tournament side, something that does not care too much at golf games so far also appreciated. Also the sound effects are fine, we like how striking the ball sounds, the music that plays through menus leaves much to be desired, and commentators do a good job commenting on every play.
Loose premiere in the new generation
Thus poor content and its discreet technical section, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR is not what we expected from new generation golf game of EA Sports, and is certainly disappointing. That said, the gameplay works perfectly, we have a lot of freedom to configure it to our liking, and even to mention many negative points we seem to be talking about a bad game, once you get to hit the ball and make birdies, bad you forget and enjoyed like any good game of golf. Definitely a good core gameplay poorly clothed for everything else, something that hopefully resolve with free upgrades and improve in future installments.
categories: Rory McIlroy; PGA TOUR 2015; PS4; Review