Tiger Woods 12: Bringing a Strong Game to the Wii

If there’s anything worth owning a Wii for, it’s the golf. Ever since the days of Wii Sports, golf has been a favored past time for Wii owners, and it seems like they’ve always gotten the better end of the deal when it comes to selection. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters is the latest in a line of games that has always been enjoyable, if a little flawed. Tiger Woods 12 is no different, but is definitely an improvement in an already great series.

First of all, as with every golf game since the advent of the Motion Plus peripheral, the controls are pretty fine tuned. Shots fly predictably with few to no “cursing at the imaginary golf clubs” moments. The real meat of the game, creating a character and taking them from unknown rookie to green jacket-clad Masters champions, is pulled off beautifully, with a wide range of options for your characters, as well as the ability to edit them on the fly. With the wide range of courses offered, replay value is high. One excellent addition that Tiger Woods Wii 12 has is the ability to play disc golf on some courses, as well as the addition of some mini-golf maps. These little additions really keep the title from getting monotonous.

However, some things in Wii Tiger Woods 12 haven’t changed since the last title, such as aspects of the leveling procedure, and it really makes the title feel a little aged. The addition of the caddie system, while helpful at first, eventually became just plain annoying, and then got turned off entirely. Also, compared to the same title on other consoles, Wii owners are being shorted courses in Tiger Woods 12. Although the game ships with five more than the Xbox and Playstation 3 version, those versions have access to DLC not available on the Wii.

Wii Tiger Woods 12 is compatible with both the Wii Motion Plus and the Balance Board, although the latter is poorly implemented. The game is also compatible with the Bad Chicken Chicken Stick golf club, a more realistic Wii golf controller, and this makes the game feel as close as you’re going to get to real golf on the Wii.

In the end, if you own last years title, there’s not a whole lot of reason to upgrade to Tiger Woods Wii 12. The core gameplay modes are generally the same, and the only real new additions are the new courses to play on. However, if you’re a golf hardcore, or you’ve just got dreams of living like the titular celebrity, Wii Tiger Woods 12 might be a title you’d find worth buying.