Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector's Edition - Xbox 360 (Collector's Edition)

I don't have much to compare PGA Tour 13 to as I haven't played a game since 04 back on PS2 and don't remember a whole lot about it. Regardless, as a golfer I can say, the game is some serious fun! I tried the demo back a few weeks ago and was turned off, everything seemed off and unbalanced. Luckily the final game turned out better than I expected. This review is mainly for the Kinect version of the game, as that is all I have used to play and is the main reason for me finally diving into another Tiger Woods game. There are 3 sides to Kinect controlling: The actual fairway and green play, the menu system between these shots and the voice controls. First off, one of my favorite aspects of most Kinect games is the voice control abilities. Just saying "change club...4 iron" is so fluid and intuitive, it seems almost slow to choose with a controller. This is also the preferred method of doing things as whoever designed the hand-controlled Kinect menus must have been sleeping most of the work day as they are atrocious. Trying to select a menu item is pulling teeth using motions, always use voice controls until they patch this. As far as actual gameplay once setting up your shot, the Kinect shines bright. You face your TV and swing parallel to it so that Kinect can read your full swing instead of limit side view by the device. This is the first use of Kinect by the PGA Tour team and there are some subtle movements I do as a golfer that it will not pick up on, twisting your wrists to change club-head angle does not seem to have any effect and occasionally Kinect will stutter a bit when trying to recognize what you are intending to do with your hands, as well as stutters in your avatars actions when you swing. However, you won't notice those much if you keep your head down and eyes on the imaginary ball at your feet as the game replicates what you are doing with your swing very well. It takes some getting used to, ghosting golf swings, but I found a stick to hold that gave me a better feel of really holding a club, which translated into more confident shots. Aiming is something that takes practice and can be daunting for some at first. You raise your right hand out and make a fist that you can then move left, right, up, or down to dictate direction and depth, then clasp your hands together and the game will instantly recognize you want to hit the ball. One final aspect I will touch on is the Online Country Clubs. You join a group of other people (random or friends) and start a team that can garner you extra bonuses for you and your teammates based on how well you and they play. It also makes setting up Xbox Live matches with teammates pretty easy and adds to the overall feeling of being on Tour. Overall, I am impressed with the Kinect controls. I have wanted a true Golf simulation using Kinect, and this is a great first entry into the PGA series for the device. The immersion offered is almost as good as being on the links (except no cart fees!). The online features are pretty good, and Xbox Live play is a mostly lag-free experience. Also of note; I am from and live in Augusta, GA. The Masters is seriously big time around here. Getting to virtually play on the Augusta National is a thrilling thing for me. I think every golf fan alive wants to take 18 holes on that course!

I've been playing this series for many years. I've often skipped a year here and there since most iterations don't change all that drastically from one year to another. I bought last year's game and enjoyed it for a few days and then got rid of it and never yearned to play it again. The focus last year (EA tends to do this with their sports games - they pick some new angle, hype it, and then forget it next year) was the caddie system. The caddie talked, gave advice etc etc. I thought it was stupid and got in the way of the flow of the game. I tried the demo this year just to see what changed and I liked it a lot. The swing system is better than it's ever been. Gone is the ability to pound on a button to add power. Now power is applied in your swing like in real life. You can still spin in the air, but only on easier difficulty settings. On real difficulty settings, your spin will be determined by where you hit the ball. Putting has also seen a huge improvement over past years. It takes skill and a steady hand now. Anyone familiar with EA's football games will understand the new pin system (similar to card packs in the football and hockey games). Coins are the currency you earn by playing rounds of golf. These coins can be spent on rounds of DLC courses without having to spend actual money on them. Play them enough and you'll master them, after which time you now own that course and no longer need to spend coins to play it. This will take a lot of time since it takes a long time to earn enough coins to play a DLC course. You also have the option to just buy the courses. People are whining about this setup, but come on, there's 21 courses in this version of the game. That's more than enough, and if you need a change of pace just spend your coins on a DLC course. The addiction factor with this version of the game is much higher than I've felt in any Tiger Woods game in a long long time. You're always earning coins, exp points etc to keep builing your character and earning new clubs and clothes. There's a ton of courses to master and numerous difficulty settings to move up to if it starts to get too easy. And for the 2nd year in a row, the game includes Augusta National (plus the par 3 course). It's one of the best courses in the world, and it's well represented here. Many courses in the game are easy, but not this one. It's always a challenge.

This is a great game with a great concept but you must calibrate your Kinect to work correctly. Make sure you have proper lighting in the room and make sure that the Kinect is set at a good distance. I'm not sure why other games work better with the Kinect but there's definitely something to the programming. If you're a golf fan you should definitely add this to your list!

Lots of negative reviews for this game, so I held out buying it. It worked out bc the price finally dropped and I could get the Collector's edition, which is the way to go. Being a huge fan of the Masters the first thing I noticed is they finally got the rights to the Masters Theme music, which really adds to the experience. Game play and graphics are the best I've experienced playing a golf game. The back swing line helps correct mistakes, tempo is a nice addition, and putting feels more like putting, just don't use the caddie much so you can get your own feel. I can't comment on the Kinect, since I prefer to play games sitting down and don't own one. I'd take away a star for the principle of courses that need to be purchased, but the game is just too fun and my main concern was getting Augusta, which is included and many other of the best courses like Pebble Beach. My only issue was right off the bat the commentators words were scrabbled, but it only happened once, so far. I almost didn't upgrade from last years addition, but glad I did. This game is great!

PARFAIT

really good

Wasnt what i expected before u shoot it does it for u terrible