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Still a very good game in 2008
Tiger Woods still leads the pack in golfing SIMS for PlayStation and XBox. Still a great game, lots of fun, decent graphics, and more importantly - still a challenge. I gave '04 and '05 both 5-star reviews... '06 and `07 are close at 4.5 stars... and '08 comes close again with 4 stars overall. Here's the breakdown as I see it on Tiger Woods PGA 2008.

GOLF COURSES: 18 total courses (6 new courses). New courses (or at least returning in '08) include Firestone, Cog Hill, Doral, TPC Boston, East Lake, and Westchester. Several of the classic courses are back in '08 including - Pebble Beach, TPC Scottsdale, The Falls in Las Vegas, TPC Sawgrass, St. Andrews, Aviara, The K Club, Hilton Head Island's Harbor Town, and Kiawah Island. Gone are all the "fantasy" courses (i.e. The Predator, Central Park, etc). I must admit - I miss the Troon North Arizona desert course, the beautiful Pumpkin Ridge in the autumn, and the toughness of Emerald Dragon. There are 15 PGA players to unlock. The commentator team of McCord and Feherty are back (though way too many of their phrases are the same from '07).

GAME FACE, EQUIPMENT, GAME MODES: Improvements are slight moving from '07 to '08. As stated in '07, perhaps the PS2 has peaked in the graphics area - and the real improvements are reserved for PS3. All the things you could do in '07 with the face and body are here (and again only one face to alter). Clothing, club selection and the misc golf gear is extensive and all the top major golfing brands are here (Callaway, Ping, Taylor-Made, etc). New sponsors in '08 include Etonic, J.Lindeberg (what the?), Sundog Eyewear, ESPN (shirt), Footjoy, and of all things - BUICK (shirt/hat... no car or golf cart? Thanks Tiger). Game modes are the same as '07 with one new addition. The standards include: PGA Tour/Season, Traditional (8 games including Match/Skins/etc), Battle Golf, Real Time Event Calendar, Skills 18, Team Tour, One Ball, Team One Ball, Elimination Mode, Bloodsome, Greensome, Stableford, Best Ball, Four Ball and 3 mini-games. The new game is the Fed-Ex Cup Playoffs (another calendar matching you against the Pros). As in '06 and `07, there is a "Save Progress" button allowing you to stop play at any given time.

PUTTING: As in '07 - you get to choose - do you want to putt like the '06 game is set up, or like the '05 game (too bad - no caddy tips)? As in '06 and `07, you'll need to read the greens and judge the distance to the cup before each putt. You'll need to look at all the info on the screen when putting - grid with sloping beads, camera angles, distance from the cup, and strength of shot. When putting, press the "X" button to show the ideal line/path to the hole. You'll have to judge how far left or right to move the blue arrow. Like the swing control of all your other clubs, you'll need to determine the power of your putts by how far you pull back on your putter. I actually prefer the newer way of putting and I've gotten used to it...in my opinion, there's more info on the screen for you to make better putts using this method. The new "Putt Preview" (indicated by the big green horizontal bar at the top of the screen) gives you a limited amount of time to line up the ball, hit the `X' button for a preview of your shot, and then adjust afterward.

SWING CONTROLS: Same as `06 and `07 - your left analog stick still controls the back swing and downswing, as well as your hook and slice; while the right analog stick determines where the club hits the ball. If you don't use the right analog stick (which will be a majority of your shots), you'll hit in the middle of the ball. I feel the right analog stick is more for those strategic shots when you're close to a tree and you need extra loft to get over it, or you're under a tree and you need to punch a line drive to get out from underneath. It's virtually impossible to hit a strategic shot like this with both thumbs on the analog controls AND power up on the L1 button for a stronger shot. You can still choose how you want to hit the ball (full swing, punch, pitch, flop, chip and putt). One nice thing I've noticed - in previous years the game would decide if and when you could use your putter. You can still make the choice where/when to use your putter... even from several feet off the green.

SKILL TOKENS: Same as '06 and `07 - gone are the days of earning cash from tournaments and buying literally whatever attributes you want. When you hit a good shot, you will earn skill token(s) for that type of shot. There are 6 categories in which to earn tokens for and improve your golfers performance: General, Power, Accuracy, Putting, Spin, and Concentration. Wagering $$$ - while playing against another player, you can increase your paycheck each time you play, you can wager on every round or even every hole.

THE GOOD: Once again (in '08), EA Sports has simplified the navigational menus. There are fewer clothing items to choose from (and gone are the attributes to match with specific clothing items). "Speed Play" quickens the time and you can skip all the post celebrations if you want (with a click of the R1 button). Like `07, the '08 edition includes short tutorials - a description and example of each shot and type of game (i.e. flop, punch, pitch, spin control, "Bloodsome", Skills 18, etc)... great for novices of the sport. The EA Sports Trax (music) is much the same in '08 - low key instrumentals by obscure bands/people (again... thankfully no hip-hop or rap). I've noticed the surrounding trees, clouds, rolling fog, and water all seem tweaked and are that much more impressive in '08. The new "Putt Preview" is interesting... and if you get the hang of it, you'll have more than enough time to utilize the full green bar (timer) over 18 holes. I found the K-Club course and Atlantic Crossing exceptional in '08 - with all the ocean views, sandy dunes, and winding cart paths. Several new tournaments are added on the calendar - including 1/2/3 day tourneys (not just 4-day tourneys) - New Year's Day, St.Patrick's Day, Valentines Day, Ground Hog Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mother's/Father's Day, Halloween, etc.

THE BAD: Many of the same tired characters in the same old outfits... with the same positive/negative reactions. I've noticed the instructional booklet that comes with the game keeps getting thinner and thinner. In 2004 the booklet was in color and featured 28-pages of useful info. In '07 and '08, the booklet is black and white, and only 10-pages. Sadly, the gamer will learn more while actually IN the game and trying stuff out. Again, the announcers' dialogue was often wrong - "Finishes at even par today" when I'm on the 6th hole? "That's just a bad shot" when I leave a shot 4 feet from the pin from 150 yards out? I found the announcers chatter extremely repetitive and frequently turn them off. All the characters still have that chronic stiff neck. In the PGA Tour calendar - once the gamer has won an event, there is no name or mark on the calendar. So looking at the calendar on a later date, you won't know right away if you've even played that particular tournament. When swinging my irons and making contact with the ball, the sound effect sounds more like my metal woods. When getting ready to hit any shot, on screen there is no mention of par or what shot the gamer is currently attempting (you'll need to hit the `select' button for this)... I hate this. I also noticed on several occasions - when putting, my golf ball goes into the hole and shakes like a bird's egg ready to hatch. The `shot confidence' attribute boost - haven't figured this out yet... my hope is that the game does this automatically for you.

OVERALL: The changes are slight from '07 to '08. In the end though, I think too much of this is simply the same. With that being said, the few new features, the slightly improved graphics, and the new golf courses still make this a must have for those that like the Tiger Woods PGA series... still the best golf game on the market (4+ stars).

Not as Good as 2007
Some interesting graphics, but game play is not as good as the 2007 or 2006 versions

went into a fairway bunker and barely saves double bogey
I hadn't bought a golf game since Tiger 2004, and I'd heard Bandon Dunes and Carnoustie were in this year's edition. As Corso says, not so fast, my friend. Neither is in the PS2 version. Faaaaaaaa!

At first I thought this was a very good game. Only when I started playing did I see just how unpolished it was. There are still no hybrid clubs. Ranges are often incorrect. Sometimes when you chip in from the apron--a very respectable shot--the game says you went 'out of bounds' and nails you a penalty stroke--par when you should have birdied. In the Tiger Challenge, some tasks are insanely hard to do well on, and navigation is very slow through the hexagonal grid. Navigation in PGA Tour Mode is also awkward. On the Tiger Challenge, you basically get automatic backspin. Wait until you get to Tour mode and you can't get any meaningful backspin at max stats, and you have to relearn your whole approach game. At first I had Feherty and McCord's commentary--then it simply vanished. No idea how to get it back, or if it's coming back. Doesn't much matter--its sound was tuned to the crowd noise, which always drowned them out anyway. And there is much more--those are merely the lowlights of a game that simply wasn't refined. It was tested for showstopper bugs and released. EA doesn't care.

All of this would be easier if the game had documentation to speak of. EA has responded to the annual complaints about lousy documentation not by improving it, but by making it worse. You're going to have to learn this as you go along. On many screens you will just have to push buttons and see what happens. For example, half the time as I'd try powering up for a booming shot, in mid-swing it would go into course flyby. I finally realized that R3 (L3 for most) caused this, so on the swing one must be careful not to push the stick down. And that's one example. Another is the putt preview feature, with no on-screen clue as to how to exit the mode. Just push buttons until something works.

I'm told by 07 enthusiasts that EA added almost nothing this year. Doesn't surprise me a bit--they buy a franchise and then milk that cow until it collapses. I'm glad I denied them revenue for three years, and it looks like I'll be doing the same. I hope I like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 better. I'm sure Tiger himself doesn't play this--it flunked Q School.

Rating it for my husband
It must be REAL good as my husband has been playing it non-stop since he received it. He says the graphics are much better that 07 and it is easier to navigate through the game.

My 10year old LOVES this game!
I got this for my 10 yo son who is a golfer, or golf freak I should say. When he first started playing the game he had a hard time, needless to say he didn't go to his options area to make the game easier to play for beginners... now he has a blast playing since he made it easier to handle and play. Driving, hitting, ect is really hard to get down in one motion, suggest you practice before actually playing.