On iPhone
Game: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
Price: $6.99 / £3.99
Size: 250 MB
Get it now on iTunes:US/UK
On iPad
Game: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 HD
Price: $9.99 / £5.99
Size: 253 MB
Get it now on iTunes:US/UK
Tiger may not be winning tournaments these days, but his mobile games are doing just fine, thank you very much. The newest versions, released this week, are rock-solid titles that have us sneaking in a few holes whenever we have a couple of minutes. While we’re bummed that they don’t include The Masters, there’s plenty of fun to be had with what’s here.
The controls are great, and feel a little refined from the original version. Shots are fired with a nifty sliding mechanic that makes it easy to adjust power and direction. It works better on the iPad simply because of the larger available real estate; the smaller iPhone screen can feel a little cramped, which is why it would have been nice to have an alternate 3-tap mechanic for those of us with, um, larger hands.
As with last year, a career mode is the centerpiece, and it takes some work to turn your weak-as-a-kitten player into a real king of the jungle. Addictive Tiger Challenges offer the best path to improvement, giving you cash for better gear when you beat them, and a relatively full PGA calendar awaits when you’re ready to go against the Tour vets.
The two versions are virtually the same, which is probably why the multiplayer works so beautifully between the devices; our iPad vs. iPhone matchups were more fun than we thought they could be. The only downside to competitive play is that you’re forced to watch your opponent’s shot, so you’ll need to settle in for a bit if you’re going to play against a friend for 18 holes.
They’re relatively pricey, but worthwhile investments for dedicated mobile golfers. Now can we get a little Augusta National DLC, please?
Apr 1, 2011
