Currently free on the App Store for a limited time, PGA tour 2012 is a console port that has managed to work pretty well on touch screen.
I’ve never really been into golf, but I did have a brief stint of being obsessed with PGA some years ago on the Xbox. This game doesn’t seem to have moved on massively in terms of style, layout, even graphics and at first I thought my odd love for the console version would taint my enjoyment of this version.
Yes, you have to spend some time learning which club and type of shot to use, and yes, the wind is a bitch, and yes, the power bar is difficult to master…but if you put the time in, tiger woods PGA tour 2012 has a lot of content to get your teeth stuck into.
Once you’ve figured out all of the above you will find this game addictive, as you play through the challenges to try to get enough money to enter another tournament you find yourself becoming obsessed with levelling up your player and being able to hit that ball a little bit further.
When you’re doing particularly badly, the game likes to throw up a little window, gently reminding you that you are struggling and should probably upgrade your player. This can be quite annoying as the reason you haven’t upgraded is because you haven’t earned the money yet. The game then gently reminds you that you can buy some more money. Tight wads like me don’t really want to give EA 69p every time they get stuck on the game, so I can’t help gritting my teeth every time the game offers this option when I didn’t ask for it.
This is a great game for golf fans, most of which will be pleased with the variety of courses and the ability to play long games with many players.
Those new to golf will welcome the challenge modes, easing players into the wonderful world of double bogey’s with a variety of short games to ease you in to what is a fun game to play, but effectively the most boring game to watch, ever.
Pros: realistic gameplay with plenty of content to keep you occupied for a long time
Cons: quite a difficult learning curve, constant reminders to buy money packs gets a bit annoying
