Since Tiger Woods decided to be a naughty boy, his gaming series has changed a little. Last year saw Rory McIlroy take a sharing role on the cover next to the shamed Tiger. Not that it changed the game so much. This year the unique selling point is The Masters. Could this then be the final year that Tiger has his name on the franchise before The Masters takes over for good? If so, it's a fitting end to for the man who's been the master of golf in the video game world and reality for a number of years now. There's no point in us shaming the master, as he only did what all us males dream of doing on a nightly basis (yep, porn stars).
Our fantasy and Tiger's personal life aside, The Masters offers a host of new features to push the franchise forward. By forward I mean a Tiger Woods game without Tiger Woods, as becoming good enough to enter and win The Masters is what PGA Tour 12 is really all about. The career mode has been revamped, requiring you to move from the amateur tours all the way to the top level. Along the way you can unlock new equipment by completing challenges, such as completing a hole with a birdie or an eagle, to simple things like hit the ball down the fairway. The challenges makes it far more rewarding than simply paying for them with in-game currency.
Veteran of the series or never swung a virtual golf club before, Tiger Woods 12 takes you by the hand at the start and eases you in to professional mode (eventually). This time you don't wander the green alone, as a rather helpful caddie (a glorified tutorial) is always at your side to aid you through every swing. He will offer you suggestions as to which club, direction and force you should adopt. He'll even learn more info about a course to offer fresh advice the next time you play it. His advice is purely optional though, and if you wish you can ignore him and do your own thing. Newcomers should listen to him though, and in time you'll become accustomed to which club to use, how to use it and how to face particular hazards such as water, bunkers and everyone's favourite, wind.
Getting to the green is usually the easy part, the challenge comes with putting. The caddie isn't the biggest of help when it comes to tackling the slopes and sinking the ball. In fact, putting takes longer to master than anything else. Luckily the putt circle is at hand to give you direction, and after many failed holes you'll soon learn the ways of the green.
Some new additions from the previous game have also been kept, such as focus to improve aim and the experience system. The problem with levelling up a character comes with online play, as you really have to grind to be good enough to contend with the rest of the world. Some people may find this tedious, others will love every second. As far as online play goes, it's as good as we've become used to. Providing you don't get matched with someone far better than yourself.
The biggest gripe with PGA Tour 12 is the courses. While there's 16 courses on the disc, there's a staggering 20 more available as premium DLC. That's fine usually, but this game incorporates the downloadable courses into the career mode, which then causes problems if you're not willing to splash out more money for the downloads. As you play the career, you'll try to enter a tournament attached to a DLC course. The game will stop you and inform you to go purchase the course from the store, or skip the event. Having a good chunk of career mode blocked off unless you pay is really not good considering you've more than likely just spent £40 on the game.
Outside of the career mode the game shows its new title even further by adding nine different Masters Moments to test your skills. These segments are based on real life memorable moments from previous tournaments. You can also play as Tiger Woods through four of his Masters victories, attempting to match or even beat his real life score for that tournament. They're good additions, but they all take place at Augusta National (the home of The Masters), meaning they can become a little repetitive and tedious.
The major DLC issues don't prevent Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters from being a worthy golfing sim, and one that takes a step forward from the previous years. The additions of a lengthier and more fleshed out career mode, and a very helpful caddie, make it a worthwhile game for devotees of the franchise, or those who are considering picking up the virtual club for the first time. If this is to be the last "Tiger Woods" game, then he's going out showing everyone who the master really is.
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