MY PERSONAL REVIEW EA PGA TOUR

Pretty much agree with everything you have said here. The swing mechanism is so much appreciated by my controller. There are a few things that really aggravate me about the game but in general I do enjoy playing it.

Players should have the ability to turn off Dispersion and natural spin. Both take the game out of the hands of the player and places it in the hands of the game itself. Bunkers and rough need to be more punishing. Downhill puts could be a little more nerve racking but not as extreme as in 2k where you can come back 15 ft for an 18 ft down hiller and the ball will roll 15-20 ft. past the hole.

The game also needs to stop moving the ball to a safer position when we hit into trouble. Let us be punished for hitting errant shots not awarded.

Another thing that I think is better than 2K is the leader boards in career tournaments. I have seen golfers jump 2 shots at a clip more than once in a round and the rivalry aspect is kinda weird. Most of the time my rivals are over par and shouldn't even be making the cut never mind walking down the 18th fairway with me on Sunday. I would like to see the AI in this game play a little better in this game for more of a challenge (They need to play quicker also). Even having the AI players set at 100% they play like crap.

@Allan5858 

1) I do like the swing animation more in EA and more accurately represents a real swing

2) I really do disagree with this one strongly. I’ve seen so many instances of very odd ball behaviour in EA to make me think there are no actual physics in the EA game. Things like balls casually jumping out of the hole, lip outs that lip out the wrong direction, balls that roll in the rough too much, wedge spin being OTT, balls rolling in sand like it rolls on a fairway sometimes. It’s really poor from EA

3) I don’t think the difference in variety is that great between 2K and EA and some shot types in EA are far too easy to execute

4) EA graphically is better than 2K in my opinion

5) I have no idea about this since I’ve only ever played 2K online with mates

6) I think other things should take priority like improving the gameplay over courses

7) Having realistic career mode earnings will only be worthwhile if there’s a purpose for it, like something to use it for. Just having a realistic number on the screen isn’t going to do much.

8) I have no particular issue with how prices are in the store. My issue with the store is with how little there is to it.

9) Seems fair though mine always tells me I’ve hit it straight so the only number i ever look at it the Under/overswing as well as tempo.

10) I’m not sure what purpose looking at which ball and club set you’re using has since the rules of golf stipulate in competition play you have to use an identical ball and the same clubs with same settings for any stipulated round

11) That seems fair, so I’ll agree with that one

12) MUCH more is needed for customisation 

I’ll add my own

13) We need to see on the hole map where penalty and O.B. Areas are 

14) More items from the biggest brands. 

15) We should able to slightly alter loft of irons (especially), hybrids and woods. The default gapping between irons for example is a bit all over the place

16) And I’ve mentioned this one before…. Cut out the RNG and make more swing difficulties that challenge the better players

I’ll leave it at that for now

1) The swing mechanism is very realistic, as for each shot type and club there is a different swing arc with its accompanying swing plane. This gives a varied playing scenario where golfers are much more unique as to the way they can play. 2k23 seems to be more number orientated in its gameplay, whereas EA seems more organic/intuitional.

I am okay with the swing animation, though it could be a bit faster. But it is far too easy to execute a shot.

2) The ball physics are more realistic compared with 2k23, especially when the ball impacts either on slopes or fairways and greens.

I fully disagree with you here, IMHO this game has some of the worse phyics I have seen in any golf game. From the ridiculous roll out with mid irons, to the slow green speeds. Wedges that can cause a ball to spin back uphill... or where the same wedge will hit an up slope and roll forward.

3) There is a variety of shots that emulate real life, eg, spinner, knockdown, stinger, texas wedge etc, much more so than 2k23

Sure they have a variety of shots but you only need a handful of them that over power the game. 

4) The graphics are great as with 2k23

I agree the graphics are different, and I supposed I could agree they are better than 2K. But 2K's graphics are serviceable... and I buy a golf game for the golf.

5) The community aspect in EA does not compare with 2k23 especially with private golf societies and online playing with friends

No argument here... and because of how poor the gameplay is no one is flocking to play it.

6) EA needs to introduce a lot more courses with variety eg. community and municipal courses that are for the weekend golfer as well as many more PGA approved courses

I personally feel there is no need for a LOT more. If they could fill out the PGA schedule, and add some popular courses like Spyglass Hill I would be good. I DON'T require EA to match 2K in the numbers of courses.

7) There needs to be a realistic money/earning/buying ratio. Career prize money should reflect realistic earnings on the PGA

Sorry, I disagree... like in the real world doing this would make money for some peole meaningless. If you cash out on a big tournament, you no longer would have any need for money in the game.

8) Store items need to realistically priced. A shirt/glove should not cost the same as a club fitment

Same as the previous answer, it could be better balanced... but everything in this game is cosmetic only anyway... so what does it matter.

9) menu items in gameplay should be left on screen till the user decides to exit, i.e, ball flight feedback does not give some players the time to assimilate/analyse the information in order to inform as to what he/she/they have just completed

If you want this available in practice rounds I would be for it.... but I think this should all be disabled in competitive modes. There is no need to slowdown play... and players should figure out on their own on the fly what has gone wrong with their swings without the need for visual queues.

10) The ability to in gameplay to look at which clubset/ball you are using and an overall view of the information of the hole you are on.

Not sure why you care about your clubset... there are so few places where anyone can see it. Besides as mentioned previously being cosmetic only what does it matter?

11) Randomise holes in daily tournaments instead of playing only the first 4/6 holes, and also randomise more pin placements on all courses rather than have the same 4 placements for each tournament, these changes can be seasonal.

This should be a no brainer... the question is why aren't tournaments more randomly configured?

12) More golfer customisation, and glasses/sunglasses

I have been asking about glasses since the games release. 59% of people 25-39 and 93% between 65-75... so more than half of all of us wear them.

I am in the other camp, I believe EA had a huge opportunity to create something special... while the game has a special feel to it. It doesn't feel like golf, and the only difficulty in the game is the artificial RNG they injected into the game. It plays nothing like a real round of golf.

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@frankhjr wrote:

Pretty much agree with everything you have said here. The swing mechanism is so much appreciated by my controller. There are a few things that really aggravate me about the game but in general I do enjoy playing it.

The swing itself is about the only thing I like about the game... though even that could be a touch quicker.

Players should have the ability to turn off Dispersion and natural spin. Both take the game out of the hands of the player and places it in the hands of the game itself. Bunkers and rough need to be more punishing.

The dispersion should be used to punish a well executed shot. EA got this WRONG... and the whole game plays far too easy and unrealistic... even increasing the difficulty out of bunkers and rough makes no difference when a flop or pick shot stops the ball next to thd pin.

Downhill puts could be a little more nerve racking but not as extreme as in 2k where you can come back 15 ft for an 18 ft down hiller and the ball will roll 15-20 ft. past the hole.

2K gets this right... it represents fast greens on the PGA Tour much better than EA. If it is impossible to stop the ball in 2K it is because the designers did a bad job.

I play 2K on the quickest settings all the time and they are fine. If the greens are properly created they can be challenging but fair.

The game also needs to stop moving the ball to a safer position when we hit into trouble. Let us be punished for hitting errant shots not awarded.

Absolutely agree with you on this point. I would also love to see some collision detection in play when there is an obstacle preventing from swinging a club.

But both games have terrible ball drop mechanics.

Another thing that I think is better than 2K is the leader boards in career tournaments. I have seen golfers jump 2 shots at a clip more than once in a round and the rivalry aspect is kinda weird. Most of the time my rivals are over par and shouldn't even be making the cut never mind walking down the 18th fairway with me on Sunday. I would like to see the AI in this game play a little better in this game for more of a challenge (They need to play quicker also). Even having the AI players set at 100% they play like crap.

I agree the AI in career mode is horrible... though the scoring hasn't been bad. I find the final tournament scores seem about right. My problem is the game is too easy allowing me to lap the field.

Also... the AI scoring doesn't push back. I play a full 4 rounds... or at least I did when I was playing. Someone on the leaderboard would shoot 10 or 12 under on day one. By day three I would catch up and take the lead. The first day leader would always fall way back in thd pack. As I started to make a run... the AI on the board would never keep up.

A more difficult game would help... where I could get my scores more inline with the AI. But having the scoreboard leaders react to my scores would be nice too. Sometimes to see the AI get on a roll... or to have them crash and burn under the pressure. Most times their scoring just stays status quo.

I had to start playing with a character with zero skills and specs with the AI at 100 in order to make things interesting. And I consider myself a pretty average player... but my course management is pretty good.

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@Allan5858 wrote:
@ELF014I am really sorry but I have to disagree with your view as to regards of ball physics. The ball physics in EA is far superior than that of 2k I find that roll outs with mid irons and wedge spins in EA depends on your club specs and your golfers skill set. Each course has different conditions, green speeds, rough and fairway firmness and roll specifics, and therefore each club plays differently dependant on these factors, and further impacted by a golfer XP. With wedges I have found that depending on your club spec and wedge angle of loft you have to be aware of how each shot type coupled with loft\deloft/ fade/draw/wind conditions/type of shot and landing zone, reacts to the course conditions. eg, IRL I have never hit a 7iron the same distance every time, nor has it rolled the same on each shot. I care about clubset because the course and conditions define which clubs and specs are required for optimal play

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No need to be sorry... and I am happy that we can agree to disagree with things without things devolving into something personal.

The game shouldn't force you to have to powerups such as skill points and specs to make it playable.

Good shots should be rewarded on execution regardless of what skill points or specs have been assigned. Even most RPG's gets this point correct. You can be the weakest character in an RPG, as long as you execute your attacks effectively and don't get hit you can take down an enemy.

In this game you are just hitting a ball against a barn hoping for a good out come. The only reason it is playable is because the game is so easy. 

As for club specs, I think this has been the worst concept to be ever employed. That making equipment cosmetic generic detracts from the game. I could spend months testing and grinding to earn VC to purchase new balls and clubs to try and improve my game. Especially if they didn't tell me what the attribute of them were.

Just give me a driving range/Pro Shop and allow me to tesing things. I could easily spend hours testing the different clubs to see how I could shape the ball, how much spin I could generate etc... And then spend hours to earn VC to purchase what I want.

Kind of like in real-life. I feel they really missed the boat with this. But I think partially it is because it is easier to program things with generic equipment, and it might make the manufacturers happier. But I think it is more about the former.

Yes I agree the courses are different, but not enough to make things significant. The greens pretty much roll at about 8 on a stimpmeter, ridiculously slow for PGA standards on all their courses. 

The hazards are toothless for the most part, except for a handful of courses but because how easy the game plays are not that impactful.

Controlling shot shape and spin is crucial in all golf games... this not exclusive to EA. Having your irons drop off a cliff with roll out in EA's golf game is a perfect example of the poor physics in this game. 

While you can get a 6 iron to somewhat stop on a green, a 5 iron and lower will run forever. I have never in real life my 5 iron hit the front of a green... run the length of it... through another 20 yards of fairway uphill and then another 10 yards of rough into the bush.

I really have to disagree with your last statement.

eg, IRL I have never hit a 7iron the same distance every time, nor has it rolled the same on each shot. I care about clubset because the course and conditions define which clubs and specs are required for optimal play

The whole premise of how I personally play golf is about being able to replicate the same shot each time I execute a shot.  Distance and spin control is what I am trying to master and does not change from course to course nor does how I hit the ball ball. 

I may change the shot types I may use and how I manage my game... but I expect my 7 iron to carry the same distance on every shot. Distances and roll out may change a little with course conditions, such as how firm the fairways and greens are... or if I am no longer at sea level and I am playing 10,000 feet higher in elevation. But wherever I'm playing... I do expect my 7 iron on that specific course to hit at a consistent distance with me only having to deal with course conditions.

Clubsets for me are a gimmick... I feel this is a poor attempt at replacing attributes on equipment to appease the manufacturers or simplifying coding. And as I mentioned previously hurts the integrity of the gaming experience. It turns what could be a better sim experience into a video game.

This game while pretty... is terrible at so many levels for someone looking for a true simulation experience. But I feel does cater to the more casual crowd... the designers obviously don't have a grasp of the finer points of the sport and have spent far too much time playing Mario Golf.