Why Im Skeptical of PGA Tour 2k21
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| PGA Tour 2K21 |
What many may not know about this game is that the same developers at HB studios, have been making golf games for the past couple of years as the golf club franchise. This franchise won the PGA tour rights from EA after the Rory game in 2016. My take on the Golf Club 2019 is that it stinks, really bad. In comparison to the EA games, the swing mechanics look terrible, there is no character, and it is way too hard. I have a harder time playing the golf club than I do playing golf in real life. The whole time playing the game it felt like the developers never actually played golf. Its more of a course creating video game where you can also test out the courses. There is no real clubs, clothes, or swings that any real golfer would have. I think that the game play in GTA golf is better than the golf club franchise.
All golf video games have been sub par for the past 10 years. In my experience I'd rather play Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 rather than Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour which was released in 2016.
I think that it is a disgrace that with all of the technological advancements in the past decade, golf fans have to play a game that is over ten years old for a fun golf video game experience.
Similar to how the golf club franchise gives off a feel that its made by people who do not understand the professional game, in the trailer in the 2k21 PGA tour game, the player seen is hitting a wedge with a ball teed up as high as someone would have for a driver.
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| Screenshot from PGA Tour 2K21 trailer |
While I am optimistic the game will be better than the Golf Club 2019, I am still concerned the gameplay will stink. I want to see 2k use the same technology they use in their basketball games that tracks players actual shots, to track golfers actual swings. I hope that the 12 players that are in the game, voice their opinions on the game and what they want to see. If they do, I believe the game will be better. If not, it will just be another bad attempt at a golf game.
To the writer of this blog, yo!
ReplyDeleteAs a cultured golf gamer of various iterations throughout the years (Sega, Xb/PS, Pc) I have to agree with you on the feeling the genre is indeed going backwards in terms of the game presentation, swing mechanics and lack of licenses. Dropping Tiger from the franchise has markedly tainted these new editions - like being cut from the Masters to go play on the web.com tour.
For the aficionados, tgc severity of difficulty is welcome to some degree however the difficulty is uneven and jarring. Even with a powerful computer and decent internet connection there is still avoidable lag, cartoon like animations and odd physics quirks. Tgc '19 is a bogey in terms of what has come before with the glossy EA packaging..
However - the course designer is a real treat! To play pine valley, carnoustie, cypress point etc etc etc with Lidar precision and ultimate weather and terrain control. Playing Banff at dawn with gentle rain off the back tees is unparalleled regardless of quirks or lack of authenticity or depth the views are still breathtaking in 2k.
What the genre lacks is a deep invested gamer base who will fork out a lot of dosh for (bi)annual content that satisfies the myriad of interest. What the writer of this blog wants from a golf video game is a long way away from what I want. I want simulation non aided expert difficultly scraping a +1 is a deadly treat in keeping shots low in a whipping wind only to misjudge by an inch on greens like glass whereas you the writer, I presume, wants a wham bam spin assisted target fest sub 60 round.
Where the sparsity of golf gamers can agree is we want style - true to life mechanics and an in depth career mode with all majors and tour options available. Problem is that the cost of acquiring such licenses far outweighs the benefit of investing in our dwindling numbers. Therefore we're stuck with second rate rubbish like tgc. I'm happy to play masters 12 for Augusta greens + par 3, Tw '14 for classic players courses and dynamic shot making ability, PGA 96 for nostalgia and old names like Lyle and Woosnan, Tw '03 for 360 yard drives at the Highlands course, Masters 12 for the slopes and Augusta par 3, Seve 70s links on Tw '14 and every course I could ever want to play on tgc '19.
Variety is the spice of life. We already have every golfing simulator necessary. In some ways the Sega game brings more pleasure than versions 20 years it's junior. At the end of the day, it's all golf and it's not that much different no matter the game or console.
So in conclusion I would use TGC as a game in a group of others. And if I could lead a team myself, I would create a game for the vintage fanbase. In keeping with the old par 3 at pebble beach, the old Augusta layout, match play at Wentworth, the walker cup, Bernard Darwin. But you go down the steep rabbit hole. Developers must prioritise and we must accept can't have it all in one game, but in the series we have it all!
Love the feedback! looking forward to giving it a chance.
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