Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 Review: Solid But Shallow Golf Game

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 arrives on PS3 and X360 with a simple promise: play golf, watch it unfold, and call it a day. The game delivers on that promise without much fuss. It does not try to reinvent the genre. It tries to make a working golf game for two systems, and mostly succeeds.

Trailer, via EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL.

Course Variety

The course variety is the strongest argument for picking this up. Courses range from tight fairways to wide-open links, and each one plays with a distinct feel. Distance is a real factor here, and hitting a ball off-line can send it into trouble fast.

The controls are simple. Aim, swing, and let go. That simplicity is both a strength and a weakness, since the game rarely pushes players to learn more than the basics.

Season Mode

Season mode is where the game shows its age. Matches move quickly, and there is little reason to stick around once a round ends. There is no deep stat tracking, no real sense of growth over time, and no way to save your progress that feels satisfying.

“The controls are simple. Aim, swing, and let go.”

Presentation

The presentation is solid but not striking. Character models hold up well, but the courses themselves look like competent copies of real places rather than places built with care. The commentary stays steady, offering the same lines again and again without much change.

There is no online play here, and there is no reason to return once a season ends. The game is a one-and-done affair.

Session Breakdown

Here is a rough breakdown of a typical session:

Final Word

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 does not demand much time, and it does not reward much either. It is a solid, straightforward golf game that works best in short bursts. Players looking for depth will find none. Those looking for a quick fix will get exactly that.

game review · golf · PS3 · sports games · Xbox 360