VIDEO GAMES
'Tiger 2004' tops golf-genre rivals

By Marc Saltzmam
Gannett News Service

Play as Tiger Woods or, as LPGA star Natalie Gulbis, above, in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004." You also can create your own golfer from scratch. Review Platform: Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Windows PC Genre: sports Developer: EA Sports Publisher: EA Sports Web Site: www.easports.com Price: $49.99; $39.99 for PC Rating: "E" for everyone Score: (out of 5).

That's not the case with "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004." EA Sports has put considerable effort into improving this franchise by adding more game modes, an intuitive-swing mechanism, online play and lifelike graphics, plus more depth, options and customizability.

No other golf game is on par.

As its name suggests, "Tiger 2004" lets you play as — or against — Tiger Woods, as well as about 15 other PGA pros such as Ty Tryon, Vijay Singh and Charles Howell III. Five players have been added since last year's game, including John Daly, Adam Scott and Natalie Gulbis (the first LPGA player to appear in this game franchise).

If you don't want to play as a star, "Tiger 2004" introduces the "EA Sports Game Face" option, which allows you to create a unique golfer by choosing his or her clothes, face, hair color and style, skin color, body type, name and more. Like the real Tiger, your player can vie for sponsorships from golf clothing and equipment manufacturers, such as Nike, and wear their apparel during matches.

In a feature usually found in role-playing games, you also can spend the cash your golfer wins to increase his or her attributes in various areas such as power, spin, luck and drive accuracy.

"Tiger 2004" also features an improved real-time, analog-stick swing feature that allows you to pull back on the console controller's left analog stick (or on the PC's mouse) and then push forward to strike the ball. The analog swing is much more intuitive than the classic three-tap button approach, but it does take some getting used to. Narrated tutorials help improve your swing, plus offer tips on putting, chips, pitches and spins.

This year's game includes seven new courses for a total of 19, including prestigious links such as Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and the Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The game also supplies a handful of fantasy courses, too.

With hip-hop or alternative rock playing in the background, the main screen lets you choose from several game modes, including:

• "Play Now," for quick matches.
• A deep and customizable career mode.
• Head-to-head gaming matches and tournaments via the Internet (PlayStation 2 and PC versions only).
• A "World Tour" mode to unlock new golfers, accessories and bonus "swing" styles.
• Alternative golf games such as Battle Golf, Long Drive Shoot-out and Best Ball.

The game disc also houses DVD-like extras — Tiger interviews, career highlights and trailers for other EA Sports games.

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004" will appeal to novice and seasoned gamers alike, and will provide many hours of family-friendly fun — especially for serious golf fans who don't get the opportunity to tee off as often as they might like in the real world.