Games – Good shot – Wiener Zeitung Online

Golf is not necessarily a team sport in this country. If it’s hard to convince people of themselves, how hard is it to invite them on a virtual tour of a sports simulator? But perhaps that’s precisely the allure of the “PGA Tour – The Path to the Masters”: find out what the sport is all about, for which serious golfers in Austria usually spend tens of thousands of euros and for which most never get in touch with life. For developer EA Sports, this is the first attempt since 2015 to set foot in the world of golf simulation.

For the vast majority of players, the PGA Tour will be a game of skill against a friendly green. The basic principle: move the stick in the right rhythm and at the right time to execute the shot as planned. – It looks easier than it actually is. The difficulty level is adjustable. Then there are other factors such as the type of shot (flat or high) or the wind. Do you allow them to carry the ball with them or do you hit it? On the other hand, your player’s abilities can be constantly upgraded over time and special shots can be learned.

Connoisseurs of the matter, on the other hand, won’t just be happy with the original players on board—from No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to Hideki Matsuyama and No. 1 player Nelly Korda. Because the most famous courses that this sport has to offer can be played.

This gives you an idea of ​​how relaxed a golfer must be when coming to Augusta from a round of St Andrews. Without wanting to deny the mecca of American golf its difficulty and certainly not its beauty, but the heartland of golf’s homeland can drive one to the brink of despair. Here the tall rough (impassable undergrowth that acts like a black hole for golf balls), there the high dugout (sand-filled holes that are like magnets for golf balls—even when trying to get them out of the snag), there again, the very narrow strips of normal, playable grass .

The typical sports sim options—short tour, career mode, and online play—are all there. Of course, you can also buy visual improvements (clothes, equipment, etc.) from the “PGA-Tour”. You pay with the game’s own currency, which can be earned but also purchased with real money. One would like to say: at least it doesn’t hit the wrong people in the target group.

The fact that EA Sports didn’t give their all on the ‘PGA Tour’ can be seen not least in the graphics. Compared to the “FIFA” character, the environment and players are designed much poorer, although the game is designed for the latest generation of consoles.

Compared to its direct competitor “2K23”, which was released last year, the graphics are not worse, but, as mentioned, it offers the most popular golf courses. Even if there are obvious differences in the mechanics of the game, one would probably talk about a tie at this point.

The bottom line is that “PGA Tour – Road to the Masters” is an entertaining game, not least because it is very diverse and can captivate you for countless hours. There is still room for improvement – especially in terms of graphics.