EA Sports PGA Tour review: This golf swing can occasionally land you in the rough

I was somewhat surprised when news about EA Sports PGA Tour came out for the first time. In case you're unaware, Electronic Arts has a long history with golf games dating back to the 90s. However, the company took a sabbatical as it concentrated more on football, ice hockey, and American football. Incidentally, there are some similarities between the recent launch and the last game in 2015 – Rory Mcllroy PGA Tour. This isn't limited to the use of the Frostbite engine. Throughout your in-game journey, you'll feel, "Wait, I've seen it somewhere." But rest assured that EA Sports PGA Tour isn't just a more graphically refined version of the 2015 launch.

There's much more that EA Tiburon has done, although some of them could have had better execution.

EA Sports PGA Tour is a solid restart for the developers and the franchise

In my first few hours with the game, it was evident that EA Tiburon had focused a lot on presentation. Personally, it's a critical decision because golf isn't like football or baseball. It's an individual sport, the pace is slow, and it does allow you to witness your surroundings for once.

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When you start your journey with EA Sports PGA Tour, you'll want to revel in your surroundings. The developers have put much effort into ensuring that the courses truly depict their real-life beauty. But what's a game without gameplay? Let's determine whether EA Tiburon delivers on the core aspects and where it could have done better.

Gameplay

I will be honest with you – I am not a pro in golf. While I have played PGA Tour 2K23 in the past and know the glossary, I am still a novice regarding the genre. Thankfully, EA Tiburon hasn't forgotten us, as you can easily play in the Arcade difficulty to help you learn easily.

Arcade difficulty is perfect for you to learn the game (Image via EA Sports)

If you want, you can opt to play in more complex settings. I felt comfortable with Arcade to the extent that I was still learning after each swing without things becoming incredibly frustrating.

At its core, the gameplay is primarily what you can expect. There are 30 courses to choose from, with 28 being official ones from real life. You can play all the holes or select a few before starting. I can't emphasize how big a difference this makes, as it will allow you to play the game at your own pace.

If you're not in a rush, you can play all the holes at the Augusta National. For a quicker experience, you can choose a reduced number and mix and match it up (the selected holes don't have to be in a fixed sequence).

When you shoot, randomness will be associated with how the ball drops. I am unsure if I was making a mistake or if it was just an in-game mechanic. But the added randomness will make you more careful with your shooting.

Things like Wind Gust are present on EA Sports PGA Tour, but their effects will be more noticeable at higher difficulties. That doesn't mean you should ignore them, as a simple miscalculation can send your shot into the rough. Overall, I felt that the gameplay was more or less along the expected lines.

Game modes

The game modes in this title aren't as versatile as in FIFA 23. However, you can choose to play in different ones based on how you want. First, you can play in single and multiplayer, and the latter can be done with friends or random opponents.

The Quickplay mode has plenty of choices (Image via EA Sports)

Then again, no matter how much I tried, multiplayer EA Sports PGA Tour sessions weren't successful. I couldn't find a match if I tried the Ranked mode or Socials. Typically, these modes will pit 16 of you against each other, and all of you will take turns simultaneously.

The lack of players is likely to be managed once the full release occurs on April 7. The lack of variety in the Competitive mode is also something that EA Tiburon needs to manage in the future. New content may be added to it seasonably to keep things fresh for players.

I believe EA Sports PGA Tour is better enjoyed as a single-player experience. This is all possible due to the Career Mode. The developers have done a much better job at this than they have done in games like the NHL and FIFA.

Growing your character will be an essential task in Career Mode (Image via EA Sports)

For one, you can choose the stage where you want to begin your career. As a pure amateur, you can start from the bottom, as I have done. Alternatively, you could avoid the initial grind and start with the Masters. You'll start with your character, which will grow and develop. This involves earning XP and training accordingly.

Aside from the presentation, the career mode is arguably the most vital point of the EA Sports PGA Tour. You can enjoy hours of gameplay, and every save can be advanced in different ways. Moreover, the return of AI pairing enables you to match up against another opponent. This can be implemented in the final rounds, adding to the excitement.

You can also try out the list of professional golfers in the quick play. I feel that PGA 2K23 has a better list of big names, but that's understandable, given that 2K had a head start.

One essential game mode you might ignore is the challenges. Do go through each of them, as these are essentially extended tutorials. Completing them will enable you to master the basics and advanced mechanics and allow you to learn new mechanics.

Presentation, Performance, and Scope for Improvement

If you go back to the early part of the review, you will recollect how I said that EA Sports PGA Tour truly excels in presentation. Yet, the main areas for improvement are in the same department, and I found some prominent problems during gameplay. For one, the developers have put plenty of effort into designing the courses. Combined with the commentators' narration, they feel lovely to look at and hear during matches.

Unfortunately, the gameplay felt laggy at times as the frames jumped. I hope a post-launch patch will solve this because it could become a significant issue otherwise. Compared to the player models in NHL 23 and FIFA 23, better work should be done.

You will assume that a game coming out in 2023 will have better choices in terms of character design. The fact that there are just three swing types is disappointing. Does it do a better job than PGA 2K23 in this aspect? Yes, but that doesn't mean EA Sports PGA Tour does a perfect job.

There were also instances when the game just crashed. While they seem random, I figured out that the issues occur when the ball usually goes out in the rough. It's worth noting that this might be an issue with my system, again unlikely, as the game usually runs smoothly, and my requirements are better than the recommended specifications.

Regarding audio and sound, EA Sports PGA Tour comes with full-time commentary. I must say that it's very well-paced, suits well with the in-game proceedings, and is a great addition. It adds to the immersive feeling and makes you want to enjoy every moment.

You might face one small problem with EA Sports PGA Tour on PC - no proper keyboard and mouse support. This has been a complaint by specific users on Steam, and I also had to opt for my Xbox controller. Because this game isn't a PC port, EA Tiburon should have done better.

In conclusion

EA Sports PGA Tour is a solid launch and a great first try for the developers to mark their return to golf games. It spices up the competition with 2K and PGA 2K23 and could become a force to reckon with.

EA Tiburon has got many things right, especially with the presentation. Different game modes add to the variety and will ensure that you never run out of things to do. The career mode is well-planned, the challenges are a fun way to learn, and the multiplayer offers you to face more demanding challenges against players worldwide.

That being said, some issues need quick fixes, and it's not just the performance side of things. Multiplayer requires more variety, including fun ones that can provide short bursts of adrenaline. Understandably, golf is a game enjoyed best at a slow pace, but some elements feel shallow compared to the rest.