Links 2004

If you owned outlaw golf and enjoyed it (uhhg) this is not the game for you. Tiger Woods 2003 was a great game and for those who own it will be hard to get back to the shot bar method. However if you play in advanced mode you can get rid of the bar.

The choice for you to purchase Tiger 2004 or Links 2004 is a tough call. If you owned TG Woods 2003 you might want to try something different. I have played TW2004 and enjoyed the many un-lockables its great game and you really can't go wrong.

I give a very slight edge to Links. I am in the middle of Links 2004 and the putting is much better. Though I got sort of use to the caddy telling me exactly what to do in the TW. I think the graphics on links are better. I think the flight of the ball is beautiful. I suggest starting the game in the middle setting. If not you will get use the yellow bar telling you exactly where to hit. Links is more a golf fans game. I think TW2004 is more of an arcade type game. I think it is fairer to call the spin as you shoot not after the ball is in the air. I bet the demographics for golf games are more for adults so why do they slam the rap and loud music in TG franchise. (To get younger fans) I like in Links that I was able to drop my own music in the game. I put in an Enya CD and it is really kinds nice.

I took one star away because of Microsoft's pushing of the LIVE system. I imagine live is great but for those of us on a budget it's a tough cost to swallow. I hope in links 2005 they focus more on un-lockables. The one problem with LIVE a lot is they forget that most people play the games by themselves but don't have high speed and a LIVE subscription. TW2004 does have a lot more stuff you can do by yourself.

I sound back and fourth because I am. It's a tough call if your rich buy both.

My favorite thing about this game is that unlike Tiger Woods it actually has a cool putting game where you actually really aim manually and swing your club (rather than just estimate the caddy tip distances on the screen). The putting game is tense, exciting and all around a huge part of the fun of this game, which is something that is lacking in Tiger Woods' terrible putting interface. The high resolution courses are great too, though they are not as plentiful and varied as the course selection in Tiger Woods. I have to say that after having played both Tiger Woods and Links extensively, I have grown to prefer Links' swing system, especially on the green. In Links once you hit the ball you don't have control over it, as in real golf. I prefer commiting to your swing and watching the results unfold (as Links does it) but some players will definitely prefer controlling the spin in the air as in Tiger Woods. In Links you can still apply spin but you determine it at swing time.

Unfortunately the player models in this game do not look very good, especially when compared to the fantastic modeling/texturing (especially in the face) found in Tiger Woods. Also, the sand traps are ridiculous. They act as totally hard surfaces with a flat sand skin applied to them. I've even bounced balls two to three times across a trap and then rolled out! Between that and the poor character models I chipped a star of my rating for what is otherwise an outstanding golf game. If they keep working hard on this game it could easily eclipse Tiger Woods in quality in future versions, especially if EA gets lazy and doesn't evolve their game (see the last 3 years of Madden vs ESPN Football).