Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of watching golf on television, so I did not witness the start of the PGA Championship or Tiger Woods taking a slight lead only to fall five shots back. But I do enjoy the occasional game of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, by Electronic Arts.
This year's edition for the Xbox 360 version allows players to use the Kinect sensor to mimic your golf swing. There is no need for oddly shaped controllers like the Move for Sony's PlayStation 3 or the Wii remote for Ninetendo's Wii.
You just kind of step in front of your television set and swing away hoping to land on the green. This might seem like a gimmick, but the gaming mechanic soon becomes quite addictive. I found myself pumping my fist into the air and flexing my muscles after a rather long drive or sinking the ball with my putter. The Kinect senor helps to interject a little bit of WWE wrestling attitude into a sport that is usually reserved for the country club.
As I played more and more of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, it seemed to me that I gained a better grasp of golf's mechanics. Soon, I was keeping my head down and controlling my weight distribution, as I made a full turn with my shoulders to hit the ball with a better impact. My earlier bravado and unsportsman like conduct began to disappear. I wanted to be a better video game golfer.
Since I missed the opening of the PGA Championship, I didn't experience the gusting and relentless wind of the Atlantic Ocean like Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson. But playing this game I did get a feel for something's that makes golf great, the independence of the game and the emotions of finally winning a tournement.
I give Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 a score of 7.5 out of 10.
