EA's latest Facebook game is surprisingly fun, even for non-golfers.
The last time I set foot on an 18-hole golf course was on a family vacation in Hawaii right after my high school graduation. After getting my fourth quadruple-bogey in a row on the ninth hole (yes, I'm terrible), I quit right then and there, and I haven't played a real round of golf since.
I tell this story to put the following statement into perspective: I have been enjoying starting off my morning with a little PGA Tour Golf Challenge.
PGA Tour Golf Challenge is the third EA Sports-branded Facebook game; however, unlike FIFA Superstars and Madden Superstars, which were virtual trading card games, you're actually playing the sport. Currently, there are two modes available: Daily Challenge, which consists of three preselected holes from a course, and Course Play, where you can get in 18 holes on a virtual version of a real-world course (TPC Sawgrass, Banff Springs, Pebble Beach, Wolf Creek, St Andrews Old Course, and Emerald Dragon).
I tell this story to put the following statement into perspective: I have been enjoying starting off my morning with a little PGA Tour Golf Challenge.
PGA Tour Golf Challenge is the third EA Sports-branded Facebook game; however, unlike FIFA Superstars and Madden Superstars, which were virtual trading card games, you're actually playing the sport. Currently, there are two modes available: Daily Challenge, which consists of three preselected holes from a course, and Course Play, where you can get in 18 holes on a virtual version of a real-world course (TPC Sawgrass, Banff Springs, Pebble Beach, Wolf Creek, St Andrews Old Course, and Emerald Dragon).
The swing system is streamlined -- select where you want to aim, swing, and then put some spin on the ball if you choose. A target ring shows the area where the ball may land, and skill and equipment upgrades will shrink the size of the ring, giving you more precise aim. Swings are the energy mechanic here, so once you've used them up, you'll have to wait for them to refill. You're rewarded for playing a Daily Challenge or Course with Coins, one of the two in-game currencies.
And as is typical for a Facebook game, there are plenty of chances to spend that currency. You can purchase better equipment and new clothes with either Coins or Golf Cash (the in-game currency that you purchase with real money), and you can use Golf Cash to purchase a batch of shots if you want to keep golfing after you've run out of swings.
You also need to keep up with your training. Playing a round decreases your training meter, and you'll need to pay Coins to take a lesson, which gives you training experience after a short wait, or pay Golf Cash for an instant boost. You can also pay Golf Cash to unlock courses you haven't earned yet if you don't want to wait for your experience level to grow that quickly.
PGA Tour Golf Challenge will also be getting a couple of new modes over the next few months -- Challenge Friends and PGA Tour Season should both be live by late spring -- and you can expect additional golf courses to make an appearance as well.
The majority of Facebook games reward you for showing up rather than for ability, but PGA tour Golf Challenge is a nice step toward making skill matter again -- something that should make every gamer happy, whether they're a golf fan or not.
PGA Tour Golf Challenge will also be getting a couple of new modes over the next few months -- Challenge Friends and PGA Tour Season should both be live by late spring -- and you can expect additional golf courses to make an appearance as well.
The majority of Facebook games reward you for showing up rather than for ability, but PGA tour Golf Challenge is a nice step toward making skill matter again -- something that should make every gamer happy, whether they're a golf fan or not.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment