Fore! Should Bleacher Report Have a Sports Video Games Section?

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After a learning curve, we will get used to reading greens in terms of slope and weather conditions in order to choose the amount of force imparted on the ball, rather than having to do percentage-based math such as trying to hit, for example, 60 percent of a 10-foot putter for an six-foot putt.

In the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 demo, my reads at first seemed as easy as previous editions, but the putts are somewhat more difficult to make, coming up a foot or five short. Determining a solid line in the pre-putt view takes more precision thinking and adjusting now. 

Yes, putts are more difficult to sink; so I am hitting more pars when I used to sink birdies and birdies when I used to sink eagles.

I’ve had about five hole-in-one shots in 09 so far.  Will these also be fewer and farther between on these beautiful par 3s? 

This demo is available for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

From playing the demo, I instantly noticed the different camera angles and broadcast presentation. The broadcast style of the game has also been tweaked to enhance that sense of playing in a huge match.

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt has been added to the booth to offer up his expert, pre-recorded opinions on the action. Camera replays have changed to seem more like we are watching it on television too, giving the game an overall feeling of playing a real golf match.

I found an interesting note regarding this  new commentary team, featuring Van Pelt and Kelly Tilghman. Wasn’t Tilghman briefly suspended for making a poorly-judged comment about lynching Tiger Woods in last year?

New courses and competitions are on offer as well, with the US Open the big draw among the new options, but USGA rules and structure are also available.

Among the 16 courses in the game, five will be new: Turnberry , Bethpage Black, Oakmont, Hazeltine, and Torrey Pines.

The other 11 courses: Bay Hill, Firestone, Pinehurst No. 2, East Lake, Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, Saint Andrews, Doral, Wentworth, Harbor Town, and TPC Boston.

If the past is any indication, there will be more courses available post-launch as downloadable content, but only for those willing to shell out the money.

The EA Sports Live Tournaments, the game’s biggest new feature, will be set to allow players to compete against one another in sanctioned competitions and even to go up against professional golfers.  EA Sports Live Tournaments comes with three choices.

There are daily tournaments, where we have to shoot 18 holes and can compare our scores on leaderboards. There are weekly tournaments, where you play for four days out of a week and also compare scores with other players.

There are the Pro Tournaments, which are set to be special events taking place during real life pro tours. We will see the players compare their scores with those of the ones registered by real pro players.

Quote of the Day:
The degree of one's emotion varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts: the less you know the hotter you get.
--Bertrand Russell

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