Well… I say ‘playing it’ but even though I do suck I still love being out on the course. I noticed for the previous instalment in the PGA2K series how many reviewers stated that they ‘tried golf once, sucked at it and would never play it again’ which is fine, you don’t have to do something in real life to review a gamified version of it, I'm neither a professional hitman nor have I ever been trapped in a town overrun by zombies, but I have reviewed games about those things and my knowledge and experience is a big fat zero.
It doesn’t matter really, but I do like at least the thought that when the game tells you about the different shot types, that I at least understand the difference between a punch shot and a flop shot. I struggle to do them in real life mind you, but I know what they are, and I come at both PGA2k25 and golf itself with some knowledge and a lot of love.My biggest concerns when entering long running franchises which release games in quick succession is, ‘will it feel much different? Will it really have made many strides?’ and a lot of the times the answer is ‘no’, and whilst PGA2K25 may not have made huge leaps and bounds, its upgraded swing systems and graphical improvements do make it a worthy purchase and is a good sign of things to come with the PGA2K franchise.
The new EvoSwing system is a welcome feature and uses four elements to determine your swing; contact, rhythm, transition, and swing path are the four elements that now decide whether you’re in the fairway or in deep rough. The swing path is no longer just a straight back and forth on the thumbstick now, as your golfer will have a draw or fade bias, meaning your ball will go right to left or left to right, so you will have to push the thumb stick at an angle to achieve the perfect swing, I really liked this addition, as someone with a fade bias it was nice being able to recreate this in-game, it also means that shots are harder to pull off and even driving the ball – something that could sometimes get a bit boring in previous iterations - was always engaging, EvoSwing a big thumbs up from me.
MyCareer mode is the flagship mode, and one that I personally look forward to when I boot up a new PGA2K game, just after creating my golfer - who looks much more attractive and in better physical shape than I do, with only the slightest resemblance to my actual self - blue eyes, brown hair, and a beard. If you gave that description in a police report, they probably wouldn't catch the perp too quickly as it fits the description of literal millions of people but is enough to satisfy my ego when I tee it up virtually, “oh yes! That attractive, fit golfer is definitely me! Look at his blue eyes! and...beard”. MyCareer now has a cool feature for the people who don’t want to play 4 rounds of 18 hole golf for every tournament, you can just play a few holes with the rest being simulated, with so many tournaments and rounds to get through, it is a nice time saver. I, on the other hand refuse to play anything less than the full 4 rounds of 18 holes, and if I had my way - would play the Pro-Am and have two days on the range as well but it is nice to be able to have the choice for what you can do. Another great new feature are the light role-playing elements that have been added; you now answer interview questions and deal with sponsorship, your decisions effect your popularity and what can happen in-game, to non-golf fans this may seem silly, but there has been a fair share of issues that arose from comments made in interviews as well as on-the-course antics! Hell, even at this very moment the mere concept of giving an interview after a round is causing controversy, so it was nice to see real-life situations added in.
The graphics have certainly been improved upon since the last instalment, courses look better, although character models could still use a bit of work. That said, the two year wait has been worth it. 27 official courses are present, including the 3 major venues, Augusta is not present but Quail Hollow, Oakmont and Royal Portrush are, as well as TPC Sawgrass, ST Andrews, and Pebble Beach - so plenty of great courses to be played. As usual online course creation is in full swing and you can find many recreated and completely fan created courses to enjoy.
SUMMARY
A great showing for PGA2K25, it has hit it straight down the middle and onto the green for birdie. With a great new swing mechanic, and an improved MyCareer mode as well as new visuals, it’s worthy of a green jacket or a claret jug. Now let’s all meet on the 9th hole at 9 o clock.
The new EvoSwing system is a welcome feature and uses four elements to determine your swing; contact, rhythm, transition, and swing path are the four elements that now decide whether you’re in the fairway or in deep rough. The swing path is no longer just a straight back and forth on the thumbstick now, as your golfer will have a draw or fade bias, meaning your ball will go right to left or left to right, so you will have to push the thumb stick at an angle to achieve the perfect swing, I really liked this addition, as someone with a fade bias it was nice being able to recreate this in-game, it also means that shots are harder to pull off and even driving the ball – something that could sometimes get a bit boring in previous iterations - was always engaging, EvoSwing a big thumbs up from me.
MyCareer mode is the flagship mode, and one that I personally look forward to when I boot up a new PGA2K game, just after creating my golfer - who looks much more attractive and in better physical shape than I do, with only the slightest resemblance to my actual self - blue eyes, brown hair, and a beard. If you gave that description in a police report, they probably wouldn't catch the perp too quickly as it fits the description of literal millions of people but is enough to satisfy my ego when I tee it up virtually, “oh yes! That attractive, fit golfer is definitely me! Look at his blue eyes! and...beard”. MyCareer now has a cool feature for the people who don’t want to play 4 rounds of 18 hole golf for every tournament, you can just play a few holes with the rest being simulated, with so many tournaments and rounds to get through, it is a nice time saver. I, on the other hand refuse to play anything less than the full 4 rounds of 18 holes, and if I had my way - would play the Pro-Am and have two days on the range as well but it is nice to be able to have the choice for what you can do. Another great new feature are the light role-playing elements that have been added; you now answer interview questions and deal with sponsorship, your decisions effect your popularity and what can happen in-game, to non-golf fans this may seem silly, but there has been a fair share of issues that arose from comments made in interviews as well as on-the-course antics! Hell, even at this very moment the mere concept of giving an interview after a round is causing controversy, so it was nice to see real-life situations added in.
The graphics have certainly been improved upon since the last instalment, courses look better, although character models could still use a bit of work. That said, the two year wait has been worth it. 27 official courses are present, including the 3 major venues, Augusta is not present but Quail Hollow, Oakmont and Royal Portrush are, as well as TPC Sawgrass, ST Andrews, and Pebble Beach - so plenty of great courses to be played. As usual online course creation is in full swing and you can find many recreated and completely fan created courses to enjoy.
SUMMARY
A great showing for PGA2K25, it has hit it straight down the middle and onto the green for birdie. With a great new swing mechanic, and an improved MyCareer mode as well as new visuals, it’s worthy of a green jacket or a claret jug. Now let’s all meet on the 9th hole at 9 o clock.
8/10
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