Easy Tiger! Woods 2004: screens, movies, hands-on

He may have stumbled at the Open this weekend just gone (though how in the name of Nebuchadnezzar he putted from that bunker on the 16th we'll never know), but Tiger is still a god in this sport that we call, um, Golf. Where previously only fusty old majors and taste-shunning clothes criminals like Fuzzy Zoeller trod, Tiger did the unthinkable and made golf - ulp - sexy.

Anyone who caught EA's excursion into the previously staid world of the fairway and the putting green last year is likely to have been astonished. Hip-hop music bellowing forth from the intro screen! Matrix-style slow motion effects panning across our hero after a particularly daring shot! Friends, it was a triumph.

So how does this year's model bear up? We'd love to tell you, but for reasons best known to itself, EA has opted to send us both Xbox and PS2 discs that crash in exactly the same spot - namely, six lessons into your tutorial. From such limited play it's difficult to deduce exactly what EA has changed this time around, though we did take the opportunity to do a compare and contrast between Xbox and PS2 versions.

The Xbox version is sharper, as you'd expect, with the PS2 take offering a more blurred background. The Xbox edition's grass looked more detailed, but in the main both game's share classy looks. Tiger himself looks practically indistinguishable in both versions, while the surroundings don't differ to any noticeable extent.

New features that will be available in the finished game include a Create-A-Golfer feature that allows you to design your very own golfer. There are seven new courses making for a total of 19 courses, including St Andrews and Pebble Beach, while four new courses designed specially for the game are also included. And the ace, analogue control mechanism from Woods 2003 has been retained. Essentially then, we're very much looking forward to getting our hands on the full game...

Incidentally, in the tutorial mode we managed to putt the ball straight from a chip, too. Which, y'know, isn't necessarily helpful in letting you know how much of an improvement this game is over last year's game - but left us immensely chuffed, anyway.

Tiger Woods 2004 is set for release on GameCube, GBA, PC, PS2 and Xbox from September 26. In the meantime, hit the link below to check out our exclusive comparison movies which give an excellent insight into how Woods 2004 is shaping up on PS2 and Xbox. The movies are only available to our Gold subscribers just now, but will be free for all this Friday.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 movies (PS2, Xbox)
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