Tag: pga
PGA Tour 2K23 is Teed Up with Topgolf, New Courses, and Enhanced Features
PGA Tour 2K23 Review
Real golf doesn’t lack thrills – watching a player sink a delicate chip-in generates no shortage of excitement. But in the context of a video game, it needs some extra energy. A pizazz. An added enthusiasm, even if it’s when browsing a menu, just to keep it from becoming something you can sleepwalk through. PGA Tour 2K23 lacks that. It’s silent, it’s calm, it’s bland, it’s so… proper.
PGA Tour 2K23 (and previously, PGA Tour 2K21) was born of HB Studios’ fanatically accurate simulation The Golf Club, and the change in name hasn’t changed much about the underlying philosophy behind it. The actual shot mechanisms, ball physics, and standard frustration when sinking into a bunker retain their dazzling authenticity, and yet, even with a year off between editions to rethink things, HB Studios has produced another plain, stuffy, elitist golf sim with as much personality as a white polo shirt. 2K23 makes minor strides towards loosening up the pomposity, but lands inches from dropping in the cup.
2K brings the points-based FedEx Cup into focus as the central career goal. That’s fine, although the PGA draws more attention for the Masters, US Open, and other high-profile events – the stuff EA licensed in the past for its golf projects. PGA Tour 2K23 doesn’t have those, or their most famous courses, like Augusta National. That means the career mode feels like filler as it works around licensing restrictions and takes us through second-tier courses like the Detroit Golf Club and TPC Southwind. That’s an issue when it’s the primary way to play, and here there aren’t a lot of other options.
Taking to the course, the major publisher influence from 2K becomes evident. There’s an effort to streamline things, including an optional three-click swing system. That’s new, but brutally difficult to master, and not the accessible feature that was expected. This method involves holding the swing button to set power, releasing to begin a spinning meter that needs to be stopped twice to determine swing accuracy. If you’re anything like me you can expect botched shots on the regular before reverting to the smooth, clean, and precise analog stick swing.
HB Studios mastered this analog method, thankfully. Other golf games have tried – and even succeeded in their own ways – but HB’s quest to mimic the feel and challenge of a real club pays off. It’s an appropriately fragile existence off the tee or from the fairway, as stick speed dictates a slice or hook. Even when well practiced, the possibility always remains to botch a shot – as it should be. Plus, 2K23 adds needed shot types like punches to squeeze the ball under hazards, furthering PGA Tour’s repertoire and strategy.
There’s an attempt to add charisma to this series, but it comes across as half-hearted. Selectable golfers include cover star Tiger Woods and other known PGA names, but also celebrities like NBA stars Michael Jordan and Steph Curry. In the equipment section, a hockey stick is offered as a putter choice, giving necessary nods to Happy Gilmore. That’s it though, and those celebrity players exist only in side modes or versus play. Say what you will about the defunct Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, but maintaining golf’s central appeal while driving with Happy Gilmore’s walk-up swing was a delight, with no gameplay cost.
There’s also TopGolf, a party-esque challenge founded in 2000. Now it’s digital, and a passable substitute for when short on time with friends, if also an uneventful target practice event unlikely to earn any long-term engagement.
Likely, the most time people are going to spend with PGA Tour 2K23 will be with the career, mostly because that’s almost all that’s offered. There’s one goal (FedEx), one play style, and outside of exhibitions, nothing else to do for solo golfers. Brief (usually) one-event rivalries using a Stableford scoring system bring the slightest additional drama. Local and online versus adds small variety like two-on-two match-ups and skins play. That’s something. Between matches the deepening RPG side offers incremental skill upgrades. Some offer easier swing timing, others accuracy, or better work out of bunkers. Leveling requires tiered decision making as each club type is individually boosted, and opportunities grow in tandem alongside the custom golfer’s XP meter.
In a reversal of HB Studios’ usual philosophy, clubs themselves matter. Not just the clubs, but every boost to them, which are acquirable after winning events. A +3 club shaft of power matched with a +2 grip of shot shaping can form a credible weapon – err, piece of sporting equipment. Given PGA Tour 2K23’s demanding swing precision, even a tiny boost to accuracy or timing will reduce risks, and that’s appreciated. It’s a notably game-y idea for what is otherwise such a deep simulation though, and purchasing actual clubs makes no difference. Only the part boosts do.
Moving toward the FedEx Cup means dealing with HB Studios’ weak point: The dismal quality of its attempt to recreate the atmosphere of televised golf. It’s not bad so much as utterly broken in places. Commentators make the wrong calls regularly, such as failing to identify when a ball is or isn’t on the green or whether it’s trailing left or right. Attempts to show replays from earlier in the tournament take excessive time to load in this era of SSDs (and chug further when trying to reach the server sometimes), and when they do show up they frequently don’t actually show anything. Rather than following the ball, these snippets stay on the golfer reacting to an unseen shot, but at least the character models justify that lingering attention. Coming from 2K, whose emulation of NBA broadcasts set a best-in-class example, PGA Tour 2K23’s non-functional delivery annoyed more than helped once I got past the first match’s introduction.
As a side note, the orchestral music playing over the menus painfully adds to the idea of golf being a dull, elitist game. There was room for PGA 2K23 to build energy while maintaining its status, but it didn’t take a single opportunity to do so.
The recurring course creator lets people give PGA Tour 2K23 the spark if they so want it. That also helps fill in the course selection’s holes – someone will render an accurate Pebble Beach in no time (with titles like, “Pebbles on the Beach Golf Course”), although as I played before release there was nothing available to download yet. That said, trying to build something offers a pleasant, easy-to-use menu system flush with choices. Better, everything is open from the outset, meaning there’s no need to unlock items to fill the spaces. Yes, a crocodile hiding out by hole 9’s green is just as much an option as placing a hotel on 16.
PGA Tour 2K23 Review – Links To The Future
From a pure golfing perspective, PGA Tour 2K23 is the best simulation golf game ever made. With realistic ball physics, precise shot-shaping, and an emphasis on rhythm and swing path, 2K23 delivers on the many idiosyncrasies of the beautiful game that is golf. Combine the refined golfing mechanics with deeper levels of customization, and I can safely say that PGA Tour 2K23 is a meaningful upgrade over its predecessor. And hey, it also marks the return of Tiger Woods to the virtual links, which is a big deal for those who grew up playing Tiger Woods golf games.
PGA Tour 2K23 is the first new entry in the series in two years. That’s unusual for sports games, as most have annual entries. After spending more than a dozen hours with 2K23, I’m starting to feel like this release model–where developers have more time to make improvements–would go a long way toward fixing many of the issues that plague long-running sports series. It doesn’t offer minor, iterative changes. Instead, PGA 2K23 is a marked improvement on its predecessor–a rarity in the sports sim genre.
The PGA 2K series–previously called The Golf Club before 2K acquired HB Studios–has always done a remarkable job with swing mechanics. Emphasizing timing and rhythm more than popular golf games of yesteryear, the series makes each swing feel critical–just like the real sport. PGA Tour 2K23 follows that tradition and improves on it with a couple of new core features: a revamped swing meter and a three-click swing system.
EA show first teaser trailer for EA Sports PGA Tour, just as 2K’s PGA Tour 2K23 comes out
EA have released the teaser trailer for their first golf game since 2015, EA Sports PGA Tour. It will reportedly feature all four major golfing championships, as well as several of the world’s most famous courses. You can find the thirty seconds of footage of grass and sandpits below.
PGA Tour 2K23 Hands-On Preview: Pick Up and Play
I’ve played plenty of video game golf over the years, from Links 386 Pro on my first family PC (yes, I’m old) to Links 2004 on the original Xbox to Tiger Woods PGA Tour in the Xbox 360 days. A good golf sim has always been as chill and enjoyable with friends as the real-life sport is. But my virtual set of clubs, just like the real-life set sitting in my garage, have been gathering dust for years. So the fact that I was able to jump right into PGA Tour 2K23 and feel at home with both its three-click swing and swing stick control options during my two-hour hands-on session, then, was a testament to developer HB Studios: it’s really easy to pick up and have fun with even if you haven’t played the video game version of the sport in a while.
This isn’t to say that PGA Tour 2K23 is an easy game – or an arcade-y one. Sure, you can customize the experience however you like, turning assists and difficulties up and down to suit your taste. But it’s got everything you’d want here to enhance realism, from shot shaping on the links to character customization in the locker room to skill upgrades for your custom MyPlayer.
I started with a quick round of Top Golf, the video game version of the real-life driving range game that, in fact, does feel like it was cribbed from a video game. This gave me a feel for 2K23’s default three-click swing system. Aside from the 10mph wind affecting the ball more than I’d expected, it served as a good way to get acclimated with this year’s game. After that it was off to try and recreate my nerdy self in MyPlayer, and despite feeling rushed due to my limited time with the game, MyPlayer did an amicable job of creating a quick and dirty version of my real-life radio face. The player creator lets you tweak everything from jaw depth to cheek roundness and beyond. You also set your golfer’s archetype and spend your initial skill point.
I played a round of 18 against a field that included my chosen pro rival, Rickie Fowler, on the fictional Craggy Heights course, though HB Studios promises over 20 real-life courses as well as player-created ones. Navigating around the course will be familiar to any golf-sim veterans, and the aforementioned swing control types both work great. The three-button-click approach punishes poor timing with shots that slice or fade, while swing stick users will suffer the same fate if they skew their backswing or follow-through off-center in either direction. On the green, meanwhile, you get a grid overlay showing the direction of the slopes, and you also get a one-time putt preview by holding down the X button. It will feel instantly familiar to old Links and Tiger Woods players.
In fact, HB Studios told me that the Xbox’s Links 2004 was an “oft-referenced” game at the studio during the development of 2K23, and based on how easily I was able to get comfortable with it, I’m inclined to believe them. I finished atop the leaderboard after my round, easily besting my PGA Tour pro rival and racking up a slew of birdies in the process. I only missed out on a couple of eagles because I botched an easy putt or two.
I headed into the locker room to spend my earned XP on some new duds, and allocate the Fittings I’d unlocked as well. These are item-specific bonuses that can be swapped out as you choose, like rings on your Diablo character. I also earned enough to level up as well, meaning I had another skill point to spend. To this end, HB Studios is promising loads of situational skills that, for instance, can be activated for the next hole. That will certainly spice up the gameplay if it works as described, though I didn’t get to try it out for myself.
Still, I think 2K and HB Studios stand a good chance of attracting a lot of people like me – lapsed players of EA’s Tiger Woods games. In fact, given that it’s called PGA Tour and has Tiger on the cover, some of the more casual gamer-dads may pick this up not even realizing that it’s a different game from a different publisher. Thus, it’s up to HB to make sure it’s a really good game that makes them want to come back again next year. So far, they seem to be off to a great start.
PGA Tour 2K23 Preorders Are Live, And There Are Some Cool Bonuses
PGA Tour 2K23 is set to launch on October 14 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Golf legend Tiger Woods is gracing the cover of the upcoming golf sim, which is his first cover appearance since Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, the long-running EA Sports series. PGA Tour 2K23 is first new entry in the popular golf series (that started as The Golf Club) since PGA 2K21 released two years ago. Multiple editions of PGA Tour 2K23 are available to preorder now, and there are some enticing bonuses for reserving your copy ahead of time. Here’s a closer look at PGA Tour 2K23 preorders, along with all available editions and bonus content.
PGA Tour 2K23 Preorder Bonuses
Preorder the standard edition of PGA Tour 2K23 and you’ll get the Michael Jordan Bonus Pack. This includes a playable Michael Jordan character along with four Common tier golf ball sleeves. Note that this pack is also included with both the Deluxe and Tiger Woods editions.
Preorder PGA Tour 2K23 Standard Edition
$60+
PGA Tour 2K23 is listed for $60 on last-gen consoles and $70 on current-gen consoles. It’s still the cheapest way to get your hands on the game, and it includes the base game along with any eligible preorder bonuses. Digital copies can be found on the Xbox Store, PSN, and Steam.
Preorder PGA Tour 2K23 Deluxe Edition
$100
Step up to the Deluxe edition of PGA Tour 2K23, and you’ll get a copy for both last-gen and current-gen, along with the following digital goodies.
- 1300 VC
- 1 Hockey Stick Putter
- 1 Gold Baseball Cap
- 1 Gold Golf Glove
- 3 Rare Golf Ball Sleeves
- Playable Michael Jordan
- 4 Common Golf Ball Sleeves
- 1 Golden Driver
- 1 Golden Putter
- 4 Uncommon Golf Ball Sleeves
Digital versions can be found on the Xbox Store, PSN, and the 2K Store.
Preorder PGA Tour 2K23 Tiger Woods Edition
$120
It’s not cheap, but PGA Tour 2K23 Tiger Woods Edition comes with a ton of exclusive content. Beyond everything offered in the Deluxe edition, you’ll also benefit from:
- 1 Tiger Woods TaylorMade Club Set
- 1 Tiger Woods T-Shirt
- 3 Epic Golf Ball Sleeves
- 1 Red Polo Shirt
- 1 Pair of Black Pants
- 1 Black Hat
- 1 Tiger Woods Golf Shoes
- 1 Tiger Woods Golf Belt
- Tiger Bridgestone Branded Golf Balls
PGA Tour 2K23 was officially revealed on August 22 along with Tiger Woods as the cover athlete. The game will include more than 14 pro golfers and a broadcast team featuring Rich Beem, Luke Elvy, and Henni Koyack. This time around, you won’t just be able to watch highlights of the pros. The pro golfers in 2K23 will be playable, which is certainly an exciting feature since it means you can tee it up as Tiger Woods for the first time since Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14.
‘PGA Tour 2K23’ will debut on October 11th with Michael Jordan as a playable character
NBA 2K23 isn’t the only major sports game that 2K will release in the next couple of months. The publisher has revealed that PGA Tour 2K23 will arrive on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on October 11th. Two versions will be available on that date: the deluxe edition and the Tiger Woods edition. 2K will release the standard edition on October 14th.
This is the first game in 2K’s PGA Tour series since it brought in Woods last year to work with HB Studios as an executive director and consultant. Not only is Woods one of the most successful golfers of all time, he was also the face of EA Sports’ golf games for 15 years.
As you might expect, Woods is a playable character in PGA Tour 2K23. Other pros who are available at the outset include Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Brooke Henderson. More will be added later. There are 20 licensed courses — including South Course of Wilmington Country Club, The Renaissance Club and St. George’s Golf and Country Club — and you’ll be able to create your own.
You can try new casual modes, including Topgolf, where you hit targets and try to achieve the highest score. Online modes include custom tournaments and full seasons with friends. There’s also a Clubhouse Pass (with free and premium tiers) that will include post-launch content.
Both the deluxe and digital-only Tiger Woods editions include the PS4 and PS5 versions, or Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game. Other bonuses include virtual currency and cosmetic items. If you pre-order the standard edition (or buy the other two editions) you’ll receive a bonus pack that includes NBA legend Michael Jordan as a playable character.
PGA Tour 2K23 tees off in October with Tiger Woods
Beating EA Sports to the punch by at least six months