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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 Rivals Mode Preview

Is Tiger the greatest who ever lived? We explore the career mode of EA Sports' newest golf game.

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By almost any measure, Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer currently active on the PGA Tour. But is Woods the greatest golfer of all time? How would he and his 10 majors-tournament wins stack up against the legends of golf such as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus? That's just the question posed in EA Sports' upcoming version of its long-running golf franchise, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06. We've spent a good deal of time with the game's brand-new rivals mode and we're here to give you the full report.

Tiger's taking a trip back in time as he challenges golf's greatest names in Tiger Woods 06's rivals mode.
Tiger's taking a trip back in time as he challenges golf's greatest names in Tiger Woods 06's rivals mode.

What began in last year's game with the legends challenges, which pitted your created golfer against all-time greats like Steve Ballesteros and the Golden Bear, has evolved into a more full-featured and self-contained form in rivals mode. You still spend a good deal of time taking on original Tiger Woods characters and PGA legends, but all within the larger context of a mode that attempts to span the entire history of professional golf. The ultimate goal is to make your created player the highest-ranked player of all time, surpassing Nicklaus, Hogan, and even Tiger himself.

The mode starts out quickly--after creating your virtual golfer using the popular and flexible GameFace system--and you find yourself staring at a high-pressure short putt that, if you drain, will set your rivals career in motion. Of course, since this is the very start of the game, you'll easily find the bottom of the cup. But you'll soon find that Tiger Woods himself has been keeping track of your progress. The 2005 Masters and British Open champion then invites you to follow him on a quest to prove your links' worth by taking on all comers and progressing up the ranks of the all-time greats.

Your first stop is a handful of tutorial challenges that will provide you the basic golf skills, such as driving, chipping, and putting. The fictional opponents here don't put up much of a challenge, as the point is more to teach you than to challenge you. After you've completed this initial trio of challenges, you'll get a message on your personal PDA that Tiger has left the current era, along with an invite to join him and formally begin your quest for golfing immortality. That's right, in addition to having a killer long game and a deadeye putting hand, Tiger can travel through time in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06.

The first stop in this era-spanning adventure is the very dawn of professional golf, where the golf balls were made out of leather and the men wore silly hats. The first thing you'll likely notice is the old-time look of the clubhouse--complete with intricate décor, antique furniture, and peacock feathers adorning the walls. Instead of a fax machine or PDA to receive your messages, for instance, you'll receive your challenges via telegraph. As you progress through the mode and move up through the eras toward the modern day, the look and design of your clubhouse will change accordingly--from the traditional look of the old-time clubhouse, to the plush 1970's fabulousness of the Nicklaus era, right on to the present-day gadget-driven style of today's modern design. No matter which age you're currently playing in, you'll still have access to all of the game features, such as the Pro Shop.

Uh-oh, Tiger doesn't look happy with that shot. Or maybe it's just the pants he's mad about.
Uh-oh, Tiger doesn't look happy with that shot. Or maybe it's just the pants he's mad about.

The clubhouse isn't the only graphical element of Tiger Woods 06 that's getting a timely makeover: the pro shop itself will feature a ton of new era-specific gear to buy. Each era will have its specific wardrobe: top hats and knickers from the turn of the century; square slammers and linen pants from the golden age; and '50s-style dress shirts with the tie tucked in from the baby boomer era. There are even more outlandish clothing choices--cowboy boots, muffin hats, flannel shirts, and suspenders--for those looking to truly make their golfer unique.

Rise to the Challenge

Just as fashion has evolved, so too has golfing equipment, and that's reflected in the wide variety of equipment found in the Tiger Woods 06 pro shop. Antique woody drivers, brown stitched balls (originally stuffed with goose feathers), twin shaft irons, square-pegged putters, and even modern-day high-tech graphite shaft clubs are represented. In our early preview build of the game, there didn't seem to be a big difference with how any of the clubs played on the course, but that could change in subsequent builds.

What every supremely skilled Cablanasian will be wearing on the links next year.
What every supremely skilled Cablanasian will be wearing on the links next year.

Rivals mode's skill challenges make up half of the main game modes in Tiger 06's rivals feature. Each era will have a number of challenges and you can choose to take part in as many or as few as you like (after you've completed a minimum number, that is). If you're feeling saucy, you can even raise the stakes in each challenge by choosing to "up the ante." Here restrictions are placed on the challenge--such as playing in a driving rain storm, or by removing the ability to power up your shot. Should you still manage victory in the face of these odds, you'll pocket extra cash as your reward.

Though you may be tempted to skate through the challenges and move right onto the tournaments themselves, there's good reason for sticking with them: the ability to improve your golfer's attributes. Unlike previous versions of Tiger, attributes such as putting, luck, power, and recovery no longer require cash to improve. Instead, you'll be doling out experience points earned through each match you play. This means tournament winnings can be used solely for gear and apparel from the pro shop, another of the Tiger Woods' series undeniable minor pleasures.

Still, the only way to move from era to era is by making your way up the ladder by challenging players ranked above you. Each era has a number of challengers, mostly comprised of original characters, some of which are cartoonish caricatures straight out of previous games in the series, and some of which are a bit more dignified in appearance. Each era will have its associated boss as well, and the list of era bosses reads like a who's who of golfing immortals. You start off with Old Tom Morris (widely regarded as the world's first professional golfer), followed by Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and ultimately Tiger Woods himself.

I daresay, that Woods is a dapper old chap.
I daresay, that Woods is a dapper old chap.

As you best each legend and progress through the golfing eras, Tiger will travel ahead of you, always challenging you to keep your game at its highest level. In the later eras, Tiger will even take you on in specific skill challenges--all in preparation for the final showdown with Tiger. An intricate trophy cabinet will keep track of your personal accomplishments on the links, including rivals mode trophies; Woods' trademark tiger-head golf covers for completing specific tests (such as the undulating greens of Pebble Hill's 14th hole); and trophy balls commemorating memorable golf moments, such as your first 350-yard drive, recording 12 birdies in a single round, or the sweetest of all, your first hole in one.

With appearances by some of the all-time greats in PGA tour golf, rivals mode is shaping up to be not only an interesting method of evolving your created golfer, but also a sort of mini-history lesson for a sport that has been played in America since at least 1887. We'll be bringing you more coverage of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 in the near future as we build up to the game's release later in the year.

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