Although there are more features I would like to see, I did not buy TW 07, so I'm pretty pleased with TW 08 for the Wii.
I like the swing mechanics in most cases. This is, of course, why we all bought a Wii. So we could interact with the screen in real time and get a 1 to 1 result from our real world movements. For the most part, this seems to be true in TW08. As the Gamespot reviewer correctly indicated, however, some shots like using wedges to get out of the rough near the green (and on to the green)can be very difficult when you need to find the middle ground of the power. So I find myself typically either overshooting 100% or greatly undershooting. But from real life, I can tell you I struggle with these types of shots too. So maybe it is supposed to be hard?
I have only played about 10 hours, but I have not seen much in the way of weather. Just sunny days and the occasional overcast. i would like to see more weather. but maybe it's in there. I'm not sure. I also haven't seen dawn or dusk yet. I'm waiting.
The lack of online play is a real bummer. But it simply wasn't a deal breaker for me and I'm still happy I bough it. Maybe they will seel the competative online module through the Wii store for 10 bucks? If they do, ill buy it. I love playing against other people in 1 on 1, or 4 player games. The only TWs i ever played before was TW '06 on the PC, and that was the feature that truly made it fun. I could care less about their "challenge my funky shot" thingy they came up with for the PC 08 feature. but i defintely miss good ol fashion online competative play.
If you have a large screen TV (i have a 65 inch HD), you have to invest in the 480P composite cable. Although the cable will not make your image good enough to hide those one aliasing jaggies (no anti-aliasing in the Wii apparently), it will certainly make the finer text much easier to read (or maybe I should say readable, period) and will generally enhance the contrast between colors. I'm glad i bought one. The offical Wii composite cable is 35 bucks, but you can find 3rd party brands for cheaper. Let's face it. A cable is a cable when it comes to this simple conversion. So don't bother buying the most expensive one unless you like cool looking cables to be in view or something.
Although Wii TW08 has the crowd noises, they are not actually in the image. I guess its just too much for the puny Wii processor to have a large crowd standing around, taking up valuable pixel and polygon power. So you hear them. but they aren't there. In closing, i want to make a point however. I just downloaded the PS3 version (the demo anyway) for my Ps3 that lets you play 3 holes. It was much flashier, much more beautiful graphics and it points toward a slew of additional features you will never find in Wi 08. But you know what? Who cares. I choose TW 08 Wii any day. After all, golf isn't about sitting on your sofa and flicking little thumb joysticks. Its about standing up and taking the swing. All the graphics on the other systems cant overcome this simple reality. I am having an absolute ball playing TW08 on the Wii (pun intended).
I cannot speak for veterans of the TWs series, becuase I am certainly not one. But for me, this is worth every penny and it finally gives me the first game (other that some of the Wii sports stuff) that feels like what I thought I was buying the Wii for. It works and it feels like I'm golfing and its great at parties or when a few freinds come over....