Back at E3 2005, we got our first glimpse of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06--a game that, thanks to some granular grass effects and excellent player models, really showed off what the next generation of sports games would look like. In addition to serving as a graphics showcase, that first look at Tiger also served as our introduction to some of Tiger 06's new control tweaks that have since been brought to fruition on current-gen consoles, PC, and handhelds. With the Xbox 360 just around the corner, we finally had a chance to check out how Tiger will play on Microsoft's upcoming console.

First and foremost, Tiger looks amazing. And yes, we mean Tiger Woods, the golfer. In our opening time with the game, we took a quick round on the front nine of Pebble Beach with the current world number one, and just couldn't get enough of the finely detailed model of Tiger ripping it up off the teeboxes. The level of detail on the model is really something to behold; the textures on his hat, the self-shadowing effects as he swung his club, the sharpness and clarity of the skin textures (you could even make out veins on his arm)--everything added up to as fine a character model as we've perhaps ever seen in a game. All that was missing was the goatee that Tiger Woo is rocking these days.

You'll want to be mindful of the crowds you attract in Tiger 06. Errant balls are liable to strike a paying patron.

Similarly, the environments we played enjoyed a good helping of that same sort of stunning detail as well. We played only Pebble Beach--the game's five other courses required unlocking--but we frankly haven't seen the jewel of Monterey, California, looking this fine since we played the PC version of the game on our souped-up gaming rig. The best details are the ones up close--the grass effects which, thanks to some careful camera angles that show it off, really comprise individual blades (at least in the tall rough); the teeming crowds that showed up on every hole we played (on the gorgeous, ocean-lined 18th, you'll even see the familiar white grandstands built to accommodate the throngs that come to see Tiger, and the rest of the PGA tour members, play each time they makes an appearance). It's worth mentioning that you can actually smack crowd members with an errantly hit ball, a feature that doesn't get any less funny the 10th time you do it than it was the first.

Water effects looked pretty good, and you really got a sense of motion from the toiling sea that laps up against the course's abundant coastline. Some of the far-background environments were comprised of 2-D textures that didn't necessarily jibe well with the near-obsessive amount of detail in the foreground environments, but it didn't detract from the overall golf experience.

And that golf experience will likely feel very familiar to anyone who has played Tiger 06 on current-generation consoles. The control scheme has changed very little on the Xbox 360. You still swing with the left analog stick, obviously, and the shape stick controls, which let you put spin, draw, or fade on the ball by using the right analog stick are still in place and work pretty much exactly like they do in the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox games. To draw the ball, you move a cursor to the left edge of the ball with the right analog stick, for example. To add some topspin, you move the cursor to the top end of the ball. Finally, you can combine different types of spin and ball movement by moving the cursor at an angle--down and to the right, for example, to put some backspin and a fade on the ball.

The lack of the black and white buttons on the Xbox 360 controller means that the power- and spin-boost controls have changed a bit for this version. To boost your power during your backswing or to add spin to your ball in midflight, you now rapidly tap the left shoulder button--a prospect that makes your backswing much more difficult this time around. Unlike the PS2 game, in which boosts were controlled with the R1 button, tying the boost button to the left shoulder on the 360 means you have to be extracareful with your backswing--it's very easy to go offline with your backswing and slice the ball on your follow-through. We tried experimenting with our swing a bit--angling the controller slightly, using our thumb to swing the stick, and pressing the left shoulder button with our right hand--but we didn't have much success with that either. In the end, it's going to take some getting used to. Whether it will end up being a game-friendly change remains to be seen.

One thing that feels exactly like the previous Tiger 06 versions is the putting game. The same interactive beads from the Xbox and PS2 version are in place here, indicating the vertical angle and any left or right breaks in the putting surface. In addition, the same putting power "zone" system that shows you exactly how far a putt would travel on a perfectly flat surface is here, and as usual, you'll need to factor in things like green speed and slope in deciding which "zone" to take your shot in. The ideal putt camera, another holdover from the current generation, is here as well, so if you're stuck on exactly how to handle multiple breaks on a long putt (or even want to practically guarantee a one-putt on a midrange shot), you'll have that tool in your toolbox to use at your leisure.

Tiger 06's season mode won't feature the time-travel motif of the PC and console games. Instead, there's a more straightforward approach to the game that has you still challenging Tiger, but only after you've managed to get your PGA Tour card after going through Q school and earning your stripes. We didn't get very deep into this mode in our time with the game but we did notice that at the very start, you actually pair up with Tiger to finish out a tournament. After that, it's up to you to start improving your created character's attributes by beating a number of course-specific skills challenges, including putting, chipping, and driving competitions. In the early goings, you'll be challenging fictional golfers, but, presumably as you progress with your career, you'll be taking on actual PGA pros in weekly tournaments, with the ultimate goal of winning Majors. The smart design choice of separating tour winnings from skill points continues in the 360 version of the game, and as always, you'll have a plethora of gear, clothing, and accessories to spend your hard-earned cash on.

Riviera Country Club simply hasn't looked better than on Xbox 360.

Online, Tiger Woods looks to have some interesting twists on the 360. For one thing, the sign-up procedure--which normally takes a small eternity on EA Sports games--has been streamlined a bit this time around. For another, tournaments will player a bigger role than ever before. In addition to standard quick match and custom match options, Tiger 06's tournament mode will let you play in a number of original tournaments each week. We signed in on Thursday and played the first few holes in a tournament called "Tournament Thursday" at Carnoustie. Statistical tracking for these tourneys looks to be beefed up as well--you'll be able to view leaderboards, weekly money winners, the current golfer of the week, and even check out previous tournament winners. If you like, you can view a golfer's gamercard with just a click of the button, to see what other kinds of achievements he or she has racked up.

The game's audio seems to be solid in its presentation. Gary McCord and David Feherty still share announcing duties and, this time around, Feherty sounds as if he's still inching towards the edge of the sanity's cliff, delivering with utter conviction lines such as, "I see a straight shot, 200 yards to the hole, and I see dead people." If you've got an MP3 player handy and are tired of Tiger's EA Trax-fueled soundtrack, you can play custom playlists in the game--thus forever merging your two favorite pastimes, golf and Slayer.

With only six playable courses--Pebble Beach, Pinehurst No. 2, Riviera, TPC at Sawgrass, Carnoustie, and Turnberry's Ailsa Course--the 360 version will unfortunately come up short in terms of the number of links to play. Still, if you're looking for a next-generation golf game that definitely looks the part, Tiger Woods 06 will surely fit the bill. We'll have a full review of the game in time for the launch of the Xbox 360.