New PGA Tour Game Delayed, But Exciting New Gameplay Details Revealed

EA Sports' upcoming professional golf game Rory McIlroy PGA Tour has been delayed. Originally scheduled to launch in June, the new game--the first in the series since 2013--is now scheduled to arrive on July 14 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

In a blog post, EA offered more insight into why it delayed the game by a month, saying it came down to making sure the online infrastructure will be smooth and stable at release. Launching on July 14 also means Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will debut the same week as the Open Championship at St. Andrews. The Open Championship is one of golf's four Majors, and cover star Rory McIlory is the defending champion.

But the delay was just one piece of news EA Sports had to announce today.

The developer also on Thursday announced the first gameplay details for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.

First, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will offer three different control setups, the first of which is called Arcade. Using this setting, players control their swing with the left analog stick and can even adjust power and spin when the ball is in flight (something you totally can't do in real life; hence the arcade name).

The second control setting is called 3-Click; this is the one you're probably already familiar with. Click once to start your swing, a second time to determine power, and a third time to set the accuracy. The third control setting is called Tour and it'll be the most challenging of the bunch. With this setting, the length of your backswing (pulling back on the stick) and the power of the follow-through (pushing forward) will determine how far your ball flies and how accurate your shot will be.

In addition, the Tour setting blocks you from zooming in on the hole from the tee box, but you can use the game's new Hole Map to get an idea about yardage and shot selection. EA adds that players can even mix and match these three control settings to fit their playstyle.

Another new change this year for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is that courses are designed to play more like they would in real life. For example, TPC Sawgrass in Florida will play "softer" than the St. Andrews course in Scotland, which is known to be "firmer" and faster.

In terms of visuals and presentation, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will include a new aiming arc feature that shows the projected ball flight for a perfect swing, while a new putt read feature will show how your ball will break. But of course, whether or not you sink the putt will come down to getting your speed and power right.

The game also has a new backswing meter that will let you know when you've gone far enough back, as determined by your shot selection. On Tour mode, however, you'll be able to overextend your swing and shank a shot if you're not careful.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour also includes new ball physics, which should allow for interaction with plants and trees (among other things) to be more realistic, EA says. This time around, if you hit a shot into the trees, your ball can heroically make it through (just like it would in real life on a lucky day) or bounce around and get snagged (just like it would in real life on a bad day).

For an even deeper breakdown of the gameplay changes coming to Rory McIlroy PGA Tour 15, check out EA Sports' in-depth blog post and the video and images below.

Looking ahead, EA said today that it will publish more gameplay details and videos that will speak to the game's career mode, online modes, challenges, and "fantasy courses," which we first saw at E3.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is in development exclusively for Xbox One and PS4. It doesn't include The Masters and is the first game in EA's series since 1999 to not feature golfing icon Tiger Woods. The game runs on DICE's Frostbite engine, and promises no loading screens between holes.