This is the worst sequel to a game I have ever played.
The create a player was not better, it was more complicated and put the create features in an order that made it impossible to tell how your character was turning out as you made them. That combined with the annoyingly loud "tink, tink, tink..." as you moved the slowly loading slider bar, was enough to make me mute the game, and settle for a character that did not look like me, as opposed to 05 where my character looked like I had downloaded a picture of myself into the game.
The tutorial is non-existent, along with no help from the 6 page manual that comes with the game having no explanation on controls or game types. It starts you off and says, "here try to hit and chip like you did in the last game, but we made it much harder like you wanted. You're welcome." Also, we made putting impossible, took out the tiger vision that you complained about, and then added gamebreakers that are equally stupid and for cheaters.
Imagine if you will, going to hit a drive, and having your character lined up away from the fairway into the trees, and then having to pick your club and direction with no help from the game. That is what putting is like, because it starts your cursor 10 feet past the hole, with an almost impossible to read grid and no idea on proper distance or speed because the "(not-so) ideal putt camera" only shows you break, and not distance. Worst system ever out of the 20 golf games I've played. I would rather go back to EB and buy back my used copy of Outlaw Golf 2 (which was horrible) and play that instead of this game.
The game is harder, so will be much more enjoyable for those of you that can stand playing it until you get good, but I tried this game to start over and earn achievements, not to feel like a one handed 4 year old. "In case dual sticks is not hard enough for you, we have placed the power button above the left stick, just because we hate you and want you to shank to the right consistantly like you do in real life." It feels like the creators were secretly mad at EA, and so decided to ruin one of their most popular franchises right before they quit to work for a competitor.
I would never quit a match, and detest people who do, and so nearly cost myself a $50 wireless controller becuase I just played a 3-hole mini round and 9-hole stroke round, and WAS OVER PAR MORE HOLES THAN MY LAST 50 ROUNDS IN 2005. I wish you could cuss on gamespot.
Why try online before mastering the offline version first you ask? Because there are about 12 achievements, and they are all centered around online. It would make sense to have achievements for beating players in game, unlocking trophy balls, and also winning online matches, but apparently not to EA. Instead, its online points only that matter. Instead they make it waaaaay to easy to earn the points in their other games, and make up for it by making it impossible like perfect dark to get them all in this game. Instead they decide to drive the masses away like the pied piper with rat poison in his flute.
Too bad too, becuase I really thought I found something better than Mario Golf when I picked up 2005. Lets see, ruined Madden, ruined Tiger, ruined NBA Live, oh well, I hear they haven't ruined Fight Night yet since it hasn't been out enough years for them to overanalyze it, so maybe I'll try that.
Graphics - good of course, although the create a player was too complicated.
Sound - sorry to be a comparison only reviewer, but not as good and not impressive.
Gameplay - need you ask
Value - 360 version worse than others, and more expensive. I would say that makes it the opposite of value.
Overall - Hopefully you haven't taken the shrink wrap off yet. I have a friend with over 12,000 achievement points, who plays everything through to the end, and even he has only 375 points on this game. Why? Because one of the achievements (for an unheard of 200 points) is gain a #1 online ranking in any game mode. So, get the game first, or don't get full points. Gotcha. Thanks EA. Why don't you go buy off another sports franchise.