And that's the big problem with Tiger Woods 08; it feels like a good idea that wasn't seen through to completion. There's too much here that simply doesn't work, particularly in the Xbox 360 version. The 360 crashes in the same place during the Tiger Challenge, making it impossible to finish, and you can't upload highlights to the EA server. Both the PS3 and 360 versions have periodic lag, glitches, and freezing issues when played online; the game face upload site doesn't work; and the single-player suffers from glitches like golfers vanishing, taking drops when they weren't supposed to, and a way-too-sensitive analog swing.
Tiger Woods 08's graphics are virtually indistinguishable from Tiger Woods 07's. For the most part the golfers look like their real-life counterparts. Each player has a unique swing, which is good, but they look lousy in motion. Players will warp from one position to another when preparing to address the ball; sometimes they don't appear to hit the ball at all; and there are frequently hitches in their swing. When the camera is still the courses look great, but when it starts panning around or following the ball the frame rate takes a bit of a hit and the grass looks lousy. Other objects, like rocks and many trees in the distance, look downright awful, moving or not. Even with the addition of more-dramatic camera angles for your opponent's shots (which often are horrible), the presentation is dry and in sore need of an upgrade--and that includes the commentary.
People who worry about yearly releases diluting the quality of games have plenty of ammo in the form of Tiger Woods 08. The changes to the gameplay are minimal, and some of them make the game worse. There are only five new courses, and many new features don't feel fleshed out, don't work well, or flat-out don't work. The PlayStation 3 version is the one to go with if you have the choice. It's a good game with fewer issues than the 360. Xbox 360 owners should just stick with Tiger Woods 07.
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