Visually, Tiger Woods 07 is stunning. Each player model is detailed with a great deal of attention given to specific facial expressions and mannerisms. This is especially true for Tiger as he has been UCAP'd for this game, and the results are remarkable and scary in its realism. Tiger will wince, grin, look happy, upset, and really bring emotion to his game before, after, and during each shot he takes. Chris DiMarco, Luke Donald, Mike Weir, and Colin Montgomerie have joined tiger in the UCAP tech school of facial eeriness. Even though the UCAP is impressive don't think the rest of players or create-a-player models aren't as impressive looking. The courses are the real stars of the game in terms of visual splendor. Each course has its own unique flair and distinct design, from intense roughs, slender fairways, evil water hazards and cavernous bunkers. Surrounding each course is a group of onlookers who not only applaud and follow the golfers from shot to shot, but also can be obstacles if they get in the way, which includes being struck with a ball themselves. The sky even varies from game to game providing clear blue skies, partly cloudy days, and even ominous overcasts. While no weather effects take part in this year's game, I am sure the crew at EA will implement this one day. Topping off this visual masterpiece is a presentation that not only is flashy, but also resembles a TV style presentation including picture in a picture displays.

Tiger sounds as good as it looks using brilliant 5.1 audio to its fullest. Accurate crowd reactions, realistic sound effects, and even ESPN Radio updates are included, thanks to EA's new ESPN integration. We of course cannot forget the brilliant commentary from David Fehrety and Gary McCord, which is always humorous as well as informative. Advertisement It is all about the game play in Tiger Woods 07 as EA has managed to make next generation golfing as fun, frustrating, and realistic as hitting the links in real life in the early stages of your career. Obviously, you will find an easier time shooting low numbers with better stats and practice. The new Dual Stick analog swing technique allows you not only to provide an accurate shot, but now you have the ability to control the trajectory and spin of the ball as well. This gives you the freedom to control your fades, draws, flops, etc. giving you the most interactive short game in golfing history. Thanks to the SIXAXIS, control you can turn and pivot your controller to put more oomph on the ball's spin. Unfortunately, the overshot bug is still in the short game, a glitch that if you shoot largely over the pointed shot mark and quickly shoot the ball, your chances of getting to the pin increase significantly. Golfing fans who get frustrated may find the learning curve a bit steep at the beginning of the game as the true realism really takes shape when your golfer is in his newbie stages. Don't fret as once your golfer reaches a respectable level of experience, the game becomes more user friendly and you will make more shots and less mistakes. The new true aiming meter can be the cause of some of these frustrations as you will no longer be able to pinpoint the place where you want your ball to hit. You now have a ring that varies in size depending on your golfer's skill. This ring is your "approximation" of where your ball "may" end up. This wonderful new addition will infuriate arcade golf fans, but please fans of the sport. Putting is also just as frustrating, if not more so, as gone is a meter that will tell you where and how to hit your ball. You get a geometric grid and distance and that is it, and much like reading a real life green, it is all about knowing your terrain and touch. Granted if you play on EASY difficulty your pinpoint meters and putt meters are present, but no self respecting golf fan will want to use these, right?

So what do we have so far? Great graphics? Check. Great audio? Check. Great game play? Check. However, does Tiger deliver the goods in the depth department? Yes, but not without a few minor complaints. Tiger offers a new training course, Tiger challenges, mini games, and multiplayer arcade style games, but where Tiger really succeeds in is the new Fed Ex Cup career mode. This is how golf will be played starting next year where the season will be split into a regular season and playoff season. You accumulate points based on your finishes in the regular season, where the top 30 will advance to playoff events. The player with the most points after four playoffs is crowned the Fed Ex champion. This mode will change the face of golf in real life and it is nice to see EA implement this before the start of the new golf season. Of course, you can still take your golfer online and see who is the best of the best in the real world. Where Tiger still bogeys on is in the amount of golfers and courses in the game, which are still behind the current gen versions. There are still more than last year's next gen offering, including 12 courses and 15 licensed golfers. I hope that EA will implement the complete kit and caboodle next year and deliver the definitive golf game. For now, they are really close, but just come up short due to the lack of players and courses.

In the end, the future looks bright for EA and the Tiger Woods series for next generation consoles. Minus a few hiccups in the content department, you can give the argument that this is the best console golf game to date. Newbies may have a tough time with the steep learning curve, but this is rewarding as it teaches you how to read the courses, wind conditions, what clubs to use, as well as the important factor of "touch" required to be a golf pro. No longer can you "Happy Gilmore" your way onto the tour, you have to earn it with patience and skill. Golf fans rejoice, your virtual messiah has arrived and it is the UCAP version of Tiger Woods.