EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Review: Great Round of Golf

Game Reviewed: EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour

Date Released: July 14th, 2015

Developer: EA Tiburon

Publisher: EA Sports

Platform: [Reviewed: XBOX ONE], PlayStation 4

Genre: Sports

Rated: E for Everyone

EA Sports is back this year with another round of golf and a new star bracing the cover. It’s so long to Tiger Woods and good day to Rory McIlroy and EA did a great job with their decision making of who should be the new PGA Tour spokesperson.

Rory McIlory is a 26 year old pro golfer residing from Northern Ireland. In his career, not only has he taken the world by surprise listing as #1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the age of 17, but McIlory is one of few to win three majors in his career before aging 25. The other two to ever pull this off was Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

So now that you know the man it’s time to know the game. It’s time to breathe in the fresh air and greet the crowd as you, your clubs and your ball become one with nature. Welcome to Rory McIlory PGA Tour.

PGA Tour starts off with a tutorial to get you on the course with finesse, and with some of the changes you just may need them. There are three mechanics in Rory McIlory allowing multiple ways to swing: Arcade, Classic and Tour. The arcade swing uses the left thumbstick to determine to power of your swing. Arcade style also enables you the ability to manually adjust the distance of your shot by adding power and spinning your ball mid-air. Classic style is the original three button mode where tapping “A” or “X” will control your shot selection and power. Then there is the Tour style that requires pure accuracy from the gaming golf pro’s based on your shot when using the analog stick.

You’re are able to adjust your shot type to get out of certain situations such as a choke, punch, a pitch for a nice land to the green and more. If you just want to play to simply enjoy the experience you can always stick with default option.

There’s a new shot meter that fills as you begin your swing; no more bars unless your aiming for genuine accuracy, utilizing the Tour game style as your mechanic.

Also a part of the prologue is Rory McIlory’s PGA victory being re-envisioned by you, but we’ll let you experience Rory’s glorious moment and get you to the heart of EA’s PGA Tour and its game modes. You can choose from an 18-round exhibition, your own PGA Tour career, Night Club Challenges, Online Head to Head and Tournaments.

A 15-year career mode sums up what to look for in creating your own legacy in PGA Tour. You have the decision of choosing one of three bios to explain your story and what led to your interest in earning a tour card for 2015. From here, you’re customizing your character and attributes so you can make it to TPC Sawgrass for the WEB.COM Tour Championship. The rest is determined on how you write your legacy.

My only gripe in the career mode would have to be the lack of customization. PGA Tour has always been the one game that allowed Game Face, putting you in the game. This year you have a few faces to choose between without the option of facial editing. Could be nitpicking, but this is personally a step back for EA Sports.

Night Club challenges are pretty fun. The best golfers come out at night, right? It’s all fun and games as you attempt to three-star over 170 unique challenges, earning additional boost and special golfers, including the EA Battlefield solider and Nevada Smith. The challenges involve you hitting different targets in different variations. As you progress you will earn unique boost that helps you fine tune your shots.

Online modes include ranked and unranked head to head and tournaments. First time ever, all players are able to play simultaneously, moving across the course and keeping track of others by their gamertag or PSN ID each time the ball lands. As for Tournaments, EA Sports will host events where anyone can join. Be forewarned, if you quit before completing the tournaments, there’s no way to return.

The EA Sports Ignite engine is no longer showcasing visuals. Battlefield’s unique Frostbyte 3 engine is the new replacement, providing better visuals throughout the course, rather than just where the ball lies. Rory McIlroy delivers amazing graphics, new animations and beautiful camera angles. Even the EA Trax are worth mentioning as it provides all styles of customizable music while you play.

Jim Nantz and David Feherty say so long as new commentary team of Rich Lerner and Frank Nobilo calls play by play on the green. Their chemistry is definitely there as they provide awesome feedback and humor at the same time. Indeed a small change that creates a huge impact. To be honest however, their line become a bit repetitive after a few rounds.

EA Sports Rory McIlory PGA Tour fine tunes the mechanics and give every gamer, whether it’s your first time or pro, a memorable experience you’ll truly enjoy. There’s no longer a reason to stay off the green, participate in tournaments or simply enjoy the night life, this year’s PGA Tour is worth it!

The Scores:

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Visuals: 4.25/5

Controls: 4/5

Audio: 4.25/5

Replayability: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.25/5