Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Overview

On January 4th, 2011, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 was announced by EA Sports. The game is subtitled "The Masters" and is the first in franchise history that includes both Augusta National Golf Club and its Par 3 Course, as well as a playable version of The Masters tournament. According to EA, a new type of "laser scanning technology" was used to scan Augusta providing "the most authentic digital representation" of the course.

This is the earliest in the year that a game in the Tiger Woods franchise has been released. Traditionally the series released games in August, with the previous two installments being released in June. The March release date was chosen to coincide with The Masters, which took place April 7-10, 2011. This is also the first game in the franchise that does not prominently feature Tiger Woods on the cover artwork, although he is front and center on the box of the Collectors Edition.

Versions

• The standard versions for Xbox 360 & PS3 contain a total of 16 courses.

• A PS3-exclusive Collectors Edition adds an additional five courses, for a total of 21 in that package.

• The Wii version of the game features a slightly different set of courses, for a total of 25 in all.

• The PC version was released later in the year on September 6th, but was criticized for its limited graphics & online modes, and for essentially being a boxed version of the browser-based free-to-play Tiger Woods Online. EA even issued refunds to unhappy customers because of this.

• The iOS version of the game does not include The Masters courses (and subsequently doesn't have "The Masters" subtitle.)

New Features

• "The Caddie Experience," which provides the player with a fully voice-acted caddie who gives advice on your swing, helps you read greens, choose your shot and club selection, and more. This optional feature can be toggled on or off at any time.
• Although the franchise first used the PlayStation Move motion controller in Tiger Woods 11, in an effort to improve upon the Move controls for this year's game, the developers have stated that "the swing mechanic for the Move has been completely rebuilt."
• Jim Nantz from CBS Sports provides commentary for the first time in the series and David Feherty returns to the franchise to join him.

Gameplay Modes

• Road to the Masters - A new career mode starts you off as a amateur golfer, with the ultimate goal of winning The Masters.
• Masters Moments - Replay historic and memorable moments from The Masters.
• Tiger at the Masters - Try to meet or beat Tiger's scores from his four wins at The Masters.
• The President's Cup - It's the United States vs. The World in this semiannual event.
• Fast Golf - Allows you to complete a full round of golf in half the time.
• Disc Golf / Mini Golf - Wii exclusives modes.

Playable Golfers

There are twenty-two licensed golfers in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters.

* = New to the franchise

• Paul Casey
• Paula Creamer
• Rhys Davies*
• Chris DiMarco
• Nick Dougherty
• Rickie Fowler*
• Jim Furyk
• Natalie Gulbis
• Zach Johnson*
• Anthony Kim
• Rocco Mediate
• Edoardo Molinari*
• Francesco Molinari*
• Suzann Pettersen
• Ian Poulter
• Justin Rose
• Adam Scott
• Henrik Stenson*
• Camilo Villegas
• Bubba Watson*
• Boo Weekley
• Tiger Woods

Courses

** Only included on-disc with the PS3 Collector's Edition.

Pre-Order Bonuses

• Amazon offered the "Georgia Classic Putter" which gives you a 10 boost to every putting attribute.
• GameStop offered exclusive bonus courses, with the Bethpage Black course for Xbox 360, and the Turnberry course for the PS3 standard edition. (These two courses were later made available to everyone as separate DLC.)
• Wal-Mart offered the "Precision Boost Driver and Iron Set," which offers maximum boosts to your golfer's control.