Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07

Golf goes next-gen, again! Mr. Marbles heads out to the PGA Tour's Western Open to get his hands on Tiger 07

Being a nerd finally pays off.

EA showed off the second Xbox 360 installment of the Tiger Woods franchise at the PGA Tour Western Open at Cog Hill Country Club just outside of Chicago. And for a gamer and golf geek like me, it was a dream come true.

The purpose was to show just how exciting a live PGA Tour event can be. Despite many people's perception of golf as a lackluster sport of little-to-no action, it can be quite the opposite, especially when Tiger Woods is on the bill.

We followed Tiger for a few holes to get a feeling of what tour pressure is all about, as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is attempting to recreate just that. And so far, EA is on the right track.

All new UCAP technology is makes Tiger surprisingly realistic.

All new UCAP technology is makes Tiger surprisingly realistic.

Last year EA officially unveiled Tiger on the Xbox 360, but though gameplay was as solid as the rest of the series, there were only six courses and certain in-game features were tweaked for the worse. For example, the right analog Shot Stick made hitting a draw or fade awkward and unrealistic, and the iconic EA Gamebreaker was added to the last sport that should ever have one ... seriously.

For the Better

Apparently EA has taken notes and listened to its critics, because Tiger 07 makes some much-needed changes. First, the Shot Stick has been eliminated completely, and shot types are controlled the old way -- by simulating a curving motion with the left analog stick. And for getting more or less loft on a shot, say goodbye to playing the ball up or back in your stance. Now a simple method of changing club loft is as simple as positioning the clubhead prior to a shot.

Tiger 07 looks isn't lacking in the graphics department.

Tiger 07 looks isn't lacking in the graphics department.

In terms of presentation, EA is going with simplicity. The HUD has nearly been wiped clean so that all pertinent information is positioned in the bottom-left corner of the screen. And, there is a picture-in-picture window that showcases character reactions, that appears after shot impact. It doesn't seem like much, but the new, sleek look keeps the screen less busy and accentuates one of the main draws of golf: the beauty of the course.

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