PGA Tour 2K23 was recently announced and we now know that the golf game will be released on October 14. There will be three editions of the game, each featuring the legendary Tiger Woods on the covers. The Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition and Tiger Woods Edition make up these three.
Recently we had the chance to watch the latest edition of the old golf series and my first impressions gave me a good feeling about where the game was going. As soon as I saw the game on the screen, it really jumped out.
The graphics and animations have been drastically improved. This is largely due to the fact that PGA Tour 2K23 will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. They certainly took advantage of the power of this new generation of consoles.
Golf courses in particular benefit greatly from this console upgrade. Courses like East Lake are much more vibrant and breathtaking than before. You will see how realistic the vegetation is with the movement of the trees, plants and grass. As someone who loves golf courses, this is a welcome upgrade and I think most gamers will appreciate it too.
“Our team wanted to use every drop of technology from the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to increase the resolution of all elements on the screen,” said James Seaboyer, Studio Head and President at HB Studios. “For us, the focus this year was mainly on the vegetation, so the vegetation and water features have also undergone a complete overhaul.”
Speaking of courses, there are a number of new tracks in the game, including Wilmington Country Club (which has hosted the BMW Championship), The Renaissance Club (Scottish Open), and St. George’s Golf and Country Club (Canadian Open). Each of these designs is quite fun to play and offers a nice variety. Some of the other courses to be added later include legendary tracks such as Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Torrey Pines.
The gameplay is very smooth and swing animations are much more realistic. Hitting shots is more satisfying in PGA Tour 2K23 and seeing the new animations makes every swing fun to admire too. In that sense, golfers’ facial expressions really come out when you smile during good shots and frown during bad shots. Yes, there have been facial expressions in the past, but this time they feel really authentic.
“Player models have been done from scratch; not just for the pros, but also for the MyPLAYER,” said Seaboyer. “We had to recapture all the animations. All the animations in the game look a lot more athletic and professional because we were able to capture a lot of pros and so we’re excited to build on that.
From when it was known as “The Golf Club” to now PGA Tour 2K, the game as a whole has come a long way. By first obtaining the PGA Tour license and then signing with 2K to publish the games, the series has reached new heights.
“It was an incredible journey for us that started out essentially as an indie game,” said HB Studios developer James. “Simulation has always been the core of the product and that has always been a pillar for this franchise and we are so grateful to the community for all of their course designer efforts.”
There is also a fresh new swing option available and it is one that old golfers should be all too familiar with; the 3-Click format. This is an excellent option if you are an old-school gamer or someone new to golf games. It’s also nice if you just want to change things up. It plays very smoothly and has the potential to become popular among gamers.
There is also a nice selection of Tour pros, all of which are playable. Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris and Jon Rahm are available among others. You will also see LPGA Tour pros for the first time, featuring three of the tour’s heavy hitters in Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson. Oh, there’s also a dude named Eldrick “Tiger” Woods who also happens to be on the cover of the game. Yes, he’s pretty good. And then there’s this guy from Michael Jeffrey Jordan who played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA and is on two of NBA 2K23 covers. Yes, he is also in the PGA Tour 2K23.
“You go with Tiger for PGA (2K23) because he’s a legend, and you go with MJ for NBA (2K23) because he’s a freaking legend,” actor and avid golf fan, Chris McDonald (known as Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore) said. “I get it, it sells games, but it also promotes the sport and that’s fantastic. And wow, who could represent one of those sports better than those two superstars?”
Apart from all the great players in the game, there is also the addition of another major player in the world of professional golf; the caddy. Yes, caddies are back in golf, adding some extra authenticity to the PGA Tour experience. Perhaps the coolest thing about having loopers is that you can customize them just like you can with your MyPLAYER. So you and your caddy can look fresh on the track while you’re on your way to a championship.
The full game isn’t out yet, of course, but those were some of the main things we got to check out. So far I am impressed with it. When you see how realistic and beautiful the courses are and how authentic the gameplay immerses you in every round and that is the honest truth. It will be interesting to see how the full game plays out. As mentioned, PGA Tour 2K23 will be released on October 14th.
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