Video game golf fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming year, with both PGA Tour 2K23 and EA Sports PGA Tour to be released between now and spring 2023. In the latest outing of HB Studios, the development team did a lot of things right with PGA Tour 2K21but they will have to significantly improve their online suite if they want to PGA 2K23 to compete with EA’s upcoming golf game.
The PGA 2K series has evolved significantly over the past decade, with PGA 2K21 offering licensed PGA courses, real PGA Tour professionals and a challenging simulation style for golf fans. HB Studios at the time had the luxury of limited competition from Electronic Arts, with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series ending in 2013 and 2015 Rory McIlroy PGA Tour not delivering an experience associated with fans. With EA returning to the left in 2023, PGA Tour 2K23 will have to deliver features that keep players coming back for a new experience, namely their online offerings in the upcoming game.
PGA Tour 2K23: Playing online matters
Golf video games differ from other sports games in that the focus is often more on Create-A-Player modes than on teams or individual athletes. In PGA games, most players create a character and play almost exclusively with that player as they try to win the FedEx Cup or dominate online, earning new skill boosts and gear. The Tiger Woods PGA Tour series did particularly well in the online portion of the game, with plenty of modes, leaderboards, and ways for a player to compete in what felt like a tour of their own. PGA Tour 2K21 was lacking in this area, and PGA Tour 2K23 will have to be a lot better to compete with the EA game.
Despite its mistakes, the EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour series offered a solid competitive multiplayer suite, complete with many customizations and ways for fans to play. Players can participate in standard four-player stroke play matches, or they can play match play and even get together with a friend and team up for alternating shot, best ball or four ball. Better yet, the Tiger Woods series features ranking systems and leaderboards that gave players pride in their achievements and something to work for. Even the much-maligned Rory McIlroy PGA Tourwhich had weak multiplayer had leaderboards showing the players who were doing well in the game.
As a game that has always focused more on realism, PGA Tour 2K21 offered players a simulation experience and a PGA Tour career mode that was the best in the series to date. In addition, the course creation feature is something that no other golf game on consoles has done to the level that HB Studios did, and when it launched licensed PGA Tour courses in PGA tour 2K2, the level of variety and quality has only deepened. Though it will never risk having the poor course selection plagued Rory McIlroy PGA Tour at launch, PGA Tour 2K21The company’s online offering is relatively bare-bones compared to past and future competition.
It wouldn’t cost much for PGA Tour 2K23 to deliver multiplayer that sets it apart from EA Sports, but HB Studios will need to make online play a focal point of the game rather than an afterthought. Even in the PGA Tour 2K21 menu, multiplayer is more of an aside than a featured part of the game, and the options inside are confusing at best. Online co-op modes like Alternate Shot and Best Ball alternate in availability per day, so players won’t be able to play the option they prefer, and that may cause some fans to lose interest. Each PGA Tour 2K23 mode must be self-contained and available to players at all times, otherwise the online portion of the game will pale in comparison to the EA Sports option next year.
Competitive players also like to keep score, so leaderboards and good progression systems are a must. PGA Tour 2K21 did a great job with its Battle Pass, but a good ranking and leaderboard system will keep players playing PGA Tour 2K23 long after its release. Players like to know who’s the best – many of the best streamers are also top players at their game of choice – and the opportunity to move up the leaderboard is a great incentive for gamers to play another game. PGA Tour 2K23.
PGA Tour 2K23 is scheduled to release on October 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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