When the Nintendo Wii was released, many of us were initially very impressed with the motion sensing controller.  Despite its ergonomically deficient build and layout, using the controller for the first time caused the masses to get into a lather.  Eventually the hype subsided as the library of decent games failed to appear and the controller itself did not deliver what most players thought it would in terms of sensitivity.  The Wii Motion Plus, a controller add-on released in June 2009, was meant to remedy many of the problems people had with the wonky controller and as a result, would extend the life cycle of the system.  Now games with a degree of finesse can actually be played as intended.

Still, there are very few titles that have utilized the Wii Motion Plus to the fullest extent and this is surprising considering the amount of games released for the system.  Clearly, most of these games are destined for the bargain bin but the Tiger Woods PGA franchise has set a new bar in terms of making use of the Wii Motion Plus.  It is surprising that the Tiger Woods PGA game franchise, one buried in redundancy, is the one to break through and actually utilize the system properly.  From year to year, the game is typically very similar and it is not surprising since there is no reason to change anything if people are still purchasing it in droves.  In many ways, it suffers from the same ailment as Madden where a new mode or tweak and updated rosters are the features to look forward to.  Thankfully, the developers took a chance this time and succeeded.

Last year with Tiger Woods PGA 10 on the Wii, the motion controller was used but did not have the sensitivity to blow people away.  So while the game was still good and generally received high praises, there was a lot of room for improvement.  With this year’s effort the golf club truly reacts to your movement and is the most realistic golf game on the market in terms of gameplay.  Obviously, being that this is the Wii version, the graphics are only of moderate quality.  In the “True View” aiming mode the player sees everything through the first-person perspective so that he is looking down at his feet, golf ball, and club.  In that instance, the usefulness of the Wii Motion Plus becomes very apparent.  Not only does it follow your arm swing back and forth but also perfectly replicates the twisting of the wrists.

This aspect is quite impressive when you turn your wrists over slowly, either to the left or the right, and the club’s face will open or close in what appears close to real time.  When playing, your swing’s follow-through is extremely important to get right or you will face the consequences.  I have sliced countless shots out of bounds and it is actually my fault because when I examine where the Wii controller ends up, it is inevitably turned over in some awkward position.  There have even been times when I have missed the ball completely because I did not follow though over the location of the imaginary target on the floor.  But when you do things right, and it does take a few mulligans to iron out your style, it feels almost like being out on a real course.

On the whole, the Wii’s version of Tiger Woods PGA 11 is a standout title that accurately depicts the tragedy golf and this is impressive since the graphics are not being relied upon whatsoever to immerse the player.  If given the chance, take the opportunity to try out this game because at the very least it will show you how motion controls should be done.

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