Rory McIlroy PGA Golf

Rory replaces Tiger.

Who is in (other than me)?

I'm in. I just couldn't get interested in The Golf Club. I'm looking forward to this next gen golf title.

I bet they had to ink Rory to be the cover guy in order to combat the narrative that has developed that the game would be all arcade and shooting over battleships. I think this emphasizes that the proper PGA tour is there. I personally liked the mini games that the Tiger series would have, and this seems like it could have some really fun things to do, along with a more realistic game.

God I hope they bring back TW 11's TrueAim, though. But overall, I think the last few years have been really strong titles, and I'm ready for a new game on the new systems.

Here some bullet points from the EA website:

- Break free from what you think a golf game can be. Frostbite creates a new world, where you experience every detail – breathing life into the courses, players and crowds in ways you’ve never seen before. All this, with no load times between holes or interruptions in the action. Allowing you to enjoy your game the way you want.

- You’re one button away from everything in the game. Do it all, see it all – seamlessly without waiting. Immerse yourself in the world’s most beautiful courses – with new commentary from two of golf's most insightful broadcasters – Frank Nobilo and Rich Lerner.

- Your golfer – made your way. Tense realistic scenarios, placing you in the heat of the moment. Play golf’s biggest tournaments as you progress and build your own PGA TOUR legacy.

- For the love of competition. Play in weekly, daily or hourly tournaments and climb the leaderboard to prove you are master of the links.

- Connect with the emotion of hitting the perfect shot and golf your way with three unique swing mechanics and fully customizable gameplay styles.

- Take a break from the expected and enter "The Night Club" to play over 170 unique challenges, equipped with over-the-top gameplay boosts. Take a step off the traditional cart path and compete with big personalities on even BIGGER Fantasy Courses.

As long as they keep the swing stick action I might definitely dip my toe in. Love me some golf, but just can't get into the 3 click method.

I don't get this decision - why not call it something more generic and then have cover athletes each year? It is EA - you know they want to annualize it (or even make it biennial)... I agree, though - I don't think I could go back to the three-click swing system.

In the meantime, I'm trying to enjoy The Golf Club on the PS4. It's pretty decent, but there's no sense of progression or accomplishment except for your handicap. The gameplay is good, with an acceptable measure of "you have to do it right or you will be punished" factors. The course creator is pretty slick, but good luck getting anyone to play your course.

Three modes to play:
-Arcade for you post-shot spin masters
-Classic brings back the three-click shot mode
-Tour features advanced shot shaping, no zooming to aim, and no post-shot spin

Drop on July 14th, so it misses the June release date target.

More info on features here.

Info on the July release date and why (getting online ready, plus marketing it for the Open Championship at St. Andrews, where Rory is favored) here.

I'm always interested, since I never seem to make time for real golf anymore.

Guess I'd have to get a PS4 first though.

Well, I'm 99% in. And with EA Access I can play the full version before I buy it, and get it for 10% off on day 1 if it passes muster. I've had a love/hate relationship with the Tiger series, as they never leave well enough alone. But the three settings, and a good Tour mode that parents zooming to aim makes this pretty close to whatI want in a golf game.

What has not been discussed, and could very well not make it into the new game are Country Clubs, where you can assemble a bunch of players that want to play the same way, schedule tourneys and create a season. I never really care where I rank among the hordes of players on XBL, but it is fun to match up with your friends. There will be online play and scheduled tourneys, but they have not announced the form they will take yet.

Launching the game on July 14 allows us to deliver a fully-featured online offering including online tournaments. We know even though golf can be a fun game to play solo, it's even better with friends.

Our team has been hard at work to ensure online rounds and tournaments are a fun experience from day one. See you on the links on July 14th!

Hopefully this means something compelling, and not just regular online play.

Just PS4 and XBXO...oh well, back to Masters Collection:)

I'd forgotten about that EA access perk. Will definitely be trying this out. Back when I had a room mate we played so much Tiger Woods, especially the 1-Ball mode (or as we called it 'F-You'). I'm hopeful this is good and has a decent following for players, the last time I tried playing by myself is boring and my usual crew has little to no interest in golf.

My favorite game is Bingo Bango Bongo. I think it is a fun multiplayer mode that speeds the game up a bit and creates different strategies.

That is great news about the modes. Will this have an turn based multiplayer where the other user can be offline? Also, they really need to get off their asses and make a new phone game.

EA released some info in regards to online play. From what I see so far, there does not seem to be a Country Club mode, which was similar to the Car Club in Forza Horizon 2, where the accomplishments of each of the members goes towards the club overall. It was also a great hub to plan private tournaments for club members.

They have not said it is gone, but there has been zero mention of it. That said, online play looks really good from a features standpoint.

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ONLINE HEAD-TO-HEAD

Online H2H mode starts at the Online Hub. Players can toggle between playing Ranked and Unranked games, with Ranked games using an all-new matchmaking and shooter-inspired lobby system. Simply set your golfer and choose one of three base Gameplay Styles – Arcade, Tour, Classic - in the Ranked tab and join a session.

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After being placed into a Ranked session, players will be paired up with those who have selected the same Gameplay Style. For Ranked games, the server randomly selects two courses (with randomly generated course settings) for players to vote on.

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Voting closes ten seconds before the start of the match and the winning course will be set for the game.

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Once on the course, all users will play through the round simultaneously. Gone are the days when online matches felt like you were playing alone. For the first time ever, other golfers will be rendered in the environment. Players will see (in real-time) when their competitors move or swing, and their golf ball will be visible flying through the air and rolling on the terrain.

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When an opponent’s ball comes to a stop, their Online ID will appear for a few seconds to help you keep track of who is where. There’s also an all-new hole clock at the top of the screen, which replaces the individual shot clock. Players will have a set amount of time to complete the hole.

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After finishing a hole, players will go into spectating and have the ability to toggle through different cameras placed on that hole to view their opponents as they finish. Once everyone is done, the group moves on to the next hole.

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At the end of the round, players are given wins, losses and ties for how they fared against each individual user in the game. The group is then returned to the session screen, where two new courses are randomly generated for voting and another game will start.

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Results from Ranked games all feed into new, restructured leaderboards. Performance is now tracked separately for each Gameplay Style, and wins, losses, level, rank points and other statistics will be specific to the Style you played. This means that each Style has its own top-ranked player.

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Unranked games give players the freedom to set up the game with any course, settings, and even custom Gameplay Styles.

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The Session Browser shows which Unranked games have created. Sessions are sorted by Gameplay Style, and display the host and available slots in each session. Search filters can help find the right game.

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The Unranked session’s creator has the ability to start the session whenever they are ready. The creator can invite users to the session and edit the course, course settings, and Gameplay Style settings from inside the session.

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ONLINE TOURNAMENTS

The Online Tournaments Hub is where players access everything in the mode.

Just like Online H2H, the mode is split up by each of the three base Gameplay Styles, with Daily and Weekly Tournaments provided for each Style.

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Players can toggle between the Open, Closed, and Coming Soon tabs to enter a tournament, check past results, and see future tournaments.

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Accessing an Open tournament provides a more detailed look at the course settings and leaderboard for the tournament. This is also where you start the tournament.

Players only get one attempt at an Online Tournament, so be ready to play. Once you play or quit out, you cannot enter again. This is the case for ALL Online Tournaments.

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Just like Online H2H, Tournament leaderboards track each Gameplay Style separately. Stats include Winnings, Events Won, Top 5’s, Top 10’s, Top 25’s, Top 50’s, Top 100’s and Average Finish.

And now for something completely different.

Rory McilRoy PGA TOUR Feature Overview: Night Club Challenge

The Night Club Challenge is an all-new way to experience golf in EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR.

The Night Club is not your typical round of golf; it offers more than 170 unique, over-the-top challenges such as hitting targets, landing in buckets, exploding objects, rolling through gates, knocking down barrels, and steering through rings.

As players progress through the challenges, they unlock boosts that can defy the laws of physics and control the ball mid-flight. Before we break down each boost, let’s start from the beginning.

Night Club begins by helping golfers tune their skills with challenges such as severe uphill/downhill shots, accuracy off the tee using power boost, long putts to a shrinking cup, and pitch shots into breakable plates. But don’t blink, as challenges will get progressively harder.

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Players earn points for everything in the Night Club, including driving distance, accuracy, landing on targets, breaking objects, use of ballspin and more.

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Players can earn up to three stars per challenge based on the amount of points earned. You need to earn at least one star to complete the challenge.

Challenges are set up across three very distinctive courses: Wolf Creek, Paracel Storm, and Coyote Falls. Each course has its own map view where you will navigate through the challenges. The journey begins at Wolf Creek.

Each hole on the course has unique challenges, with the last being a Stroke Play type challenge. But this is not your traditional style of hitting the ball down the fairway. Not only do you need to sink the ball into the hole, but you must do so while being tested with moving objects such as rings, bounce pads, sticky pads, speed pads, checkpoints, and much more.

Remember: everything is points based, so you might have to hit through a multiplier ring and then sink a birdie putt in order to earn three stars.

Players must use strategy to earn all three stars, including picking the right player and utilizing the right boosts. New boosts and new fantasy golfers can be unlocked as players progress through the Night Club.

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Players can unlock a total of nine different boosts, which can be used to modify the ball’s flight to avoid obstacles and land on targets.

BOOSTS

· Rocket – Provides a lift to the ball to hit unreachable targets.

· Sticky – Use this to stop the ball from rolling, or stick to the ground like glue when it makes contact with the terrain.

· Remote Control - Take control and steer the ball left and right to avoid obstacles, fly through rings, and roll through croquet gates.

· Nitro - Gain extra distance on your shot.

· Nudge - Obstacle in the way? Use the Nudge to adjust the shot in mid-air or while rolling along the ground.

· Super Spin - Double the amount of spin on the ball, or backspin onto targets that are normally unreachable.

· Pause – Stop the ball in mid-air to time shots and hit moving targets or avoid pesky obstacles.

· Below Zero – Avoid bad lies by bouncing the ball off any type of terrain, including sand or even water.

· Anchor - Stop on a dime and drop straight down to the ground. Rotate your camera view in air to spot the target, then drop from the sky and slam down to the ground.

Boosts are where the real strategy comes into play. Players can equip up to a maximum of three boosts, so be sure to mix and match to learn which ones work best in a particular challenge.

For example, you might like having the safely net of the Sticky ball, but could also benefit from reaching an unreachable target with Nitro of shifting the ball in mid-air with Nudge. It’s all about experimenting to find the right combination of boosts and golfer to earn the highest possible score on each challenge.

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Energy is drained each time a boost is activated, and each one drains a different amount of energy. For example, Level 1 Rocket drains 25% energy while Level 1 Remote Control drains 50% energy. So you could use the Rocket four times, or mix it up with two Rockets and one Remote Control.

Earn stars by completing challenges to level up your boosts, so they cost less energy. Energy levels refill to 100% when starting a new challenge.

Some challenges such as the Glider Challenge will require players to use certain boosts. These challenges require you to combine boost powers in order to complete the challenge. (Yes, you can activate multiple boosts during a single shot).

In a glider challenge, players must use the Rocket and Nitro to keep the ball flying in the air, while using the Remote Control to steer the ball through floating rings that refill boost energy. At the end of the course flight, you will need to land the ball on ground targets to score final points.

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Some challenges even include portals that transport the ball to a different area of the hole or course. Portals can help you shortcut to the green, bypassing hazards on the way to sinking your putt. But be careful! Not all portals are created equal, and some might put you in even more danger.

Unlock new golfers such as Nevada Smith and the Battlefield Soldier to help master challenges. Each golfer has unique attributes that help complete challenges.

Players can also unlock rare apparel items by earning stars from completing challenges. Remember, you can always replay a challenge to try and earn all three stars in a challenge. Collect as many as possible, and you might even unlock a Battlefield outfit.

Not only is the Night Club Challenge fun, but it’s also a great way to tune your skills and prepare for a dominant Tour Pro Career.

Good luck in the Night Club! Can you master them all?

Now that MS has mentioned backward compatibility for 360 games, maybe so of the older course might convert to this new one...far chance of this, but one can only hope:) (and if this backward thing happens, I will finally relent and get a XBO...maybe;)

Donan wrote:

Now that MS has mentioned backward compatibility for 360 games, maybe so of the older course might convert to this new one...far chance of this, but one can only hope:) (and if this backward thing happens, I will finally relent and get a XBO...maybe;)

There is zero chance that any of the Tiger Woods games, or their content, will get used again. I am 995 positive EA will not even let the games be part of the BC catalog. The split between Tiger and EA was not amicable. They will not use a single asset in which tiger can claim any royalties. You cannot even buy the DLC for the old games anymore. If you have the courses, you can re-download them. but if you don't now them now, you can't buy them anymore.

I am probably getting this day one still, because I like EA golf. But there are a lot of caveats that come with recommending this game. Not only are the offerings sparse, but as a brand new game built from scratch, I think we all need to get our hands on it before assuming it will play like the TW games that I enjoyed.

For many, The Golf Club really is the better buy. It's cheaper and has a lot more courses, which are available for free. I just don't care for it form a gameplay and polish level. It just feels cheap.

I guess I am really a much more casual video game golfer. I like the challenge modes the same way I like Trials HD. The polish of the TW games was always good, and it just felt right. I also thought they did a pretty nice ob of creating a sim like experience in addition the more casual gameplay. That's what I hope I get here.

But man, this course listing is going to really suppress sales and make online play a lot harder to enjoy. Maybe EA will throw us a bone and provide a nice 4-8 course pack for free in a month or two.

Well, I hope the Nightclub challenge floats your boat, because the course listing pro golfers available are not pretty.

Standard Courses
TPC Sawgrass
TPC Boston
TPC Scottsdale (available with pre-order)
St. Andrews
Whistling Straits
Bay Hill
Royal Troon
Wolf Creek
Chambers Bay
Fictional/Fantasy Courses
Coyote Falls
Parcel Storm
Lighthouse Pointe
Wetlands

Real Players
Rory McIlroy
Jordan Spieth
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Ian Poulter
Hunter Mahan
Brandt Snedeker
Keegan Bradley
Rickie Fowler
Jonas Blixt
Jason Dufner
Patrick Rodgers
Martin Kaymer
Fake Golfers
Laser Logan
Battlefield Soldier
Pops Masterson
Edna Masterson
Nevada Smith

I really don't caee that much about the number golfers available, but eight course, nine if you pre-order is pretty ridiculous. My favorite edition of TW golf, TW 11, had 14 courses. The last edition of the game TW 14 came with 20 courses.

I'm sure there will be more courses to buy, but I don't think the small list is an indication of courses being held back. I won't be surprised if there are fewer courses available to buy for this version, too. since the game is being built from scratch, and every course is being created new again, I think they are under some time and budget constraints. TW 06, the first game on the 360 shipped with six courses.

As long as the EA Access version plays a great game of golf, I'm still in. But that course listing is a giant red flag for many fans of golf games.

Tiger Woods is currently #181 in the world. His market value is dropping by the minute.

That night club mode looks 100% awful.

I can't even stand the regular play. It is so PGA Tour centric in its approach and that is golf that I hate.

Chambers Bay is never going to make it the EA sports rota of courses.

Despite creating the most compelling US Open finish I can remember.

FYI, Chambers Bay is in this year's game.

Well I'll be...

Surely they won't be able to get the massive elevation changes right.

Feature Overview: No Loading Times Between Holes

EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR is the first sports game to utilize the power of Frostbite 3. Full course rendering completely eliminates in-round loading between holes, and opens up the game in new ways.

Hitting a shot off-target is no longer necessarily an automatic out of bounds and two-stroke penalty, and may result in players hitting their next shot from a completely unexpected (yet in-play) position.

New to this year’s game is the Quick Rounds feature, which provides a selection of holes to play each round of a tournament, rather than requiring players to complete all 18 holes each day. You’ll enter each day of the tournament at a different point in the round, with simulated holes based on your player’s ratings and attribute bonuses.

Once you’ve played your selection of holes, the remainder of the round (if you don’t finish on 18) will also be simulated. Players will always complete the final holes on the last day of a tournament, so the ultimate outcome is always up to you.

Below is a quick look at some of the other additions and improvements that have been made:

CROWD AND TOURNAMENT STRUCTURES

Feel the intensity during tournaments as massive galleries and tournament structures populate the course.

GOLF CHANNEL INTEGRATION

EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR sounds and looks better than any golf game before it, thanks to all-new commentary from Frank Nobilo and Rich Lerner of Golf Channel. In addition to the commentary from Rich and Frank, players will experience authentic NBC Golf Channel broadcast graphics within respective Golf Channel broadcasted tournaments.

BOSE BIG HIT MOMENTS

If you muscle up off the tee and really blast a shot you may get a Big Hit Moment, complete with slow-motion swing treatment and special visual effects.

CAMERA OPTIONS

Choose from the following four different camera angles:

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Far

BROADCAST PRESENTATION

We’ve overhauled the UI and navigation to make it easier for players to get on the course faster. The in-game interface has been streamlined to give the action more of a TV broadcast feel.

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EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR is the first sports game to utilize the power of Frostbite 3. Full course rendering completely eliminates in-round loading between holes, and opens up the game in new ways.
Hitting a shot off-target is no longer necessarily an automatic out of bounds and two-stroke penalty, and may result in players hitting their next shot from a completely unexpected (yet in-play) position.

Oh that's nice. Used to be a lot of complaints from people that have played the actual courses in the game about imaginary OB.

I am very excited and will be purchasing this day 1 for PS4

So the Madden cover curse didn't disappear, it just changed sports.

EA should never have put a name on the cover. I'm pretty sure they already wish they had Spieth. Tiger Woods made a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, but there really wasn't a good golfer to replace him. At best, you could have argued for Ricky Fowler, in terms of appeal to younger golfers and more gamers. But I think that is even a stretch.

Also, EA has somewhat confirmed that the game is no longer an annual release.

http://gamingbolt.com/ea-sports-clar...

Justin Patel, one of the designers confirmed in a post on the Operation Sports forums that ”this is not a yearly title and we are very excited about what what we are going to be able to provide users of this game.” The game will ship with 8 course and 12 golfers, however Patel added that the game will receive free content updates after the game launches. At the time of posting, Patel did not revealed what that additional content will be but it’s safe to assume that it will be more courses and golfers.

Read more at http://gamingbolt.com/ea-sports-clar...

Oh, and here's the new launch trailer. Game should be ready for early access if you have EA Access on Thursday.

The game is up on EA Access right now. Also, Pastapadre is currently streaming gameplay.

http://www.twitch.tv/pastapadre

Anyone try it? I didn't get a chance to download it.

Anyone know how to play full rounds on the tour. This is annoying how it sims holes, a big con in my book, though overall gameplay is smooth.

*EDIT*
Figured it out

You need to go into the settings and change it from quick rounds to full 18. Don't know why they defaulted to quick rounds, and the settings can be a mess. Can't remember whereI found it.

I played my 10 hours and decided to keep it. The game is not without issues, though.

It's EA golf and plays great, but the feel is off. It took several rounds to really get the feel for it. But I'm really enjoying my rounds now. My CAG is having a serious rough time of it, while playing with a pro is significantly easier. Although I still finished +6 with Jordan Speith in one of Tour difficulty Online Tournaments at Chambers Bay. My front nine was a +5, but I stopped giving away putts on the back nine.

But there are no Country Clubs this year, which I think will really hurt the game. Golf is all about playing rounds with friends, and CCs are the best way to arrange tournaments. It's what gives the game a little more life, and makes it feel less like you are just playing solo.

Worse, they don't even have the Play the Pros tournaments the used to have in TW. It was actually pretty cool to play the same tournament that was going on in real life, with the real scores filling up your leaderboard. It was interesting to watch the tournament live, and then see it in the game. Weird thing to leave out.

The online play is weird. you can't play a tune based game with your friends. Everyone plays at the same time, and the other golfers are rendered on the screen. But mostly, you never see them, and many times when you do, it is distracting.

And they somehow created the worse create-a-player mode in all of sports games. The options are few, no facial hair, and it just feels like a waste. That's not a big deal, but it is kind of a sign that the game really just wasn't done.

People love to bag on the Night Club, but it is a pretty cool set of mini games. And by set, I mean it is going to take a long time to finish them. You need to one star each challenge to move o not the next, but you need three stars to max out each challenge. some is very specific the game, teaching you how to aim and be precise. Some show off the boosts and stuff you can use if play the more arcade style of play. I've found them fun, and will end up spending a ton of time knocking them out.

Three-click is back as an option, and is actually a pretty good way to play. I didn't find it is crisp and dialed in as the three-click swings in Powerstar Golf (awesome game that you should play if you are on XB1 and like golf at all), but it is well implemented. Personally, I hanks enough of my analog stick shots that I don't need it. But it is hard to ace each shot with it.

While the selection of golfers is slim, and not a lefty in the entire bunch, there is nice range of talent, from some 78 rated guys to Rory's 92. Your CAG starts out at 61, and he is rough. You can play as a woman and a left with your CAG, but the only lady "pro" is the arcady old lady, who is rated 70.

The course listing is also limited, but honestly, nine real courses is plenty for me. Each course feels like a completely different challenge, and Chambers Bay is fantastic. The fictional courses are actually really nice. The silly Battlefield course is a par three course, and is fun to play. They also have commentary written just for it.

Speaking of, the is the best presentation of any golf game to date. The commentators are great (with the exception of an annoying plumber joke that gets repeated way too often), the crowds sound great, and they use the graphics from NBC's Golf Channel. It's really well done.

But there are a lot of rough edges, too. I think the game earns its 5 or 7 out of 10 scores. I think some patches will tighten up gameplay and add features. The game is less done than NHL 15 was, in terms of missing features and such. This is not a must have game. But if you want a next gen golf game, and The Golf club left you wanting, this is a really nice option.

This will not be an annual game, according to a dev that posts over at Operation Sports. They will continue to support it with free content and updates. I'm sure there will be some DLC, too, but the weak initial impressions will probably force EA to be particularly giving going forward. If you are on the fence, it might be worth waiting to see what they do.

The biggest drawback is that I just don't see this developing a large following, and the lack of Country Clubs just makes that even harder. That is where folks could craft tournaments and seasons for groups of friends or fans of the game. without it, there is less to raw people back as bigger games begin coming out over the next few months.

Sounds like my best bet is spend the $25 to get seasons in The Golf Club for now, and wait for the price of this to drop significantly, or for some features to be fixed/added...

What exactly is "seasons" on TGC? Is it like a career mode of sorts?