PGA 2K21 Review
Publisher: 2K Games
Engine: Unity
Genre: Sports game
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
Developers: HB Studios, Illogika
Modes: Single-player video game, Multiplayer video game
Links to Purchase
Xbox One: https://amzn.to/3kxhhhK
Nintendo Switch: https://amzn.to/3hLovg7
STEAM: https://amzn.to/2Eme6dm
"Review Copy Provided by 2K"
My introduction to Golf games was Golf on the NES and then after that I didn’t touch a golf game until Cyber Tiger on the N64 which I became deeply obsessed with back in 99-00. Fast forward a few decades and I haven’t really been into golf games since and there have been many from the PGA Tour series to the ill fated Links series to Hot Shots Golf and more but none ever caught my eye. Maybe it’s due to the fact that golf lost a lot of its mainstream popularity once Tiger Woods fell from prominence but I know I stopped caring and well sadly I probably missed out on some true gems. When 2K got the PGA license I must admit I got pretty excited and as I’ve loved how streamlined and fun 2K have made their sports entries and I wanted to see how they’d handled golf. Did 2K bring back the fun I experienced with Cyber Tiger or did the go the tried and true simulation route and miss the mark? Let’s find out!
Gameplay
The game kicks off with putting you into a tutorial to teach you the mechanics of the game from selecting which clubs to use to how to line up shots for maximum swing at the tee all the way down to what to do in the rough and how to putt like a pro. The game has a very simple to learn yet meaty mechanics system that allows you to play with a more arcade feel or can you can play the game as a pure simulation experience. It’s that versatility in the gameplay that makes this a lot of fun to play and come back to. Giving you the choice of Beginner, Amateur, and Pro allows so much replayability as once you get better in one difficulty and want more of a challenge then you can go to the next difficulty and test your skills.
After the tutorial you’re taken to the MyPlayer where you can create your own player character and tailor them to your liking from height, weight, skin tone, hair, even down to the clothing. You can select different outfits and accessories however a lot of it is behind a pay wall of needing currency to purchase which I’m not a fan of in 2K games and has been something many people have been vocal about over the years.
You can start your PGA Tour Career Home by selecting Q-School, Korn Ferry Tour, Korn Ferry Tour Championship, and PGA Tour after which you will select your career setting allowing control of the difficulty of the A.I. to the number of Rounds you play as well, You can view your schedule, check your stats and records, see the other players, change settings, and when ready you can dive into the event and compete to win.
Graphics
Graphically the game on the Nintendo Switch, the version I’m reviewing, doesn’t look great but doesn’t look terrible either. If anything it looks like an early to mid generation 360 game with medium to low detail in its graphics. The created character remains looking like a video game character and doesn’t look realistic at all no matter what you do to change up the look of your golfer.
The environments look pretty good and detailed with it looking like a golf area should look. The water areas aren’t the most detailed and look like they came from a Wii title but the greens and fairways all look crisp so ultimately you’ll have a mix mash of graphical fidelity between areas that you end up playing in.
The game docked is serviceable albeit muddied and muted and which looks like it runs between 900p-720p at 30FPS while in docked mode it looks like its running between 720 and 540p at 30FPS. It can be rough on the eyes in either mode but if you can get past that then it’s still a good game just…..visually unappealing in aspects.
Audio
Audio wise the game sounds like you’re watching a golf game on tv. The narrator and the commentary talk in a hushed tone as they would in real life and the sounds of the clubs hitting the ball sound accurate as well. Really there isn’t much to cover here other than the menu music but that’s not really anything to write home about.
Downsides
This game is visually rough especially when compared to its counterparts on other platforms and I understand that’s just the nature of the beast when it comes to games being ported to it but man does this game look rough at times.
Then there’s the fact that the menu interface is SLOWWWWW and chugs along at times both portably and docked. I am unsure if a patch can fix this but it’s something that really takes me out of the game.
Then there’s long loading times when it comes to first booting up the game and going to the main menu. This makes me wonder if there are optimization issues in how they ported this game to the switch as the load times are pretty lengthy.
All in all, I am not a happy camper with the downsides, yet they don’t prevent me from enjoying the game.
The Wrapup
When it comes down to it if you’re looking for a solid albeit rough around the edges looking golf game then you can’t really go wrong here. The mechanics are some of the best I’ve experienced with a golf game along with being incredibly fun to dive into. There’s a large diversity of courses to play on and a swath of modes and online play will keep you busy! While I can’t say that PGA 2K21 is a game YOU NEED in your collection, I will definitely say that if you’re into the sport then it’s a game you should definitely give a try.
Rating: Try It
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