EA Sports PGA Tour – What We Know and What We Want
EA’s last golf title, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, was released in 2015. After a seven-year hiatus, EA Sports is back in the golf business with EA Sports PGA Tour. We do not have a lot of details regarding the new title, but there are some interesting developments to note. Now is also a good time to discuss elements that should be included if EA wants to produce a better game than their competitor’s, PGA Tour 2K21, which is a pretty good game.
What We Know
1. Release Date
The first thing to note is the release date. We do not know the exact date, but EA released a ballpark estimate of Spring 2023. However, this was not the original plan. EA has already pushed their date back once and with the release date still nearly a year out, it could change.
2. Major Tournaments
Per the EA Sports PGA Tour website, the game will have all four major tournaments: the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship. At first glance, this may not seem noteworthy, but because EA has secured the rights to all four major tournaments, 2K Sports will not have these tournaments in their game. This will certainly help spice up career mode in comparison to other golf games.
3. Elite Courses
EA Sports has already announced 12 courses that will be available for play. This includes Augusta National Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Southern Hills Country Club, Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course, Torrey Pines, The Country Club in Brookline, Mass, The Old Course at St Andrews Links, Evian Resort Golf Club, TPC Southwind, Wilmington Country Club, and East Lake Golf Club. This is a tremendous group of courses. Personally, I would like to see a few more. It looks like EA agrees as they noted to check back for more course updates.
What We Want
1. More Real Courses & Custom Courses
As I alluded to, I want this game to have as many courses as possible. In my opinion, the number one thing that makes golf games boring is having to replay the same courses over and over. While EA has already secured 12 strong courses they need more. First, they should add more real courses. Obviously, that has limits and can be difficult. If we can get around 10 more courses, I would be happy. On top of that, the ability to create custom courses would be a tremendous addition. That may be the best feature in PGA Tour 2K21. This is because custom courses drastically lengthen the game’s shelf life as you could play a new course every day. EA should learn from their competitors and notice that it would be worth the investment.
2. Expansive Club & Clothes Options
The more clubs, the better. The more clothes, the better. It is that simple. If I am playing career mode, I do not want to be wearing basic khakis and a simple shirt while using generic clubs, I want branded clothes and real clubs. Not only does it make the game feel real, but it adds customization for online play. While we are on the topic of customization, they should add tattoos as well. As far as I am aware, this is not included in most golf games but are present in nearly every other sports game. There is no downside to having options.
3. Storyline in Career Mode
I think a storyline in career mode could be a good inclusion. It could be a fun way to make career mode more interesting. Coming in and playing 18 holes just to be sent back to the home screen before eventually repeating can feel monotonous. Adding an interesting storyline would make the game more engaging. At the same time, it gets to the point where too much story destroys a career mode. After all, you are playing a sports game, not watching a movie. If EA can ride the line and add some sort of story, they could separate this game from other golf titles.
