Welcome to our review of PGA Tour 2K23, the latest PGA Golf game that features the most famous face of the past 10 years of golf.
Tiger Woods—the one and only—is the face of PGA TOUR 2K23, and he’s bringing his elite resume and wealth of knowledge to the virtual green as an Executive Director. In partnership with 2K, Woods has been instrumental in creating a championship-caliber gaming experience. For nearly three decades, Woods has captivated the golf community and the sports world claiming a record-tying 82 PGA Tour wins and making the game more inclusive for everyone. Drive, chip, and putt as one of the greatest athletes of all time, or compete against him on the illustrious PGA TOUR MyCAREER.
When I decided to review this game, I said it had been a while since I last played a realistic golf game, which was not even a lie. I think it has been at least 10+ years since I last properly played one of these. I tend to prefer the Hot Shots games or the Mario Golf variety. You know, the ones where it is not important to truly master the chipping of the golf ball or the perfect put.
No, this PGA Tour 2K23 game is hyperrealistic and it almost every time comes down to details. Sure, you can play in easy mode, which honestly is still challenging for at least 20 or so holes. It literally all comes down to details, which you get taught in the tutorial which really does a decent job at teaching you, maybe the sole remark I could make here, the option to listen to the explanation a second time. I did not see this function and even during regular gameplay, I found the overlay audio to be more disturbing rather than entertaining.
Another thing I did not like much, when you restart the game, I was expecting a button to just continue wherever I had left off. You know, the continue button that 99.99% of games have? But no, you are defaulted into your physical appearance and not in the career mode. I did not bother to edit my appearance so no idea if this design choice has deeper meaning or not? I generally do not alter my appearances in sport games. You play them for the action, not the way your pretty boy looks come across on the big screen.
What I did like very much, the way it just grabs your hands when you suck and I felt this subtle push to want to do better and improve my gameplay. I still suck at the game, despite already having played several tours and I can say I will respect anyone that wins the games in the hardest mode. I tried it once, I did manage to go par one hole out of 5 that I played. Needless to say I was dead last already, rigth? In the easier/normal modes, I did do a lot better and I have even won a tournament now. I am kind of proud of that.
Now the elephant in the room, how does a game like this perform compared to the more casual ones? Well that question is pretty much answered when you read it out loud, it performs as it should compared to a more casual one. The others are casual, PGA Tour 2K23 is not a casual game, it is way more serious and in itself that is a great thing. I really think that fans of Golf games got a great addition to this genre. If you are into something more casual, go for the Mario golf variants but if you want some more realistic gameplay, even with the commentary to drive you crazy, PGA Tour 2K23 is the one for you.
In conclusion, PGA Tour 2K23 is actually a very strong title among golf games, it might be the best in its genre. Aside from some minor points, this game is great for its niche. Not for everyone for sure, but those into them, they will love it!
