PGA Tour 2K21 Review

Hitting a ball into a hole! That shouldn’t be that complicated, right? Although the thought is straightforward, playing 2K Games’ PGA Tour 2K21 is very challenging. That is, when we talk about golf. The sport is perceived as unusual and I even found out that people assume that it is not even a legitimate sport.

Nothing could be further from the truth, because golf is demanding for both the body and the mind. We haven’t had an excellent golf game for a while, but PGA Tour 2K21 alters that. The game is far from flawless, but by no means bad. Here is my PGA Tour 2K21 review on PlayStation 4.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

In case you aren’t informed yet, I’m a great fan of the NBA 2K franchise. The title is always on my wish list, and that is somewhat due to the extensive career mode that the title contains practically every year. 2K Games has gained the PGA rights from EA, and after dropping several reasonably successful games in the form of The Golf Club series, they have seen the moment to have its own label.

Great, because if anyone knows anything about sports games, it is 2K. The extra budget is clearly visible. The franchise has not only been given a new name, there are now also several additional features that we have seen before in NBA 2K, for example. The setup of PGA Tour 2K21 is fairly simple.

You are going to play golf and should always deposit the ball into the hole as quickly as possible. You do this by hitting a ball as hard as possible with a club to get the ball as far up the fairway as possible. Sometimes, however, it is time for a softer approach and you have to hit the ball with a chip or splash on the green.

For this you have to study the wind and regulate the curve of the ball. You don’t want to hit near a tree so that you end up in an unpleasant position. You hit the ball with the right or left stick. Pull the stick backwards and you set up your swing, press the stick forward and you hit the ball. Very direct, but very complex in practice.

You have to take the wind into account, the speed of the swing, and the accuracy of the movement you make. For example, if you hit too fast, too slow, too much to the right, or too much to the left, the ball will swing and you may even just hope that you end up close to the fairway. And we haven’t even talked about putting.

If your previous attempts to get closer to the hole were not bad, then you don’t really have to hit that far. Putting is a game in itself where you have to analyze the slope of the track. Greens run back and forth, and if you put even a little too hard or too soft, there is a chance that you will only be further from the hole.

ARE THEY SERIOUS ENOUGH?

This time, they have paid much more attention to creating and maintaining your own player. The character creator is much more extensive than before, and it is very likely that you can even recreate the smallest of details of your face. You will be given the option to enter at different levels.

For example, it is possible to start at the bottom of the ladder at the golf school, or to immediately play with the big boys in the FedEx cup. This tournament pits you against many famous names who complete the same holes simultaneously with you. This builds up rivalries and earns you the well-known virtual currency.

Unlike the NBA games, you do not invest this currency in the player himself. You buy new gear with the hard-earned points. For example, there are many clubs available, each of which comes with its own stats. This makes it possible to adjust your golf bag to your own playing style.

If you hit aggressively, you go for long balls, however, you are less accurate. And so it is a bit of a a switch, because every advantage has its disadvantage. I must say that the MyPlayer mode is a bit slim. There are no real motivators to play the mode extensively. The rivalries are far too plain and actually have limited impact on the title itself.

If you manage to finish above your rival, chances are that you will beat this same rival just after two championships. In addition, there is no form of a story mode in PGA Tour 2K21 and this is actually just a season mode with some customization options. Unlike the rivals, the sponsors do offer a bit more motivation.

The game contains a number of major brands. These brands can occasionally push you a bit, but you have to achieve certain goals for that. If you succeed, they will reward you with crazy good clubs and new clothes. The aforementioned points may sound negative, but the mode just does what it should do.

At the end of the day, it’s all about golf and that’s something that PGA Tour 2K21 does very successfully. The title is very accessible without sacrificing depth. That is something that can occasionally get in the way of genuine sports titles. Fortunately, this title does not bleed from that. You have sufficient aids and if you don’t want to make use of them, you just switch them off.

CONFUSED NPC’S

The amount of modes in PGA Tour 2K21 are scarce. Fortunately, the title has a large community HUB in the form of Societies. In these Societies it is possible to create your own unique golf club and to regulate your own events. Other members can join your club based on specific conditions.

For example, it is possible to request a contribution or to exclude players based on the handicap they have. In addition, it is of course also possible to play against each other in both an off and online environment. Take note that there is an option to create your own course. It is possible to arrange every tree, stream, and more according to your own insight.

We can then share these courses with other users, making the number of available courses virtually unlimited. What is striking about 2K Games’ PGA Tour 2K21 is that the game looks pretty good at first glance, but when you look closer, there is actually very little detail in the world. It’s a bit static and actually not very well finished. Mainly the NPCs look lifeless and feel pretty clumsy.

For example, they sometimes look forwards and face altogether in the incorrect direction when the ball rolls past. I also just wished to see more changes from the weather, for example. When striking the ball, you see the current wind path and force, but it is not really noticeable in the game. While there is a heavy wind you can see the grass remains still and the treetops do not show any hint of life.

Do you want to try 2K Games and HB Studios’ PGA Tour 2K21? What do you think of my PGA Tour 2K21 review on PlayStation 4? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you into golf games and want to try other interesting games in that category? Check out our reviews for What the Golf?, Dangerous Golf, and Mario Golf: World Tour.