2K and HB Studios have partnered up once again to release the latest instalment in the PGA Tour 2K series after a two-year hiatus.
The relaunch of The Golf Club series to PGA Tour 2K21 saw a slew of changes that received praise for retaining the series' realism while making it more accessible to a wider audience. Building upon the praise from the latest game, PGA Tour 2K23 have included a plethora of enhancements across the board, alongside having Tiger Wood as an executive director.
The most notable change to the series is the introduction of the 3-Click Swing system which is an alternative control mechanic to the traditional Analogue Swing system. Fans of the series will be familiar with the Analogue Swing system, which aims to simulate real-life golfing movement.
Golfing purists will prefer the analogue swing system as it vividly recreates the full motion that goes into hitting the ball off the tee. This system has a high skill ceiling that requires a lot of finesse and is extremely satisfying once players manage to find all the sweet spots.
The new 3-Click system has been seen in old golf games but is a new mechanic for this series. This simplified system requires players to set three different parameters by clicking a button to determine the power, swing path and the angle.
Players will be able to tweak the difficulty, which will increase the speed for this system, adding a little more challenge. It’s amazing that PGA Tour 2K23 has an alternative control that makes the game more accessible to a wider audience.
That being said, I feel that the new 3-Click system does sacrifice some of the simulation aspects of the game making it feel more like an arcade game. There may be less margin of error, but players should use the 3-Click system as a starting point and transition into the Analogue Swing system, as I feel this is the best way to experience PGA Tour 2K23.
PGA Tour 2K23 finally lets players control one of the Pros from the actual tour, with a hugely diverse roster including over fourteen famous faces. The game goes one step further and adds some celebrity golfers such as Michael Jordan and Steph Curry to the mix.
The developers have pulled out all the stops at crafting each character's unique likeness and attributes allowing for a realistic experience. Visually, PGA Tour 2K23 is by far the best-looking game in the series with the developers doing fantastic jobs at crafting life-like recreations of the Golfers.
The attention to detail is fantastic which is especially prominent in the course with the natural-looking foliage and shimmering lakes adding to the overall realism. This quality extends to the clubs and outfits which complete the game's overall aesthetics. The only aspect of the game that hasn’t drastically improved from the last game is the crowds, who may react promptly and accurately but have lacklustre animations.
PGA Tour 2K23 returns with its legacy modes such as MyPlayer, MyCareer and the new TopGolf mode. MyPlayer will once again let gamers create their own golfers with the addition of new archetypes and skill trees.
Players will have access to a wide range of different skills that can be upgraded with Skill points allowing characters to be built in a magnitude of ways. There are also activation and deactivation parameters that grant the characters bonuses once certain criterias have been met.
This mode also allows players to dictate what ball, clubs and caddies they can take on the field further increasing their customisation. All of these elements are completed with the extensive amount of clothes and accessories that can be acquired throughout the course of the game.
PGA Tour 2K23 offers the most detailed customisation seen in the series enabling players to build their characters in a wide variety of ways through the use of unique and smart attributes. This level of detailed customisation also extends to the course designer which offers a plethora of options allowing players to create anything they can dream up.
This mode is not only fun, but players will be able to test their mettle against some of the wackiest designs the Golfing world has seen. MyCareer mode returns where players will create a unique character and work their way up through the ranks facing off against the best Golfers in the game.
There are several different starting points that offer different levels of challenge, giving newcomers and veterans something to get stuck into from the get-go. Working in tandem with MyPlayer, this mode offers a great RPG-esque experience filled with rivals, skill trees and more.
This year's iteration of the golfing sim sees the introduction of Top Golf which basically works like the real thing. This mode is a lot more fun than Divot Derby mainly because it offers a vastly different experience from the rest of the game allowing casual players to get involved.
The remaining modes such as Societies and Casual are pretty much the same as the last game and are fully welcomed as they add extra variety to the overall experience.
PGA Tour 2K23 Verdict: 4/5
PGA Tour 2K23 is by far the best game in the series, with all its gameplay changes improving its accessibility. Being able to pick from a diverse range of professional male and female golfers for the first time is fantastic.
The new gaming mechanics and deep customisation is a real testament to the developer's endeavours to give the fans an experience like no other.
PGA Tour 2K23 is out on October 11, 2022 for players who ordered the Deluxe Edition or Tiger Woods edition on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 , PlayStation 4 and PC.
