After having not produced any golf titles since Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015, EA Sports finally announced that it would be returning to the golf sim genre with EA Sports PGA Tour. Expected to release sometime in 2022, EA Sports PGA Tour is being touted by developer EA Tiburon as a next-gen golf title built on the Frostbite engine, used in other EA games like Battlefield 2042, Madden 22, and FIFA 22.
No longer featuring a cover star like the previous Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods, the game is set to include various real-world golf events like the Players Championship and exclusive rights to the prestigious PGA Tour Masters Tournament at Augusta National. With EA Sports promising features like stunning graphical fidelity, immersive environments, and dynamic gameplay, golf fans are excited to have another EA golf game on the market after such a long hiatus.
PGA Tour Can Surprisingly Learn a Lot From Mario Golf: Super Rush
While it’s expected that EA Sports PGA Tour is going to be a golfing simulator, that doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons to be learned from other more arcade-like golf titles such as Mario Golf: Super Rush, which was released on the Nintendo Switch in June of this year. The sixth installment of the Mario Golf franchise, Super Rush continued the series’ accessible and charming representation of golf, and it’s this accessibility that PGA Tour would be wise to consider.
Real-world golf is an exceedingly complex and difficult game, oftentimes frustratingly so. While EA Sports generally takes a simulation-focused approach to its titles, a vast number of configurable options could go a long way in allowing players to ease their way into the intricacies of the game. HB Studio’s PGA Tour 2K21 was praised for finally lowering the barrier of entry in its latest golf title, after earlier versions were known for being incredibly difficult for new players to get into. As such, EA Sports needs to ensure that its newest golf game is playable for everyone like Mario Golf, but still has the depth that golf fanatics want.
Mario Golf: Super Rush also has a rather impressive suite of modes that could be adapted to fit the new EA Sports PGA Tour game as well. While regular modes like a career or competitive online play are expected, and women’s golf has been announced for EA Sports PGA Tour, some more non-traditional modes could give players additional golfing variety.
The aptly titled "Speed Golf" mode has been seen as a fast, frantic, and fun way to play a quick round with friends, and has been included in a toned-down fashion in the older Tiger Woods PGA Tour games in the past. Mario Golf’s "Battle Golf" could also be made to fit the more realistic title as a skills competition of some sort that could be great fun as an online mode.
Distinctive Characters Could Help EA's PGA Tour Stand Out
Nintendo games are often known for their whimsy and level of detail, and Mario Golf: Super Rush certainly follows that trend. Characters all have their own distinctive golf swings and animations; Donkey Kong brute forces his shots with one hand, whereas Luigi has a smooth stroke full of finesse. Unique animations for each licensed PGA Tour golf pro could allow them to stand out from each other. Player-created characters could have customizable animations to allow gamers to make their own golfers.
With PGA Tour 2K21 being a rather straight-laced golfing sim, it could be highly beneficial for EA Sports to try and add in some more arcadey elements from Mario Golf to try and differentiate with its own PGA Tour title. Alternative game modes with an emphasis on fun, distinctive player characters, and a focus on accessible depth could all allow EA Sports PGA Tour to stand out from other golfing titles.
EA Sports PGA Tour is set to release in 2022 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.