New ‘Tiger Woods’ golf game not quite a hole in one

If you think it was easy for Tiger Woods to clinch top spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational — his first PGA Tour win since the fall of 2009 — put your clubs where your mouth is in the new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 ($59.99; rated "E" for "Everyone").

But like Tiger's real-world comeback, the new video game has its share of challenges. If you can get past the shortcomings, you'll find a somewhat rewarding golf simulation for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

As with past golf games from EA Sports, you can play as or against Tiger in a handful of accurately-modeled championship courses, including Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, TPC Sawgrass and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. It's also the only video game that lets you vie to wear the Masters green jacket at Augusta National. Along with Tiger, you can choose to play as more than 20 golf pros, including Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson (who shares the cover of the game with Tiger) and newcomers to the franchise, Luke Donald, Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell. Some LPGA golfers are available, too. And you can create your own custom golfer from scratch.

New to this year's game is support for Kinect for Xbox 360, so you don't have to use the controller to swing clubs if you don't want to — you can strike a pose in front of your television and perform a real swing to hit the ball. For the uninitiated, Kinect is a small accessory that sits just above or below your TV screen and captures your real-life movement with its cameras and sensors.

This worked well for the most part — for both long drives and short putts — though I found it strange to face the television during your stance when your onscreen golfer is standing sideways. Until you get used to it, gamers might be inclined to stand in front of the TV with their left or right shoulder facing the television, just like the golf pro you're emulating. Along with this visual disconnect, navigating through menus with your hands proved quite complicated; EA Sports could've done a better job at this, so you might find yourself using the voice option to say out loud what you'd like to do.

While not tested for this review, PlayStation 3 owners can use the PlayStation Move wireless motion controller to swing the ball, too. If you prefer to use the controller, the game focuses heavily on the left analog stick. Simply pull back to reach the desired amount of power, and then push it forward to hit the ball.

Also new in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is a game mode called Tiger Legacy Challenge. This is a treat for fans of Tiger, as you can play through his entire life to date, beginning with hitting balls in his backyard and an appearance at age 2 with Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show. Play through his pre-teen and teen years, followed by his professional debut, when he first won the Masters at age 22, and as Tiger becomes a living legend.

The game also offers the option to create your own country club; play exclusive courses online with others in multiplayer modes (via a code in the box); and earn virtual coins throughout game play to unlock more goodies.

But there are other issues, along with finicky menu navigation using Kinect. The game has long load screens between shots and holes, which might be caused by continually pushing and pulling information to and from the EA server. Secondly, the crowd's artificial intelligence is sometimes off, as onlookers might cheer loudly when you miss the green completely or remain silent when you drive the ball more than 350 yards straight down the fairway. Finally, there are some graphical hiccups, such as a close-up of the ball rolling on the green, which might stop for a split second, and then continue. Perhaps the game needed a little more time and polish to work out these various, seemingly unrelated kinks.

Overall, however, the addition of Kinect support, Tiger Legacy Challenge mode and the option to host online country club matches all add to the game's appeal. It might not be a hole in one, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 should satisfy both new and seasoned golf fans alike.

If you'd like to see it in action, here's the official announcement trailer for the game from EA Sports: