The fourth quarter of the year arrives and, as usual, the new installments of the main sports franchises in the video game world are crowded. However, today we are not here to talk about football, basketball or tennis, but about a less popular sport, but whose adaptations to the medium are usually of a high level: golf. The title before us today is no exception. And today we bring you our analysis of PGA Tour 2K23 for Xbox Series X, the new installment of the HB Studios and 2K Sports saga that took a sabbatical last season to return with renewed ideas and fresh air. They have succeeded. Let’s talk about it in depth.
The best swing of your life
Anyone who has played PGA Tour 2K21 will know that the shots were difficult because this golf game is demanding, but also because having to describe the perfect straight line with the stick of our controller was, at times, an impossible task. Don’t worry, if you liked this method, it’s still in the game, but now the Canadians at HB Studios have incorporated a new playable formula that, in our opinion, has given the whole a whole lot of improvement. It is a simple but clever three click system. With the first of them we print power to the hit, so we must keep it pressed for as long as we want until the optimal power line chosen. Right after finishing that action a fast wheel will be activated. Our goal is to click twice again and do it in such a way that both the top and bottom needles are as straight as possible. Going astray could have fatal consequences.
Once we have learned the new swing system (or we can keep the old one without problem) we will have taken the first step, but we do not say that PGA Tour 2K23 is demanding without reason. There are many more things to keep in mind during our tours of the holes of the various courses. we can give effect to the ball to avoid obstacles such as tree branches and we can also print certain ran extra or, conversely, braking to the ball to make an excellent approach to the green. We must not forget a determining factor during our golfing experience: the wind. The speed and direction of the wind must be taken into consideration at all times if we do not want to see how a perfect shot that was going to stay in the middle of the fairway without problems ends up in a bunker or, worse, in the water.
The game experience changes completely from making a swing or an approach to the flag to having to put into practice our putt to put the ball in the hole. Inside the green the game mechanics are slightly different. Here the wind loses relevance and we must focus on analyzing the different modulations of the terrain to ensure that the ball reaches the hole in the fewest possible strokes. If we do not play in maximum difficulty we will have a visual guide that will preview where our blow is going, but we can only use it once per blow. When playing online, this help will not be available, as we will be forced to play on Pro difficulty.
below par
We already know how to get around the holes, but there is an important question that must always be answered in this type of game: what can we do within PGA Tour 2K23? What is its content and its game modes? They are not too many, but enough to offer us a fun and complete experience. Let’s start with the single player modes. The juiciest content is called MyCareer, where we can use our previously created character to climb the PGA ladder until we rub shoulders with the great golfers in the world. If we wish, we can start directly at the highest level, but our recommendation is that we initially gain experience in lower categories and put our skills to the test and refine our technique.
As we mentioned, the creation of our MyPlayer It is a fundamental part of PGA Tour 2K23. We can customize the appearance, clothing, clubs and, most importantly, spend the experience points we get to improve our golfer’s skills: swing, putt, woods, irons, etc. Each of these branches has its skills and advantages that we must unlock to become a more complete golfer, both for the single player and for, and even more importantly, for the online. We can also choose and change the archetype of our player at any time. Do you want to focus on making long drives? Do you want to be an expert putter? Do you prefer to opt for a more balanced option? The choice is yours.
In the menu we find a mode called Casual in which we can play in local or online in different modes and options. Something similar happens with TopGolf, where we can choose advanced and crazier settings. Finally, in competitive we find the Societies, where you compete with greater demand and only online with other golfers from around the world. Last but not least, we find Designer. There we can create our own fields and use them in different game modes for our personal enjoyment.
The content of PGA Tour 2K23 does not end here, as the HB Studios title also includes a season pass through which we can unlock aesthetic content for our MyPlayer and that, as usual, has a free line and a paid line with real money. Although it is appreciated that there is a system of progress organized by seasons that encourages you to continue playing, we have to say that perhaps the time has come to put a stop to battle passes, especially in a golf game like this where it does not seem have too good a fit.
A sports game for everyone
You’re probably not a die-hard fan of sports video games. FIFA, NBA or Formula 1 are great games in their respective disciplines, but they are games that require extraordinary concentration and skill to compete at the highest level. PGA Tour 2K23 is a difficult game if we deactivate all the aids, we have commented on it, but it is also a much more difficult title relaxed and calm. The 2K Sports opus doesn’t have incredibly cutting-edge graphics, but it does look gorgeous. Start a course and enjoy the green route, the trees, the country houses, the public attentive to the show, the water and how the sun reflects on it. Then we go into action and it’s a slow one. We can take the time we need between shots, analyze the situation and find the best possible swing.
Nothing encourages us to run and we can calmly enjoy each blow and each landscape. Few sports games offer an experience even close to that of PGA Tour 2K23 and that is not only a differentiating aspect, but also a huge plus point. In addition, the game has a complete team of commentators (in English, yes) who analyze our plays, react to our shots and review our technique. All this from a calm, calm, analytical and pleasant to the ear perspective and that adds a lot to the whole and to the type of experience that we are commenting on.
Conclusions
There are big contenders in the sports genre, but PGA Tour 2K23 is likely to be one of the best sports games of the year. 2K Sports’ return to golf has been very successful. It’s not revolutionary, but it doesn’t need it either. It introduces the necessary innovations to polish its small mistakes of the past and has enough game modes to offer fun for as many hours as we want and that fits everyone. Whether you are a newcomer to golf or a veteran of the discipline, PGA Tour 2K23 is made for you, as it offers help, assistance and facilities for novices and a demanding and complex experience for those more immersed in this world. Essential.