The transformation that the Tiger Woods francꦑhise has gone through this generation--not unlike that of the man himself--is astounding. What started as a slick-looking arcade-style golf game with simple mechanics has evolved into a meticulously designed labor of love that focuses on the best of the sport today as well as its storied past. In many ways, it sy🍨mbolizes the top aspects of sports gaming in the waning years of the PS3/360 era--as well as one of its worst.

The difference between a Tiger game several years ago versus its latest incarnation is stark; a completely different mechanic that allows exponentiಌally more shot-making opportunities is backed by the inclusion of all four major championships on the PGA Tour, a fully realized women’s tour, a new difficulty mode to challenge the best players, a bona fide historical mode that combines legendary players with old-timey equipment on wildly different courses, and an online social community that encourages play with and against friends. As recently as two years ago, none of these were present in any real capacity. In many ways, Tiger 14 feels like the ultimate fan service for longtime players of the franchise.

It’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room, however. Even as the game comes jammed with conteಞnt for the $60 price tag (or the special edition wit💎h a few more courses for $10 more), a staggering amount of expensive DLC in the form of additional courses also awaits. Even worse, any courses that were purchased last year do not count towards this season’s selections. If you were to purchase all of the courses, it’s conceivable you would come close to doubling your investment; considering that many of these courses are key to integral parts of the game, it feels unnecessary to demand so much from customers.