PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

[Dawgfan1]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

I didn’t complain about the fluidity of the swing but rather about its speed in the animation. The backswing is too fast and jerky. It lacks harmony. This results in the impossibility of making half-swings or full shots that give me different distances based on speed.

What I want is an animation that changes according to how I move the stick. I want to hit 120 meters with a 7-iron, and I want to do it based on the speed I give to the clubhead. If I swing at 90 mph, I’ll get one distance; if I swing at 70 mph, I’ll get another, always with the same club and the same swing amplitude.

Maybe I’m asking too much, but in 2025, I believe a small step in this direction should be possible. Instead, it feels like we’re still stuck with simply changing the club and always hitting at full power.

In EA PGA, it’s true that the swing is slower, but that slowness helps to control the tempo a bit more (even though it’s still far from perfect).

This speed doesn’t matter as much on the tee shot as it does around the green and in the approaches. Also, it seems to me (but I'm not sure about this) that you can’t change your stance, which was something you could do in TW14, which I still remember as the best golf game ever.

It's nice to talk about golf though :vai avanti:

Those are fair points. I don't agree with the jerkiness and harmony but I can see where you're coming from on the physical stick speed and partial shots. Personally with TW14 and EA PGA even though maybe doing partial shots felt more natural than 2K, it feels too easy to do on tee shots and approaches mainly because the rhythm of hitting a partial feels to me the exact same as a full shot which I don't think it should. Those games (mainly EA PGA) also shorten the backswing motion of partial shots to make them less punishing and sometimes impossible to accidentally hit full. Maybe a midpoint between the two systems would be perfect where the swing speed is slower on partial shots but you can still accidentally do a full swing, and it has a different rhythm than a full swing. I feel like it's a tough balance to hit.

I could agree more with you on short game shots though, I'd have to play the 2K25 demo more to get more of a feel with them but I can understand them feeling much less natural. To me EA PGA still has all the problems I listed above with short shots but TW14 does let you overswing short shots a ton, it may have a better feeling pitch/chip/flop swing on that front than 2K.

I also fully agree on the stance and strike meter in TW14, I've played it some recently and I feel every golf game should bring those systems over because the customizability of shots in that game is unparalleled and more sim-like. When I realized I could simulate knock down shots by hitting higher on the ball to counteract winds it blew my mind, the way it counteracts the wind feels more natural than EA PGA's knock down shot too. Maybe I'm being too harsh on TW14's swing because the controller sticks back then (I use a stock 360 for TW14) are less fluid to use than today (stock PS5 for 2K25), but I do still think it's the best game golf I've played mainly due to career mode (fully dynamic weather between rounds still hasn't been recreated) and Legends of the Majors. But personally I feel like 2K25 may have the best gameplay out of what I've played.

[golfnut67]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

I didn’t complain about the fluidity of the swing but rather about its speed in the animation. The backswing is too fast and jerky. It lacks harmony. This results in the impossibility of making half-swings or full shots that give me different distances based on speed.

What I want is an animation that changes according to how I move the stick. I want to hit 120 meters with a 7-iron, and I want to do it based on the speed I give to the clubhead. If I swing at 90 mph, I’ll get one distance; if I swing at 70 mph, I’ll get another, always with the same club and the same swing amplitude.

Maybe I’m asking too much, but in 2025, I believe a small step in this direction should be possible. Instead, it feels like we’re still stuck with simply changing the club and always hitting at full power.

In EA PGA, it’s true that the swing is slower, but that slowness helps to control the tempo a bit more (even though it’s still far from perfect).

This speed doesn’t matter as much on the tee shot as it does around the green and in the approaches. Also, it seems to me (but I'm not sure about this) that you can’t change your stance, which was something you could do in TW14, which I still remember as the best golf game ever.

It's nice to talk about golf though :vai avanti:

You pretty much said exactly what I was going to respond with to Dawgfan.

Yes, EA's swing is too slow, and just like with the 2k games, I've been yelling from the mountain top for both of them to do something that I would think would be fairly simple--just a macro based slider to speed up or slow down the entire animation sequence. How hard can that be? It's not asking to rewrite the entire code of the swing mechanics, how it strikes the ball at impact that determines (in advance) where the ball is going to go right? Or am I incorrect with that assumption?

Just keep the code in place that affects the swing, contact and determination of where the ball is going to go in tact, and add a slider that just slows down or speeds up the entire animation to the player's preferred tempo.

I would speed up EA slightly, and slow down 2k a LOT if they had this function.

[RIFRIG]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

I'm really glad they put out a demo, and I get why they used TPC Scottsdale (timing with the Phoenix Open), but they should have put it at Pebble Beach or Riviera or somewhere else. Scottsdale is not a visually interesting course, and they made it so bright...I think it washes everything out. It doesn't look all that great, unless you really look at some specific details.

But the videos shown of Pebble and Riviera seem much better...at least those courses have better lighting.

Here's a video with a very clickbait-y title that is in no way actually true (these are NOT the "BEST Graphics in Gaming History!" - LOL), but it does show even more off of Pebble using the replay system: https://youtu.be/hsKeFjvPgYE?si=Hh7nbvsQHV9EvKfw

The swing seems to be super divisive. I don't actually know how I feel about it yet. I like that the short game is harder, but it also seems it's gonna actually get very easy once you level up. I've seen some high-level TGCT players who've already carded -5 or better on "True Sim" settings (no scout cam, no green grids) with Legend swing difficulty. And this are with MyPlayers rated 70 OVR or worse.

Need lots more time with it, but am not as impressed as I thought I'd be, given the videos that were released before this demo came out. The demo might actually be kind of hurting it in my eyes...

This is an example of a Nextmaker doing the wrong thing. I get you have to drink the Kool-aid but this man is drowning in it. No credibility whatsoever from showing a replay graphic.
The Show looks great on replay but gameplay visuals are definitely lower resolution because of movement etc.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

New code apparently dropped for a Level Up token...shockingly, it's LVLUP.

EDIT - Also, here is a video of TGCTours World No. 2 Stives playing the demo on Legend difficulty. He cards a -5 round in his third round ever with the game, and a -9 round in his fourth...his MyPlayer is 67 OVR: https://youtu.be/d9a0dEbV8pE?si=EcqS_h22TccviITd

[pietasterp]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Played about 2 hours last night on PS5. My random thoughts, with an attempt not to be redundant with what a lot of you guys have already noted in the thread:

- I was incredibly frustrated before even starting the demo, as I had to take what seemed like forever to make a 2K account (I had one before but don't remember it), link it to my PS account, and then reboot everything before I could even play the game. For a demo! Irritating and got me off on a bad start...

- The player character models are...not good. It's hard to believe we have all this horsepower in this gen, and the character models in a golf game look more or less the same as they did on XBox 360/PS3.

- The graphics are okay. Pretty 'meh' overall, still not as eye-popping as EA's PGA Tour.

- The default camera selections in the demo are very nice; I like that the camera stays behind your golfer and watches the vast majority of the shot, and then it goes to a reverse/landing cam when the ball is about to hit the ground. IMO, this is the perfect way to broadcast/show golf (barring a split screen with both camera angles being followed through to conclusion). I loved that I only ever saw a "follow" cam come up maybe once or twice all night. I hate follow cam.

- The swing animation is terrible in my opinion; as others have noted, way too fast and all the swings basically look identical (from what I've seen).

- I played on Pro, Master, and Legend difficulties. The miss penalty on the top 2 difficulties are pretty severe, which is good, although I still did not get a sense of how rhythm or timing plays into how the swing works. From what I can tell, if you hit your start & end points, it's pretty much a good shot no matter what else happens in between.

- There is no "feel" in the swing at all, as others have noted. It's basically slam the stick back, slam it forward. Same timing every time. This make the short game very difficult in my opinion, because it doesn't really seem like there are half-swings, or quarter-swings, or longer/slower swings for pitches, etc. Every swing in the game is the same. If I figured out the short game (where I flubbed more chips last night than I do in real life, which is saying something!), I could easily have been under par even at Legend difficulty level, and I haven't played a 2K golf game in years.

- The ball is really hard to see (at least on the demo) after it hits the fairway. I played on a 70+ inch screen and I couldn't really track the ball well after it hit the ground. I like that the ball is a realistic size in relation to the game world course, but it seems like they could find a way to make it slightly more visible on the bounce/roll after the shot tracer is off.

- I have never been one to participate in "in-game economies" (I hate that that is a thing now), but this one seems particularly onerous. I not only have to accumulate experience/skill points to 'level up' my golfer (I also hate that this is a thing...), but to 'lock in' those changes to my attributes, I also have to collect virtual tokens/coins as a secondary currency. Essentially, this necessitates accumulation (or purchase) of 2 completely different currencies to accomplish something as simple as increasing my distance. And this is before we get into the business of "fitting" clubs, and going down the path of RPG-esque accumulation of skills (as if I can go down a "wizard" tree and get magic spells for my clubs...).
I understand the economics of these games are based on recurring revenue, but I'm not obligated to like it. I think it's stupid and am unlikely to ever change my opinion on that.


Overall? I think the game is okay. It's fine. It's pretty much the same as every other TGC/2K golf game I've ever played. The graphics are maybe 15% better. I like the difficulty the off-center swing adds, but it's not a very good solution IMO. I have thoughts on how to make a console/stick swing better, but that's neither here nor there. This is what we've got for golf games in the foreseeable future.

[Dawgfan1]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

New code apparently dropped for a Level Up token...shockingly, it's LVLUP.

EDIT - Also, here is a video of TGCTours World No. 2 Stives playing the demo on Legend difficulty. He cards a -5 round in his third round ever with the game, and a -9 round in his fourth...his MyPlayer is 67 OVR: https://youtu.be/d9a0dEbV8pE?si=EcqS_h22TccviITd

Stives is an incredible player, but aside from that I think I see what the issue is here (you've probably heard this already). The Tactician archetype his golfer has is clearly super OP - with a 60s OVR golfer he has the sweet spots about as big as the pros, and adding/removing spin, draw, and fade does not shrink the forgiveness zones anywhere near what it should. I was playing with the Sculptor archetype and everything felt way more punishing, I imagine it would be similar on Powerhouse, Magician, and Greenskeeper as well. They have to do a good bit of tweaking with Tactician. I can imagine some course designers may come up with ways to punish the reduced power you get on Tactician.

It is worth mentioning that Scottsdale's back 9 is probably one of the easier 9s on the PGA Tour - 2 short par 5s, a driveable par 4, a short par 3, relatively flat greens except 15 - the scores are likely a little inflated due to that but Tactician is making it even worse. It was good to see him struggle on that bunker shot on 15 though, haha.

[bigkev]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Overall? I think the game is okay. It's fine. It's pretty much the same as every other TGC/2K golf game I've ever played.

Aside from rivals on career mode, that's my other biggest issue. All these games have the same feel for me.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Stives is an incredible player, but aside from that I think I see what the issue is here (you've probably heard this already). The Tactician archetype his golfer has is clearly super OP - with a 60s OVR golfer he has the sweet spots about as big as the pros, and adding/removing spin, draw, and fade does not shrink the forgiveness zones anywhere near what it should. I was playing with the Sculptor archetype and everything felt way more punishing, I imagine it would be similar on Powerhouse, Magician, and Greenskeeper as well. They have to do a good bit of tweaking with Tactician. I can imagine some course designers may come up with ways to punish the reduced power you get on Tactician.

It seems it took less than 24 hours to find the meta for this game...haha

[RIFRIG]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Aside from rivals on career mode, that's my other biggest issue. All these games have the same feel for me.

I do agree & that’s not been hidden from potential buyers. I’ve played HB’s golf games for 10 years now & you’re right they are all kinda the same. Think you all know I’m a big critic of 2K but this latest version has a bit more authenticity about it as an entry level MyPLAYER. Problem is its challenge can be completely neutered.
I would set Ranked Tournies with a level cap if that’s possible just give the game some challenge.

[pietasterp]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

One other random thought I forgot to include, but with regards to the club-strike sound effect, it seemed to me last night that the sound made when you miss to the right (slice/push) is different than the sounds it makes when you miss left (pull/hook)? Maybe I'm just imagining that, but it did seem to me that the sounds might be slightly different. Which, if true, is actually kinda cool - as someone that hits a lot of weak push/fades in real life, I know the sound it makes is sort of this dead/hollow "wipey" sound, vs when you catch one flush it makes a distinctly different sound.

Or maybe it was just really late at night last night...

[Dawgfan1]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

It seems it took less than 24 hours to find the meta for this game...haha

Just goes to show you can have all the right mechanics in place, but if they're not well-balanced or have one OP strategy it all goes out the window. Competitive balancing must be such a pain, I'm glad to be single player-first.

[golfnut67]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Played about 2 hours last night on PS5. My random thoughts, with an attempt not to be redundant with what a lot of you guys have already noted in the thread:

- I was incredibly frustrated before even starting the demo, as I had to take what seemed like forever to make a 2K account (I had one before but don't remember it), link it to my PS account, and then reboot everything before I could even play the game. For a demo! Irritating and got me off on a bad start...

- The player character models are...not good. It's hard to believe we have all this horsepower in this gen, and the character models in a golf game look more or less the same as they did on XBox 360/PS3.

- The graphics are okay. Pretty 'meh' overall, still not as eye-popping as EA's PGA Tour.

- The default camera selections in the demo are very nice; I like that the camera stays behind your golfer and watches the vast majority of the shot, and then it goes to a reverse/landing cam when the ball is about to hit the ground. IMO, this is the perfect way to broadcast/show golf (barring a split screen with both camera angles being followed through to conclusion). I loved that I only ever saw a "follow" cam come up maybe once or twice all night. I hate follow cam.

- The swing animation is terrible in my opinion; as others have noted, way too fast and all the swings basically look identical (from what I've seen).

- I played on Pro, Master, and Legend difficulties. The miss penalty on the top 2 difficulties are pretty severe, which is good, although I still did not get a sense of how rhythm or timing plays into how the swing works. From what I can tell, if you hit your start & end points, it's pretty much a good shot no matter what else happens in between.

- There is no "feel" in the swing at all, as others have noted. It's basically slam the stick back, slam it forward. Same timing every time. This make the short game very difficult in my opinion, because it doesn't really seem like there are half-swings, or quarter-swings, or longer/slower swings for pitches, etc. Every swing in the game is the same. If I figured out the short game (where I flubbed more chips last night than I do in real life, which is saying something!), I could easily have been under par even at Legend difficulty level, and I haven't played a 2K golf game in years.

- The ball is really hard to see (at least on the demo) after it hits the fairway. I played on a 70+ inch screen and I couldn't really track the ball well after it hit the ground. I like that the ball is a realistic size in relation to the game world course, but it seems like they could find a way to make it slightly more visible on the bounce/roll after the shot tracer is off.

- I have never been one to participate in "in-game economies" (I hate that that is a thing now), but this one seems particularly onerous. I not only have to accumulate experience/skill points to 'level up' my golfer (I also hate that this is a thing...), but to 'lock in' those changes to my attributes, I also have to collect virtual tokens/coins as a secondary currency. Essentially, this necessitates accumulation (or purchase) of 2 completely different currencies to accomplish something as simple as increasing my distance. And this is before we get into the business of "fitting" clubs, and going down the path of RPG-esque accumulation of skills (as if I can go down a "wizard" tree and get magic spells for my clubs...).
I understand the economics of these games are based on recurring revenue, but I'm not obligated to like it. I think it's stupid and am unlikely to ever change my opinion on that.


Overall? I think the game is okay. It's fine. It's pretty much the same as every other TGC/2K golf game I've ever played. The graphics are maybe 15% better. I like the difficulty the off-center swing adds, but it's not a very good solution IMO. I have thoughts on how to make a console/stick swing better, but that's neither here nor there. This is what we've got for golf games in the foreseeable future.

I defy anyone to post a more succinct and accurate account of the general, and specific experiences with this game demo.

Perfectly struck.

[PhantomPain]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Did I read you can play with the pros in this demi somewhere? Or at least with Tiger? If so, how? When I change my player it lists all of them but they all have a lock. Maybe I'm misremembering?

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

Did I read you can play with the pros in this demi somewhere? Or at least with Tiger? If so, how? When I change my player it lists all of them but they all have a lock. Maybe I'm misremembering?

You can only play with Tiger in the training tutorials.

EDIT - have played several more rounds in the demo. Am getting more consistent with the diagonal swing. Shot several rounds under par on Pro, moved up to Master, and shot +3 on my first nine.

Also, gotta say, I wish they could switch the course up or even just the nines or something. Playing the back at TPC Scottsdale on repeat is reaaaaaaaly getting old.

[dubcity]

Re: PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

It seems it took less than 24 hours to find the meta for this game...haha

People looking for the meta in a golf game with zero esports component (thankfully) is kind of sad honestly lol. I'm more interested in the game being realistic and hopefully fun, as opposed to winning in a meaningless video game