PGA Tour 2K25 Demo Available Today, Post Your Impressions

[ComfortablyLomb]

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

Quick impressions:

- The swing system is about a million times better than the old 2k swing. Especially around greens.
- I really like that there isn't a straight ball.
- Camera is great. Behind golfer, then landing cam. I hate follow cams so this is faaantastic.
- The graphics are good enough.
- Gut feeling... EA releasing a game lit a fire under 2k.

[Dawgfan1]

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

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

To be fair, it's not like it's hard to find the meta in this game, lol. I started a player with the Technician archetype and on Master difficulty got +3 and -2 my first 18 holes. The difference feels pretty stark, it's way less punishing on off-plane swings.

To be honest, I'm not sure why that the Technician archetype should even exist. Since this game's difficulty seems to revolve around the diagonal swing, having an archetype that makes it easier feels bound to be OP no matter what. It looks like they did have the Rhythm archetype in 2K23 that seems to make the tempo easier in that game, I don't know it functioned or how good it was, but if it was balanced then maybe they can do it here. Won't get my hopes up though.

[GhostPandaStorm]

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

Been enjoying the demo overall. My favorite thing probably has to be the new replay system. It's been very long overdue for a major golf game to have a replay mode where you have full control like in other sports games. Love it.

It's also just so nice to have a demo. We don't see demos much anymore.

[countryboy]

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

I've played 72 holes (maybe a few more) and overall I like the game. I think the graphics are better than previous years, but still pale in comparison to the EA game. The swing mechanic and all is well done. I am a 3 click guy and this year the mechanic is easier to use, but still just as unforgiving as 2k23.

My biggest "issue" is putting. I'm not sure why but something just feels off about it. From the sound to the motion, it seems canned. Its like watching a gif repeat itself, nothing feels organic. I don't know, maybe its me, but it just looks and feels a bit clunky.

Overall I'm looking forward to release. I know career mode isn't as authentic as we'd all like, but I enjoyed it in 2k23, I don't see any reason I wouldn't enjoy it in 2k25.

[OnlookerDelay]

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

My biggest "issue" is putting. I'm not sure why but something just feels off about it. From the sound to the motion, it seems canned. Its like watching a gif repeat itself, nothing feels organic. I don't know, maybe its me, but it just looks and feels a bit clunky.

BING BING BING.... you just nailed my thoughts on the putting game in 2K25! It does have a "giffy" quality to some of the animation associated with it. I'm a stick swinger and what I feel is something akin to hitting a real golf ball with a hollow plastic kids golf club. It feels like there's no mass to the putter head at all. I find myself taking jabby strokes at the ball when putting, to make up for this perceived lack of mass to the club. Quite often that reeks havoc with the rhythm and I wind up with some nasty pulls.

Oh, and that flat contact sound when the putt is struck is so far off the mark. Bring back 2K23's putt strike audio and I'll be happy, at least as an option.

I see there's a putter weight property that you can add to your putter in the fittings menu.... maybe that would help with this, but yeah, this is by far and away my biggest complaint with the game so far. The putting game just feels out of tune to me. Maybe I need to try some practice putting with Tiger in the game to see if the putter he is using has more apparent mass to it.

I'm enjoying this game more than 2K23 in every other area, but the putting game is disappointing step back to me.

[green94]

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

My biggest "issue" is putting. I'm not sure why but something just feels off about it. From the sound to the motion, it seems canned. Its like watching a gif repeat itself, nothing feels organic. I don't know, maybe it’s me, but it just looks and feels a bit clunky.

Wow you hit the nail on the head… it does feel extremely disconnected the more I play. Almost “delayed” which kind of reminds me of EAs game. Very strange but good callout.

[green94]

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

So I’ve run into an issue when pulling back the right stick where my player hesitates to bring the club all of the way back… (think quarter/half swing and then it starts with the golfer addressing his ball again) it seems completely random as to when he’ll actually take a full swing. Has anyone else run into this?

I’m using the Dualsense Edge if that makes any difference…

Just to follow up on this… I played with a standard controller with zero issues. Is anyone else playing with the Dual Sense? I’m sure this is user error on my part but can’t figure out how to fix this.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

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

Just to follow up on this… I played with a standard controller with zero issues. Is anyone else playing with the Dual Sense? I’m sure this is user error on my part but can’t figure out how to fix this.

I use the standard PS5 controller, and haven't had this issue. I will say, this has happened to me in previous 2K golf games. It seemed to be fixed when a headset was plugged into the controller, for some reason.

[OnlookerDelay]

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

Almost “delayed”

Yes... that's an excellent way to describe it! I want my live, solid putting game back!

[MrArlingtonBeach]

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

Wow you hit the nail on the head… it does feel extremely disconnected the more I play. Almost “delayed” which kind of reminds me of EAs game. Very strange but good callout.

I think the putting feels different because there's a rhythm/tempo component to it now, where there wasn't in previous 2K games. I think it seems like EA's because EA's also had a tempo element to it, although 2K25's seems much more impactful...overswings send putts for miles.

[OnlookerDelay]

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

I think the putting feels different because there's a rhythm/tempo component to it now, where there wasn't in previous 2K games. I think it seems like EA's because EA's also had a tempo element to it, although 2K25's seems much more impactful...overswings send putts for miles.

I was thinking that might be the case this morning as I was on the practice green. Yes, a smoother rhythm with the putting stroke helps, but it's so dang hard get a feel for it because the putter head seems "massless" to me. I do see that I get more consistent results when my rhythm numbers are low and in the gray, but the only way I'll be able to consistent achieve that is through muscle memory of the stick movement, not because of what I'm getting in terms of feedback... which is minimal at best, from the look and feel of the animation as it seems to be on another time continuum from the stick motion.

For what it's worth, I'm playing on the Series X mostly, but I do have three rounds under my belt on the PC version. My gaming PC can't handle this demo in 2160p. Even with the graphics details dialed down to low, the best it it do is 35 fps, while set to 2160p. The game doesn't look good at all when dialed down to minimum. At 1080p, I get a solid 60 FPS, but with the FSR doesn't help it all that much in looks. Oversampling even to only 125 knocks the frame rate back down into the 30s, and it's fluttering slide show.

I thought I was going to go with the PC version with this game now that crossplay in Societies is possible, but right now - at least on my gaming PC - it's not as playable as the Series X version. I like that I can turn off the Depth of Field in the PC version, but that's been the only advantage I've been able to find. Why can't they offer the user an option to turn off Depth of Field in the console versions? There's got to be a legal reason of some sort that I can't put my finger on?

[OnlookerDelay]

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

although 2K25's seems much more impactful...overswings send putts for miles.

You nailed that one MAB.... and miles is an understatement!

[OnlookerDelay]

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

Let me praise 2K/HB Studios for one thing here at this point (and there's more to come), but at least it appears they've got the XBox Series X controller polling situation figured out. I am now able to go back to using my XBox Elite 2 controller, and I haven't had a single tempo or rhythm misfire that I can blame on the controller stick position not being tracked properly by the game.

[OnlookerDelay]

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

Those of you playing the game on the XBox Series X, or PS5/Pro... have you experimented much with the FSR Sharpening setting in the graphics settings? I believe it defaults to 70% on the Series X. I've moved it from one extreme to the other and it's not until I get to 100% that I see an unacceptable performance impact to the animation. I went with 50% finally as I want to get more feel out of the swing interface. Even at 0% FSR on the Series X, it still seemed to have very little effect, if any, on the responsiveness of the putting stroke.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

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

Those of you playing the game on the XBox Series X, or PS5/Pro... have you experimented much with the FSR Sharpening setting in the graphics settings? I believe it defaults to 70% on the Series X. I've moved it from one extreme to the other and it's not until I get to 100% that I see an unacceptable performance impact to the animation. I went with 50% finally as I want to get more feel out of the swing interface. Even at 0% FSR on the Series X, it still seemed to have very little effect, if any, on the responsiveness of the putting stroke.

On PS5. I saw that setting, changed it a bit, but didn't notice any difference. I set it back to 70%. I was hoping that adjusting it would get rid of the framerate stuttering when using scout cam or fast-forwarding shots, but it didn't seem to work.