EA Sports is set to release their latest in the Tiger Woods series for the PS3 the well-known launch day, and those who get their hands on one of the consoles will probably want to check this one out. Although the 2007 version has been out for some time on the Xbox 360, any fans who do not own Microsoft's console will be happy to get a copy as soon as possible. Also, if you do happen to get a PS3 now and have not played any of the previous Tiger Woods games, I highly recommend checking the latest offering out.

Although it's been a while since I've had the chance to play this series on one of Sony's platforms (I believe the last was the 2004 release), I have played the 2005 and 2006 versions in other forms. Each year, EA attempts to improve this series dramatically, by adding new features to the already great gameplay experience and improving the graphics, among other things. The 2007 version is no different, when we saw this earlier on the 360, it looked and played great. But, how does it fare on the PS3?

Well, for one thing, this is probably the biggest improvement to the graphics in the game on any Sony console. The PS2 games were great, but they did appear to suffer slightly in comparison to the Xbox games. This may have been due to the fact that we have become used to the next-gen capabilities of the 360 for over a year now, but it was still evident. Not so anymore. This game is much more vibrant and graphically rich than any previous version. It is also surprisingly polished considering that it is a first-generation PS3 game, and a launch title nonetheless. There are a few rough edges, but for the most part nothing stands out too badly.

Of course, good graphics are important, but they do not make or break a game. The gameplay itself is equally, if not more important. In Tiger Woods 2007, all of the new features introduced in the Xbox 360 version are present in the PS3 version. It is great to see fans along the sidelines who are finally as good looking as the main characters themselves, and who react when you happen to hit them with a stray ball. If you golf like I do, this can happen from time to time. The main features, including powering up your swing and putting spin on the ball in mid-air are also present.

Tiger Woods 2007 for the PS3 is a solid launch title, and one that fans of the series should definitely pick up to add to their library. The controller is still the same, and it takes next to no time to pick it up and play it if you haven't in a while. It's like riding a bike, the skills never go away. This is good news for many, because the familiarity of the PS3 controller makes jumping into new games a breeze. In fact, I do not believe that any of the buttons have been re-mapped at all. For those who have never played this series but like sports games or golf in particular, consider picking this one up. It's a solid launch title even if it is a sequel to a long running series. There's a reason why this game has sold like crazy over the years for a variety of platforms; it looks and plays great, plus it becomes highly addictive very quickly.