When Rory McIlroy PGA Golf was released, it was met with a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. Although the gameplay was solid, once you hit the clubhouse the game felt shallow and left many feeling they had purchased an incomplete title. The career mode felt like an afterthought, and the online offerings were depleted if you compared them to previous EA golf titles.

Gone missing were the wildly popular country clubs, deep customization, and even head-to-head online turn-based shooting was removed. The game initially was given a 5.0 (average) by Operation Sports, and many felt even that score that was slightly too generous because of the lack of content. When a golf game is released, most golf fans expect of large library of courses, an ample career mode, and a plethora of online modes, and Rory PGA literally offered none of those things.



Initially released with only eight real-world courses (nine if you pre-ordered), four fantasy courses, and 12 real-life golfers, there was not much for the developers to hang their hat on, other than some realistic graphics, decent gameplay and the promises that they would support this title post-release. Luckily for the consumer, the developers have done just that.

While the release of new content may not have been as quick as some would have hoped for, the developers have kept their initial promises. The game has now upped its course offering by a total of four, including TPC Scottsdale, East Lake, Quail Hollow and Treasure Island (fantasy). Along with the new courses, EA has also updated its newest golf title with real PGA players Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson. Plus, there are a few more game modes to help fill the void that's been there since the game was released.



While not perfect on the course, the game at least offers multiple levels of difficulty -- most will be able to find a decent degree of challenge while playing -- but then again, that has never been the real issue here. The issue has always been the lack of content, and the game's inability to offer a social experience that is crucial in the world of digital golf. The majority of online golfers want to challenge each other in real time, and have a country club scenario in which they can compete against each other on a weekly basis.

While many may scoff at games like Star Wars Battlefront and Rainbow Six Siege for being online only, both of these titles offer what Rory is missing: the ability to play with or compete online against friends while enjoying the experience. While Rory does offer the ability to play online against friends, and provides daily and weekly tournaments, the design leaves a lot to be desired, and in no way pushes the social experience forward.

What’s important to note here is although the developers at EA have done a solid job of supporting this title post-release, I am not sure they can add enough to overcome the initial backlash the game received. New courses, modes and golfers are great (and welcomed) but the dry commentary, lack of an in-depth career mode and less than spectacular online offerings have to make one wonder if this title will every truly warrant a $60 price tag.

If I were to re-score the game today, it would only get a slight bump or upgrade. After all, the lack of depth and lack of presentation still exists in this game even after the post-release updates.


How are you enjoying Rory McIlroy post release?