Lots of potential and a perfectly passable experience but really let down by a basket load of technical issues and last last gen graphics. Despite its flaws I’ve had a good time with it (40 hours and counting) but I don’t think I can justify rating it any higher due to so many fundamental issues with the game. Due to lack of competition if you are really itching for a rugby video gameLots of potential and a perfectly passable experience but really let down by a basket load of technical issues and last last gen graphics. Despite its flaws I’ve had a good time with it (40 hours and counting) but I don’t think I can justify rating it any higher due to so many fundamental issues with the game. Due to lack of competition if you are really itching for a rugby video game this is really all there is, and it will provide a the gameplay you are looking for if you are able to work pass all the flaws.
Despite everything it has the really good foundation for a great rugby game, if only it had more money and time put in and they were about to work out all the kinks but sadly I don’t know if this game has enough support to justify the investment.
I’ll start with the good points, as I said it satisfies that itch of a rugby game and definitely has it moments, building your own club of dream played is good fun if not flawed and being a being able to avenge the teams I supports loses virtual makes me feel better. I would put the flaws in three categories; what needs to be fixed for a sequel/update, what should be fixed and what would be nice to be fixed/added.
What needs to be fixed:
Technical issues and input issues. I can’t recall how many times I’ve tried to get the ball out of the ruck only for nothing to happen when I press X and then the ball is turned over, or suddenly not being able to pass the ball or when I try and tackle and my player just watches them pass as they do nothing. There are also issues when the ball goes between the posts for a conversion and it registers as a miss, or when I get a penalty and kick it to touch only for the other team to get the throw in.
The way you switch players is very awkward and I find when I am tackling with a player I’m not controlling the player I was controlling is just running off into the distance while I am dealing with the ruck/breakdown. Seems like an easy fix that it’ll auto swap to the plays involved in the action.
The AI is also braindead, the players I’m not controlling seem to always be offside conceding penalties. Or the opposing team will just run or kick the ball out of touch for no reason. The AI also can swap from going into the tackle with one player to tacking the player I just passed to in a second which feels cheap and unrealistic.
Difficulty is an issue too, have to play on the hardest difficulty to avoid winning every line out/scrum/ruck with ease and even in the hardest difficulty it feels the only reason it is more difficult to score a century is the above technical issues. What should be fixed:
The commentary is terrible and repetitive, very awkward and choppy. They constantly are getting things wrong and more often than not are declaring the wrong team to have won the match.
Having alternate kits for the teams and being able to choose before the match. So many times I was playing games with the kits of both teams looking identical and sometimes even the ref matched too. Nearly made these matches unplayable.
Opening the packs is very anticlimactic and most of the awards are a bit pointless if it was more refined and polished to maybe mostly players it would be better.
What would be nice to be fixed:
Graphics are very very dated and none of the players even remotely resemble who they should. Graphics aren’t too big a deal if gameplay is strong and as a smaller studio with less money maybe for for a more stylised and less realistic art style so the game looks better without being too taxing on the engine. (Stylised to a degree not saying going completely cartoony)
Overall I am torn as I feel bad giving it such a low rating but I feel all the criticism is justified. I really really hope they can get another try (no pun intended) at a sequel and fix the most prominent issues. It feels that rugby games are about 10 years behind football games at the moment so I hope someone will stick with them and get them to the higher quality they deserve.… Expand