Rugby World Cup 2011

Experience the atmosphere, take the glory, and lift the Webb Ellis Cup


Developer: HB Studios
Publisher: 505 Games
Release Date: Aug 26, 2011
Platform(s): PS3, 360
Genre: Sports


Rugby games haven’t been given a lot of care or attention in the past, and anyone itching to throw a misshapen ball to a bunch of over-sized stalwarts could pick up the latest Madden, which is a shoe-in success year-upon-year at this point. But as interest has grew, as has the demand for a game that can accurately represent the sports biggest event, which is what the Rugby World Cup has duly become.

HB Studios has taken the reigns in what is to be the official Rugby World Cup 2011 game of the tournament. The company has a lot of previous experience with rugby games after creating many of EA Sports’ offerings over the years, although they’ve decided not to collaborate in this instance.

The game will be released on August 26, giving fans a full month to experience the atmosphere, take the glory, and lift the Webb Ellis Cup for themselves, before it starts for real September 29 in New Zealand, who are hosting it for the second time since its conception – they co-hosted the very first with Australia back in 1987.

 

The games main mode allows you to play through the World Cup with randomly selected teams if you’re opposed to the idea of playing through the pools round with the official team match-ups preselected for you. There will also be the option to jump into a quick match either on your own or with up to three friends, if you’re looking for a shorter gaming stint.

All 20 participating teams will be featured and playable from the get-go, but not all will be licensed. HB Studios have announced the acquisition of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales, but rival title Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge has obtained the rights to The Wallabies (Australia), The All Blacks (New Zealand), The USA Eagles, and possibly Argentina, Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga, as these are seen in gameplay trailers wearing unofficial kits. The remaining teams, which are Canada, Georgia, Namibia, Romania and Russia, have yet to be claimed by either party, but confirmation is bound to come sooner rather than later.

As expected, the stronger teams seem to control the game better, retain better possession and win the physical battles more often, whereas the lesser teams are turned over more easily. Although no matter what team you select, players will majestically leap into the air and forcefully whack into each other whilst attempting the tackle and the transition from one encounter to the next is showcased with wonderfully smooth animations, which do look pretty lifelike, for the most part.

 

 

Overall it plays at a pretty quick pace, with less waiting time between set plays and the returning of the ball when it goes out. This makes the game flow far better and makes it far more accessible to those with little knowledge of the game. The only thing that hinders the fluidity of play is when you’re attempting to win the ball and you’re presented with a cut scene that starts a button-bashing war, to see who can fill their meter up first, with the winner taking possession.

For those tacticians amongst us there are a host of customisable options for how your team sets up during set plays and the like, making this game, more than any previous, less about just running and passing.

You can take your experience online in one-on-one matches, over Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, which is a first for a HB rugby game. Another first for the company is the addition of a player editor, allowing you to tinker with the national selection, and even stick yourself in the game if you so wish.

A Demo will be released on August 2nd for Xbox Live and August 3rd for PSN. You will be limited to England vs. South Africa, playing at Auckland, New Zealand, but with it being a near complete code you’ll get a good feel of how it looks and feels.


Craig Bryan, NoobFeed
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