Could this new release from Tru Blu be the polished, slick, console rugby game we have been waiting for? With a two-game heritage and previous backing from Jonah Lomu himself, Rugby Challenge is perhaps the only serious rugby series for consoles. The previous titles were certainly enjoyable but suffered some glaring issues with gameplay and content gaps. Over time, the licensing has improved and more meat has been put on the bones in terms of content.
In the latest release we can see the addition of the Be a Pro mode, where you join a club as a rookie player and work your way up over 13 seasons, and the Rugby Sevens mode, with 7 players a side and shorter matches. These bring more playability and longevity to the game, although without any serious game remodeling they appear to be somewhat of an afterthought. With the Sevens mode in particular, it is rapidly clear how to exploit the game to win repeatedly. Be a Pro feels like more work has gone into it, with match-by-match targets and player development – it can be an entertaining experience. Don’t get caught out though, just as you get used to the team looking after itself, a major team decision will drop in your lap.
The licensing has been secured for major teams like England, Springboks, All Blacks, Wallabies and with the large fanbase, it’s now possible to download user created teams. This ability to download teams and players to some degree negates licensing; players will lovingly recreate their favorite teams, but it does seem a lazy solution at the developers end. It is also sad to see the loss of the Guinness Pro 12 and Top 14 in trade for the Currie Cup, as the series progresses it seems strange to swap the licensed teams rather than gain more.
Gameplay has been tweaked in a fairly laughable manner. The addition of a moving power bar for place kicks is so slow that an arthritic OAP could nail 100% of the kicks while making a cup of tea. The speed of all the set-piece challenges has been lowered to this snails pace, except the lineout, which remains at a ridiculous speed. These changes don’t seem to be particularly well thought out and are so minor it seems the time in development was not spent on gameplay.
Graphics are improved as would be expected. The re-skin, however, is hardly going
to win any design awards in comparison with most next gen games. The menus and player skins are suspiciously like someone copied and pasted them from the previous title. The sound effects are identical and the commentary has only token new recordings. I should also add that the sound mix is horribly out of kilter, rarely do you have to adjust the sound effect volumes of a game unless you are just turning something off. In this case, you are listening to an ear-splitting mix of programmers recording their lunchtime thumb war and the commentators three-game pedigree of stock audio.
At some point in Rugby Challenge‘s history, a few hard working individuals created a very enjoyable game with little or no budget. It seems that they have rested on their laurels for a long time, before tweaking minor elements and neglecting to fix anything meaningful. The game has a captive market and as one of those rugby union fans, I will still play it, enjoy it, swear at it as my fullback stares gormlessly at the oncoming players, and hope for better to come.
Author: Joe, Bath store
