Rugby Challenge PlayStation 3 Review

FIFA 11 and Rugby Challenge have a lot of similarities which leads us to think that Sidhe has probably copied everything from FIFA 11 and inserted it into their own game and renamed it Rugby Challenge. This may be a good thing though, as the graphics are brilliantly constructed and leave rugby fans in awe.

The world's most famous teams all feature in this edition of rugby for the PlayStation 3. Australia and New Zealand are there as well as America. All of England's rugby teams feature, Wales, Ireland, Scotland which makes Rugby Challenge a comprehensive rugby game that all enthusiasts will love. Unfortunately, South African teams are left out of the licensing and fans will have to make do with faceless players and make-believe. Fortunately, you get to play all the major rugby games in the world. A feature that was absent in the recently released Rugby World Cup 2011.

The best option for the game is career mode and you are in charge of a country or rugby club and you have that job for 13 glorious seasons, to dummy and side-step to your heart's content. Kicking and running on the field are very similar to real life situations and there are four different kick variations you can perform with the control stick. Passing is easy to accomplish using the control stick. You should quickly master the controls without too many hick-ups. You can easily push and pull in the scrums. If you need help there is a comprehensive tutorial included and also a slow motion rules video, so even if you haven't played rugby before, it's easy to get going. You can build your own teams, buy and swap players from the different clubs and even create your own.

Although the licensing issue hampers the representation of South African teams, you can create your own players and name them as you wish. The downside is that you don't see characters with familiar faces running around on the field, but all the other major countries are fairly represented so this isn't the end of the world for rugby fans. In Rugby World Cup 2011 South African teams are also not licensed and you are severely limited in creating your own players. At least in Rugby Challenge you can build your own players from scratch or buy from other teams and insert the players into your own team.

Rugby Challenge does suffer from a few flaws though. There aren't any flashy moves on the field, or brilliant sidesteps you can perform to dazzle the crowds. All the moves are standard basic rugby tactics. If you are new to the game of rugby it won't matter, but fans who live and eat rugby will be disappointed. The commentators lack enthusiasm and their voices are without any emotion or feeling that drives the listener wild. If you've listened to a rugby game on radio or TV you will know what I'm talking about. The commentator fires you up with his fiery language and passion for the game. Much of the drama is lost with their lackluster performance.

On the field Rugby Challenge is exciting and full of action. The animations and facial expressions of the players are life-like and pump you full of adrenaline. You will have a ball of a time with this game.

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Rugby World Cup 2011

Are you a rugby fan? Then you probably know what Australia and New Zealand means to Rugby World Cup. What would it be like if both teams weren't included in the world cup?

This is practically what HB Studios has done. What the company has done is take their previous version of Rugby 08 from the playstation 2 four years ago, and zapped it up with new graphics and changed a few minor items which no one will ever notice. They gave it a new name and released it onto the market at an unacceptable high price. Now who could be more devious than that? Seems like the latest NATO fiasco in Libya has taught them that the masses are easily duped.

If you like tri-nations, super 15, and other rugby games that are not in the world cup would you still be interested? Rugby World Cup 2011 contains none of these and only 5 modes. The world cup, single international tests, warm up tours, some international tests,, penalty shoot-outs, multi-player games, but only two people can participate. Half the teams don't feature any of the current world class players, but faceless characters no one even knows. So in reality you getting half a world cup for full price. Of course, you can name the players through the games editor function, but with no faces to the characters, is that any fun?

The gameplay is equally pathetic. There are not enough options on the filed. You are severely limited in what you can do, leaving you frustrated and disappointed that you were caught yet again. If you played FIFA world cup you no doubt were dazzled by the fabulous gameplay that left soccer fans gaping in awe and admiration. Now why can't rugby fans be treated similarly and get something worthwhile?

If you play the game in multi-player mode then it becomes a little more interesting. The controls respond adequately and the moves are easily picked up. If you love rugby then playing in this mode will give you hours of fun and enjoyment despite some of the flaws inherent in the game. You will be able to perform most major maneuvers like side-step, shoulder charges, etc, and most of your enthusiasm won't be dampened after all. You can also choose to play online with players on the Internet, something which was lacking in the playstation 2 edition. The crowd seems a little pathetic. Lots more could have been done to improve the game, but once again, the developer put its own interests first, looking for a fast, easy cash cow and what better than to dupe the rugby world?

If you do get hold of the game and find it vastly disappointing, then don't despair. Rugby Challenge is due for release soon and rumor has it that the game is awesome and features so much exciting choices you will forget Rugby World Cup 2011 as a bad dream.

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