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Rugby 08 Review
Jon Wilcox
01/08/2007
TVG tackles Electronic Arts' latest instalment in the series, released in the build up to this year's Rugby World Cup...
Coming a close third behind the Olympics and the Football World Cup, the Rugby World Cup is one of the most watched tournaments around the globe, and with that in mind, it's not surprising that an International Rugby Board (IRB) officially endorsed edition of EA Sports' Rugby franchise has been released just in time for the 2007 tournament in France. But is the game anything more than an annual update to take advantage of this year's big event, or does it actually try to push the sport for one last time on PlayStation2?
The answer is, perhaps inevitably, a bit of both.
Of course, the mere fact that Rugby 08 has been endorsed by the IRB will be enough for some fans to rush out and buy the game (though only if you have a PlayStation2 or PC), especially in World Cup year. Changing Rugby 06's "World Tournament" with "Rugby World Cup 2007" and stuffing the mode with all of the participants from this year's event is nothing more than expected, but there's more gameplay to be had in the form of a Challenge Mode and World League Tournament.
The international Rugby equivalent of the Global Challenge mode in EA's 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Challenge Mode allows players to turn back the clocks and take part in some of the matches from earlier tournaments. Featuring some of the biggest matches in the twenty-year history of the Rugby World Cup, including THAT final in 2003 between England and Australia, the mode gives players the chance to change history. Can Wales overcome the Irish in the deciding Pool Match in South Africa 1995? Can Scotland regain some pride and claw back against Uruguay in 1999? Each of the Challenge mode matches feature three objectives that have to be achieved bonus videos and unlock later matches from the tournament, such as scoring a certain number of drop goals or scoring with three or four different players. Like its use in FIFA World Cup, the Challenge mode at least tries to throw in some variety into the gameplay, though it'll probably be the reserve of the game's more hardcore enthusiasts.
Besides gaining official endorsement for this year's tournament, Rugby 08 also includes the license for most of the top competitions in the sport, including the Guinness Premiership, the Super 14, the Tri-Nations, and the RBS 6 Nations - hopefully it won't be long before EA also gets its hands on the license for the Heineken Cup and Magner's League too. Expanding upon one off games between the likes of Brumbies and Bristol, Bath, or Clermont, EA has taken another mode already used in its other sports titles and thrust it into Rugby 08's features, the World League Tournament.
Rugby 08's version of the Manager Mode, seen in the length and breadth of EA Sports' portfolio in the last few years, the World League throws players into the lower echelons of a fictitious global campaign. Beginning with teams such as Bristol Rugby, through to the likes of Leicester, Llanelli, and the Super 14 teams, the mode feels artificial - though its integration into Rugby 08 is obviously there to extend the longevity of the game. Hopefully the mode will be better integrated into the other tournament modes such as the Guinness Premiership or the Magner's League, especially if the European Cup is added into the fixture list. Let's just consider the mode a stepping stone for EA to expand upon in the future.
Whilst the modes have already been seen in other EA Sports titles, fans of the sport will no doubt be more satisfied by the tweaks made to the matches themselves. As expected, much of the control system from previous instalments remain, so experienced Rugby 0x players will be able to bypass the tutorial mode within a few minutes. Passes are still accomplished with the shoulder buttons (including dummy passes), with a variety of kicks mapped to the d-pad. Binding into rucks and mauls continue to be button-tapping frenzies, especially when the game's momentum is against you, and both scrums and line-outs feel largely the same. These two set pieces have been tweaked however, pushing some modicum of evolution into the flow of matches. Players can now try to rotate the scrum for the first time, expanding slightly the level of defensive strategy open to teams. Mauls, like scrums, also take into account the level of player energy, allowing gamers to drive the opposition back if they have a greater amount of energy left in the tank.
Building on the ability to offload the ball in the tackle added in last year's edition, EA has refined additional processes of open play, most notably the process of taking a drop goal. Something that's never felt right thanks to the gamer's inability to see the posts in relation to the kicker, Rugby 08's solution may not be perfect but at least it now carries some weight in the decision to make an attempt at goal at all. Instead of the rather aimless arrow that denotes the direction and power of a drop kick, a bar appears on screen with some Rugby posts in the middle. The width of the posts is dependent on the angle and distance the kicker is from goal, leaving players no more to do than just let go of the button when the power bar is in the sweet spot...it's still tough to pull off, but at least it's more playable than before.
Further refinement has also been made to the opposition's AI, with increased aggression to the defensive line when players find themselves just metres away from scoring a try. Throwing desperate tackles and drowning ball-carriers in a sea of opposition all helps to create the atmosphere and tension that comes with being so close to scoring...
...and yet, unrealistically large gaps emerge too often, so that when a turnover is successfully made, eighty metre runs can be achieved time and time again. Only the likes of New Zealand, with a version of the real team's drift defence stands any chance of stopping the run to the line; for the likes of Japan, Namibia, and even some of the teams like Scotland, Italy and Argentina, the only hope is that the extra two points from the conversion kick aren't won.
Such changes are welcome, but it's hard to get away from the fact that Rugby 08 is feeling tired, especially on PlayStation2. Trailing behind the likes of FIFA, American Football, Ice Hockey, and Basketball in making the leap over to the next-generation formats, Rugby has to be one of the last of the big sports to appear on the likes of Xbox 360 and PlayStation3, though it's the overall global popularity of the sport that not doubt impedes its progress.
Improved drop goal function
Feels tired on PlayStation2
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