Dudey!
13-08-2007, 10:14 PM
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2528/vdjn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Hey! Thanks for looking.
If Fifa 08 gets a topic, why not Rugby 08! Anyone got/played it yet? Was released July 25th in the UK onto the PS2, but still works okay on the PS3. It looks really good from the reviews and trailers. EA completly skipped Rugby 07 to get this masterpiece ready for the Rugby World Cup, so what do you guys think? Better then the rest? Worse?
Click HERE to watch Rugby 08 Footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjIvJmF1cs&mode=related&search=)
Click HERE to see photo gallery (http://uk.media.ps2.ign.com/media/909/909556/img_4727905.html)
Review
There's nothing like a bunch of men in mini-shorts smashing into each other at high velocity to get the heart rate pulsing. As big fans of EA's rugby franchise, EA's best rugby effort since relaunching the franchise in 2000, there was a silent air of anticipation in the IGN offices ahead of the arrival of Rugby 08. When the disk arrived, the silence was filled with the thumping slap of man-flesh on man-flesh… and then we started playing the game.
Rugby 08 isn't a total overhaul of the series - instead it's a solid refinement and polish job of 06, with improvements in critical areas, some new features and the inclusion of the exclusive Rugby World Cup 2007 license. EA has managed to find the fine balance between ease of play for the novice, yet it retains enough challenge for the expert. With the official Rugby World Cup 2007 license, all major international, provincial and club tournaments and the new World Cup challenge mode, this game has everything the sports gamer is looking for irrespective of whether you are a rugby fan or not.
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8567/rugby082007072611121663kq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rugby can be a mind-bogglingly confusing sport. Yet EA has managed to make some of the more complicated idiosyncrasies of rugby, like lineouts and scrums, a much more intuitive process. With advanced difficulty settings and new advanced lineout and simulation offload settings there is still plenty challenge for the experienced scrummer once you've mastered the basics. The interactive tutorial is informative and useful, however it would have been even better if had taught us how to use the advanced lineout settings.
One of the biggest issues we had with the last version of Rugby was the difficulty in controlling scrums and lineouts, particularly when we were learning how to play the game. In novice mode, lineouts are a simple single button push, helping you restart play and get moving again. However on the advanced lineout setting we just couldn't work out how to make our lineouts work - having said that, we didn't have an instruction manual supplied to us with the review copy of the game, so hopefully it's explained in there. The scrums are a big improvement over 2006, with enhanced push and rotation controls, enabling you to wheel your scrum to your advantage or to counter an opposition's wheel or drive.
Given that Rugby World Cup 2007 starts in early September we started to manage and play our own way through the tournament as the Wallabies. Managing the selections for the starting team for each game was quite the challenge, as players' form drops if they don't get game time. Trying to increase the squad's morale is also tricky - unfortunately there's no option to take the boys out to the Moulin Rouge in Paris for a bonding session! By the time of the quarter finals the trick is to have a squad of thirty players who are all in form with high morale. If you just pick the same team for each game and then suffer an injury to a key player, the replacement is going to let the team down.
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3788/rugby082007072611121615ci7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
EA trumpet "Authentic Defensive Formations" in Rugby 2008, however we aren't quite sure how these differ from Rugby 2006 and 2005's defensive patterns. There's a minor difference in that the defensive pattern doesn't need to be reset each ruck like it did in the 2006 instalment, but that's all we could see. Unfortunately there is no rush defence option, which is used now by a few of the top international teams, particularly South Africa. What is more noticeable this season is that when playing against the CPU it tends to attack based on the defensive pattern you've employed. For example, if you defend across the width of the field the CPU is likely to attack you close in to the ruck. Whilst on the topic of defence, the CPU defensive AI noticeably lifts when you're close to scoring against it. You can't always just pick up at the back of a ruck and drive over from close quarters for a try any more as the CPU smashes you backwards. This requires you to be a little more creative in how you score in the "red zone".
The improvements in AI aren't limited to defence close to the line and reacting to your defensive patterns. The AI in general has been improved, being much more inventive and less predictable that before, which adds volumes to the longevity of the game. We're not sure how accurate EA's claim that "authentic offence" as been implemented in Rugby 2008; it's doubtful the Wallabies and All Blacks haven't been sharing their playbooks with the developers. However, the set plays are a good start for gamers to understand and easy enough to implement on the fly.
Features
The Rugby World Cup • A campaign through 6 grueling weeks of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France • A central hub keeping the user aware of all World Cup progress • Team management, injuries, squad rotation for greater depth • IRB World Cup Presentation • Extensive use of camera angles.
World Cup Challenge Mode • Takes key moments from World Cup History and allows the user to replay them. • Uses historical facts and scenarios (with current rosters) and throws the player in to the game to try to recreate history. • Rewards are unlocked after completing each scenario (photos, players, etc).
Truck and Zoom Camera • Introduce new camera angles that allow the user to see more of the action on the field. • Zoom in on breakdowns to better see the action at these key moments. • Allow the user to see the result of conversion and penalty kicks. • Allow user to see where they are aiming when kicking from a stoppage
New Set Pieces • Line-outs that simplify throw in controls and Provide greater functionality and authenticity for advanced users • Scrums with more control over push and rotation also utilizing accessible control systems
Defensive Formations on the Fly • Allows the user to quickly select defensive formations • Can react to attacking style/field position of opponent • Reflects authentic Defensive formations seen in modern rugby
All new AI attacking system • Built in smarter AI on offense, will test a users defensive capabilities.
Discuss.
Hey! Thanks for looking.
If Fifa 08 gets a topic, why not Rugby 08! Anyone got/played it yet? Was released July 25th in the UK onto the PS2, but still works okay on the PS3. It looks really good from the reviews and trailers. EA completly skipped Rugby 07 to get this masterpiece ready for the Rugby World Cup, so what do you guys think? Better then the rest? Worse?
Click HERE to watch Rugby 08 Footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjIvJmF1cs&mode=related&search=)
Click HERE to see photo gallery (http://uk.media.ps2.ign.com/media/909/909556/img_4727905.html)
Review
There's nothing like a bunch of men in mini-shorts smashing into each other at high velocity to get the heart rate pulsing. As big fans of EA's rugby franchise, EA's best rugby effort since relaunching the franchise in 2000, there was a silent air of anticipation in the IGN offices ahead of the arrival of Rugby 08. When the disk arrived, the silence was filled with the thumping slap of man-flesh on man-flesh… and then we started playing the game.
Rugby 08 isn't a total overhaul of the series - instead it's a solid refinement and polish job of 06, with improvements in critical areas, some new features and the inclusion of the exclusive Rugby World Cup 2007 license. EA has managed to find the fine balance between ease of play for the novice, yet it retains enough challenge for the expert. With the official Rugby World Cup 2007 license, all major international, provincial and club tournaments and the new World Cup challenge mode, this game has everything the sports gamer is looking for irrespective of whether you are a rugby fan or not.
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8567/rugby082007072611121663kq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rugby can be a mind-bogglingly confusing sport. Yet EA has managed to make some of the more complicated idiosyncrasies of rugby, like lineouts and scrums, a much more intuitive process. With advanced difficulty settings and new advanced lineout and simulation offload settings there is still plenty challenge for the experienced scrummer once you've mastered the basics. The interactive tutorial is informative and useful, however it would have been even better if had taught us how to use the advanced lineout settings.
One of the biggest issues we had with the last version of Rugby was the difficulty in controlling scrums and lineouts, particularly when we were learning how to play the game. In novice mode, lineouts are a simple single button push, helping you restart play and get moving again. However on the advanced lineout setting we just couldn't work out how to make our lineouts work - having said that, we didn't have an instruction manual supplied to us with the review copy of the game, so hopefully it's explained in there. The scrums are a big improvement over 2006, with enhanced push and rotation controls, enabling you to wheel your scrum to your advantage or to counter an opposition's wheel or drive.
Given that Rugby World Cup 2007 starts in early September we started to manage and play our own way through the tournament as the Wallabies. Managing the selections for the starting team for each game was quite the challenge, as players' form drops if they don't get game time. Trying to increase the squad's morale is also tricky - unfortunately there's no option to take the boys out to the Moulin Rouge in Paris for a bonding session! By the time of the quarter finals the trick is to have a squad of thirty players who are all in form with high morale. If you just pick the same team for each game and then suffer an injury to a key player, the replacement is going to let the team down.
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3788/rugby082007072611121615ci7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
EA trumpet "Authentic Defensive Formations" in Rugby 2008, however we aren't quite sure how these differ from Rugby 2006 and 2005's defensive patterns. There's a minor difference in that the defensive pattern doesn't need to be reset each ruck like it did in the 2006 instalment, but that's all we could see. Unfortunately there is no rush defence option, which is used now by a few of the top international teams, particularly South Africa. What is more noticeable this season is that when playing against the CPU it tends to attack based on the defensive pattern you've employed. For example, if you defend across the width of the field the CPU is likely to attack you close in to the ruck. Whilst on the topic of defence, the CPU defensive AI noticeably lifts when you're close to scoring against it. You can't always just pick up at the back of a ruck and drive over from close quarters for a try any more as the CPU smashes you backwards. This requires you to be a little more creative in how you score in the "red zone".
The improvements in AI aren't limited to defence close to the line and reacting to your defensive patterns. The AI in general has been improved, being much more inventive and less predictable that before, which adds volumes to the longevity of the game. We're not sure how accurate EA's claim that "authentic offence" as been implemented in Rugby 2008; it's doubtful the Wallabies and All Blacks haven't been sharing their playbooks with the developers. However, the set plays are a good start for gamers to understand and easy enough to implement on the fly.
Features
The Rugby World Cup • A campaign through 6 grueling weeks of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France • A central hub keeping the user aware of all World Cup progress • Team management, injuries, squad rotation for greater depth • IRB World Cup Presentation • Extensive use of camera angles.
World Cup Challenge Mode • Takes key moments from World Cup History and allows the user to replay them. • Uses historical facts and scenarios (with current rosters) and throws the player in to the game to try to recreate history. • Rewards are unlocked after completing each scenario (photos, players, etc).
Truck and Zoom Camera • Introduce new camera angles that allow the user to see more of the action on the field. • Zoom in on breakdowns to better see the action at these key moments. • Allow the user to see the result of conversion and penalty kicks. • Allow user to see where they are aiming when kicking from a stoppage
New Set Pieces • Line-outs that simplify throw in controls and Provide greater functionality and authenticity for advanced users • Scrums with more control over push and rotation also utilizing accessible control systems
Defensive Formations on the Fly • Allows the user to quickly select defensive formations • Can react to attacking style/field position of opponent • Reflects authentic Defensive formations seen in modern rugby
All new AI attacking system • Built in smarter AI on offense, will test a users defensive capabilities.
Discuss.