Best Rugby Game on the market to date but still room for improvements and additions.
User Rating: 8 | Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge X360
Having played RWC2011 and reviewing that, I have also purchased and played Rugby Challenge and feel I now have the experience to compare the two games and give my honest opinion on them. I stick to my review on RWC2011 after playing RC I have not changed my mind about RWC2011. RC is a far better game, it beats RWC2011 in the graphics, modes, depth, game play and all other assets. The only things I miss from RWC2011 are the set piece moves as well as the ability to dive tackle a player from 5 meters away but that is anyway just a fun unrealistic way to tackle. RC took me a while to get use to as this is the first time I have played a game from this franchise but won't take you too long and I must say the addition of a good solid tutorial is really a great addition to the game. The modes, options and menus are far superior to RWC 2011 and will feel much more like the HD platform gaming we are used to unlike RWC which feels like it was made in 08 for PS2. The start of all games is great, pictures of the players as well as the build up to the match with anthems and hakes is fantastic. The gameplay really has some getting used to as change of camera angles and the pace of the game is very intense, when you are used to RWC this is far more realistic. Your in game options to me are great, the ability to kick, pass, run and work out your own moves are pretty good while I feel that the only negative here is that choosing your pass from Half Back to the different options is fairly limited and pick and drives as well as passing to forwards have so far not been possible, it pretty much chooses who you should pass to, it get irritating when you are looking for your fly half to clear and he is no where to be seen. Passing in the game can also be an issue at first as you will throw countless passes to absolutely no one until you eventually realise that you not only need to pass using the shoulder buttons but also to direct your pass with you L analogue stick. Once you master this it becomes slightly better however you will still now and then throw a loose pass but this is rugby not mechanics and it happens in the real game to. One slightly off putting gameplay feature is the offloading in tackles ability, you will be able to offload a million times until you reach the goal line, this makes the game a tad easy, however when that same feature is put in your oppositions hands you need to defend against it and this can be very difficult at times as you just never seem to have enough defenders and they will ultimately score somehow, this is more prominent as you start trying the more difficult levels of play. Tactical kicking is great and very realistic, it slows the game down so that you can accurately position your kicks and to me is a great realistic feature. Kicking for goal on the other hand is much more difficult and can take quite a bit of time to get used to, the dial moves extremely quickly at times and other times it moves slower, it is also not clearly visible and this can be frustrating when you need those extra few points. Drop goals however make up for this as these are again too easy to score but will give you the 3 points needed to win a game. The main negative of the game is the lack of licensed teams and players, this is a problem for people in SA as none of those players are available and need to be modified but it is possible. I am a South African but support the All Blacks so to me this is not a huge draw back as the AB and Aus players are all there as well as the club teams and are very realistic looking as well. RWC has the license to the other international teams but this is basically just the name, the players are not realistic looking and their abilities and stats in RWC mean nothing so I would still say with a bit of time and effort RC is far better in this department. Overall I find the game a great rugby game, I don't feel it is the best game possible at this stage but it is worth the money and most definitely is the best Rugby game on the market. You won't be disappointed in the game and it gives you a great idea of what rugby is all about.
