Over the years, the game of Rugby union has been largely
underrepresented in the world of video games. With EAs support for Rugby union
being withdrawn after its final entry in 2007 which many believed to be the
last of what were a fun, yet somewhat incomplete series of games. For the next
4 years, Rugby gamers were left in limbo, desiring a next gen game that could
successfully remake their favourite sport of Rugby union. Then, in August 2011,
a certain game was released under the guise of 'Rugby World Cup 2011'. I bought
the game. I enjoyed the game. I completed the game. I then began to wish that I
hadn't bought the game. I had spent 40 quid on a game with about as much replay
value as a burst sheet of bubble wrap. At the end of the day, there's only so
many times you can lift the Webb Ellis cup with your monstrously rendered and
horribly modelled virtual national team (only half of the 20 teams included
actually being officially licensed) before their robotic running and
nightmarish faces become a bit stale.
This supposed high definition revamp of developer HB
Studio’s previous rugby title, Rugby 08, falls so short of its sports gaming
rivals, such as the fun but flawed Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge and the long
running football franchise FIFA, that you wouldn’t be wrong to mistake the
title with that of a last generation game. The game’s graphics have only
marginally improved upon the aforementioned Rugby 08 (ironically the last rugby
game ever published by sports gaming powerhouse EA Sports), making it look
tired and weak when compared to its competition. The sound of the game also
reflects upon the lack of graphical quality, with all 6 commentators sounding
apathetic, much like the crowd.
However, as most gamers now know, the most important aspects
of any game are its features and its gameplay. It is in these departments that
the game disappoints the most.
Instead of retaining all of Rugby 08’s modes, that included
the Tri Nations, English Premiership and southern hemisphere Super 15 Rugby,
RWC instead opted for a stripped down version of its predecessor with only five
gameplay modes, Rugby World Cup campaign, single tests (only international),
warm up tour (choose a team and play a tour of the opposite hemisphere as said
team), a fun albeit miniscule pace kick shootout mode (clearly designed for
semi-drunken competitions between friends) and finally a 2 player only online
multiplayer mode (despite local multiplayer allowing for 4 players). Not only
is the multiplayer restricted in its player numbers, but the net-code for the
game is also truly awful, making for many a frustrating mistake as a result of
a near unresponsive team when playing online (that is if you can even find
another player online). The gameplay itself, for what it’s worth, is acceptable
for someone looking to play a very simplified version of the game, with the
base operations being mapped out well on the controller (passing with the
shoulder buttons, kicks mapped on the face buttons). However, this simplicity
can become quite irritating at times especially during rucks in which a button
mash approach is taken, with a fairly repetitive cycle of
sprint-pass-sprint-pass dominating the majority of offensive play, made more
mundane by the weak AI that fails to offer too much of a challenge even at the
highest difficulty level. As a result of this, many gameplay features such as
the scrums and lineouts feel like more of an annoyance than a challenge,
especially when playing as a less skilled team such as Namibia, where knock-ons
and passes straight into touch are an all too common occurrence.
In terms of the game’s longevity, most of it exists in its
local multiplayer mode where, despite all its flaws, the simple fun of the game
comes out most prominently, as you get a glimpse of what HB Studios were trying
to achieve. Alas, their attempt was simply not enough to lift their repackaged,
stripped down version of Rugby 08 out of the bargain bin.
Verdict:
Rugby World Cup 2011 promises more, but in the end gives far
less than hoped. The one thing that sums up the state of RWC is quite possibly
its most ironic flaw. Not even the host nation of the tournament that the game
is built upon was willing to give up its license to this title. I recommend
only picking this title up for more than £7 if you are a major international
Rugby fan who can’t find a copy of the far superior Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge.
Otherwise, skip it altogether, and go for the better title.
Score:
4/5 out of 10
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