4 years. That's how long gamers have been waiting since the last rugby union game, Rugby 08, graced gaming platforms. So when the same developer, HB Studios, announced last year that they had a new rugby game in development (formerly Rugby 2012), and that it would be the official game of the Rugby World Cup 2011, we couldn't have been more excited. Finally, rugby in HD.
And for the most part, HB Studios has delivered just that. They've taken their tried and tested game engine from Rugby 08 and given it an HD makeover. Sounds great, right? Perhaps at first, but it won't take long for those less than welcoming quirks from Rugby 08 to rear their ugly heads in Rugby World Cup 2011, and that's when you realise that this isn't the giant leap in the world of rugby games that we'd all hoped for, but rather a short hop into the HD era for a 4 year old game.
Starting up the game, you're greeted with a simple but neat menu styled with the Rugby World Cup colors and logo, with the famous World in Union song playing in the background; there's no mistaking it, this is a Rugby World Cup game. And it reflects in the modes available. Gone are the Tri-nations and Super 14 (SuperRugby) tournaments from Rugby 08, all you're left with now is five basic modes: Full Tournament mode; an International Test mode (basically quick match); Warm-up Tour (match up against several teams in either the northern or southern hemisphere); Place-kick Shootout, which does what it says on the box (and is as exciting as it sounds); and an obligatory Xbox LIVE multiplayer mode.
Jumping into your first game, things don't look that much better. Literally. While the graphics in Rugby World Cup 2011 can be said to be 'high-definition', one must remember that HD graphics have been around for a long time now in gaming, and RWC 2011 barely passes the mark. The worst of it being the players themselves.
The publisher behind RWC 2011, 505 Games, made a lot of noise about the exclusive licenses they bagged for the game, which included South Africa, England, France, Ireland and many more. What that basically means is that - in most cases - the developer can use real names and likenesses for international players, giving the game an authentic feel. That would be great, if the player models in RWC 2011 didn't look so dated, and in many cases, barely resemble their real-life counterparts. Sure, the skin and hair color is more or less the same, with a similar sized and shaped face, but when it comes to actual facial features, you'll have a hard time differentiating between your John Smit's and Juan Smith's. At least you'll hear the commentators using the right names though. Well, as long as you're not playing against or with two of the top sides in the world: Australia or New Zealand. Yup, 505 Games may have secured a decent line-up of international team licenses, but they failed to get the license for the hosts of the Rugby World Cup 2011. You can somewhat alleviate the problem by using the new Team Editor to edit stats and names, but you're still going to have players that don't look like their real-life counterparts, and the commentators won't react any differently.
Talking about the commentary, the offering in RWC 2011 is certainly an improvement over the old. Not by a hang of a lot, mind you, but with a selection of commentary teams, including UK's Stuart Barnes and Miles Harrison and ANZ pairing of Greg Clark and Sean Fitzpatrick, HB Studios has helped ease the pain of listening to the same two blokes for hours on end - a problem which affects every sports game out there. There are still incorrect calls and the combination of Greg Clark and Sean Fitzpatrick can become rather dreary at times, but it's at least a step in the right direction.
Gameplay wise, there are a few tweaks and features added here and there, but the majority of it can be traced back to Rugby 08. Expect the same animations (and the same niggles that come with it), the same "sheep herding" when a player breaks with the ball, the same "random" line outs (i.e. you have no real control over who wins the ball or not) - the list goes on. But it's not all bad news, because carrying over a lot of mechanics from Rugby 08 means that Rugby World Cup 2011 also has the same entertaining, arcade gameplay.
Regardless of HB Studios' intentions, RWC 2011 still has an arcade feel to it, but a few additions and tweaks do help deliver a more natural flow to the game. These include the ability to chip-kick, side-steppings and hand-offs, a re-worked rucking mechanic - basically a mini-game where you hit 'A' to bind players and try win possession without giving away a penalty for being too aggressive - along with quick ball from a player on the ground and the return of set-plays such as Dummy Switch, Miss (skip a player) and Pocket (for drop kicks), as well as offensive/defensive tactics. The difficulty levels also feel more balanced, with Easy giving newcomers a chance to jump in and score a few tries, while Medium and Hard both offer up a good challenge.
Of course, the AI can only offer up so much resistance (without resorting to some dubious tactics), and that's when the multiplayer mode comes into play. Gamers can jump into either a local multiplayer match with up to 4-players, or 1v1 over Xbox LIVE, and while the multiplayer mode is very barebone and could do with some streamlining, it does add some much need longevity to proceedings
