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Favourite 5 & Least Favourite 5 Features of our Games

-like-
*good fluid passing and rugby play
*a good amount of licenses
*fun goalkicking
*tournaments (world league is kind of like a manager mode but doesn`t make sense)
* good crowd sounds make for excitement in matches
-dislike-
*no manager mode
*limited editing mode (and when you do make a player they all look the same)
*most players have the same face
*world league gets extremely easy after the first season
*no referee model or tmo
 
Favs From 08

World League
All Blacks haka - should include the other new haka and other national countrys.
Crowd cheering - eg unique to each team, like England and All Blacks
Challenge mode - unlocks should be better ones like stadiums or legend players
Commentry - need more variety though
Set plays off and def need more though
Star players impact
Chemistry
Detail to players well known teams, but not all players are detailed.
Trophy mode and reccords - waste of time having both club, pro, and elite trophy because you'll have to play the tournaments three times

Negatives

The break down and ruck, too random
Elite mode not hard enough
background music
Only allowd five impact players on field at a time
Not enough tournaments
leave out the drills and practice mode. too easy.

Thanks
 
* B&I Lions and Barbarians options
* World League Option
* Big Hits!!!


Least Favourite
* Predictable off the ball running
* Lack of ruck/scrum/Maul options - including deliberate foul play (coming in from the side/not driving straight etc.)
* Too many generic animations (faces, shapes etc)
* Need more stats and options - its what makes a good simulation!
 
Favourite:

-Goal Kicking in 08 (esp specially motion captured kicking motions like carter, henson etc)
-Scrums in 04 (scrums since have been either random or simply won by the team putting in)
-Line Out in 05 and 06 (08 too easy to win)
-Loads of accurately modeled stadiums (Much better if all types of weather and time of game were availible for every one. and VERY good if they can change from day to night. even if it just switches at half time. would be really good and mirror the Northern hemisphere autumn tests.)
-Accurate crowd chants (like all blacks, aussie aussie aussie etc). simple things like that add to the realism.

Least Favourite:

-AI. Attack is predictable and easy to stop. defence is east to beat. also run around after ball not preventing passes to supporting runners. AI defence in 05 was a little better, but still too easy.
-Stats are off for players and teams. And there is no way to alter stats.
-Scrums in 08 you'd win if it was your put in. In 05 and 06 it seemed completely random who won and what happened.
-Turnover at rucks happens every time if you are isolated. regardless of who arrived first.
-Crowd are all grey, maybe make it so the crod mirror the colours of the home team? Wallabies games would look and feel so much better and realistic if the crowd looked like a sea of yellow and gold. pro evo had the crowd coloured for fans and it makes SUCH a difference to the feel of the games. =)
 
Favourites:
- Massive tackles!
- Lions Tour
- World League (however a more realistic manager mode would be better)
- Wide Selection of set plays in early editions of rugby games.

Least Favorites:
- Not enough competitions. (English Championship, Top 14, Magners League surely can't be too much to ask?)
- Too easy, just started playing rugby 08 for the first time in 3 years, put it on elite and still won every game comfortably with a weakened young England side.
- Minor things that just got annoying like getting tackled when you're putting the ball down for a try, limited commentary and random turnovers when there are loads of your forwards around the ball.
- Poor graphics.
 
Top 5:
World League in principle was a fantastic idea. Great to play Super 15 teams against Magners League teams for example.

Inclusion of many lower-tier nations' international teams.

The sidestep, fend and shoulder barge animations. Much better than the early Rugby League games, for example, where people would just sidestep and slide through the line jerkily.

The addition of the offload, and the set plays.

The ability to play multiple players on the same team makes for a great time!

Bottom 5:

Time and time again it's come up: lack of consistent and well-researched stats. I know this is tricky to get right, but some of the players just smack of no effort. Lachlan Turner was a new addition to Rugby 08 with a speed in the 40s!!! All of his stats just didn't seem to be updated. This also includes the special stats like tackle breaker etc. (e.g. Ryan Kankowski's only special skill is tactical kicking!), and the preferred positions (again, Kankowski is Flanker, Number Eight or Fly Half!). This is frustrating when you try and move backs around in the backline and a fullback can't play on the wing or centre for example. Not to mention the lack of licences for some players (eg. French players, Yannick Jauzion/Jezebel!)

Can't add created players into the World League/Career Mode in Rugby 08.

Predictable AI meant that you didn't really have to play proper rugby and could just exploit the same gaps/deficiencies every time.

A general half-heartedness in the stats, teams and leagues. Lack of inclusion of many provincial competitions (only included some Top 14 teams, some Magners League teams, no Currie Cup or NPC. If these were really polished the game really could be absolutely fantastic!

Gameplay/Controls: No easy way to chip and chase, long kicking animation takes too long so you often get tackled and drop the ball; some set plays are useless because the animation takes so long the AI defenders arrive and tackle the 5/8; scrums and lineouts jerky/predictable and seemingly random turnovers at rucks.

I may sound harsh with my criticisms, but don't get me wrong. I LOVED these games. I have probably played over 20,000 hours of rugby 08 over the last 4 years. These tweaks and additions could turn an enjoyable experience into a phenomenal one, with great lastability and gameplay.
 
me and my housemate still give Rugby08 a bash on the PS2 and PC our most frequently favorite and facepalm parts of the game are as follow
Favorites:
1)Depth in team and rosters
2)the d-pad strategy menu
3)Set plays, offloads (not the arcadey style)
4)the tackling mechanics
5)Line-outs

Facepalms
1)The super human ability of Wilkinson, O'Gara and Carter to kick the whole field under duress
2)the exaggerated bouncing ball mechanics.
3)when approaching the try line and pressing the dive button (on ps2) which is also the grubber kick button also and then kicking it out of touch..or conversely when in the in goal area and pressing the "dive" button and subsequently diving out of touch (which actually isnt a bad thing as it brings many lols)
4)the sidestepping needs to be reworked and needs to be more instantaneous
5)a very limited in-game editing.



PS: Also amazed by peoples counting abilities or lack thereof.
 
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Favourite things:

1) British Lions tour
2) NZ haka
3) Rugby 04 stadiums were awesome
4) The variety of competitions form rugby 08
5) The authencity of the rugby world cup in 08 (celebrations and sponsors)

Least favoourite:

1) Lack of player faces (too many generic faces)
2) The NZ players only having black boots and not white or other colours.
3) AI was too weak in rugby 08 (on the hardest level i beat England 65-10 in the final of RWC with Samoa).
4) Lack of stadiums
5) Not having French top 14 comp.

But knowing that the allblacks license has gone to the other game what are HB gonna do, because the game is going to be crap without the proper licenses of the Southern hemisphere teams.
 
5 Favourite:

- Goal Kicking (although some of the worse kickers were impossible to kick with - if you're a goalkicker you can kick reasonably well, no one is that rubbish if it is their job).
- World League
- Lions Tour

5 Least Favourite:

- Changing direction so quickly, you could run in circles ridiculously, and every player followed the ball
- The Sidestep, you slowed down as you did it
- Being tackled as you dived and often dropping the ball over the line because of it
- No idea how the scrum worked, seemed like complete luck to me
- No referee
 
Liked

Create-a-player (needs an overhaul, but love this feature - how about a create a team/uniform option?
Goal kicking & drop kicks.
Stadiums & weather.
Co-op play.
Very easy and fun to play.

Disliked

Rucks and mauls are terrible (need more of a contest/interaction).
Physics (We need the Euphoria physics engine...PLEASE).
Pre-animated cutscenes.
Better/more fouls (stamping, punching, holding) instead of just the Hulkamania clothesline.
Star Players - too much of an advantage.
Players darting around after the ball like a flock of sheep.


Other things I would mention; I like having an on-field official. Instant replays (option to save?). Unique stadiums (crowd chants, instruments, Haka etc). A huge database of names for create-a-player.

Thanks for giving me a voice, I can't wait to see what you guys have in store.
 
Purely on gameplay in 08:
Positives
Good Camera angles
Goal Kicking

Negatives
Cannot keep the ball for a decent amount of time e.g. make a clean break and you lose it
Lineouts are too easy to win when its not your throw
Not enough forwards moves at the set piece e.g. only 3 lineout options anywhere on the pitch, and none on the scrums
Nowhere near hard enough far too easy
Only the scrum half that can play the ball at the back of rucks
Graphics are poor (look at Madden 11)
Not enough variety when kicking
You cant play players out of position without them becoming useless
Everybody looks the same (build)
Could do with some fatigue
No TMO

Also I really want some sort of squad update feature and a Manager Mode like fifas
Just some Ideas Good Luck with rugby 12 :)
 
I am new to Rugby in general, I live in Texas and seem to be the only person that watches Rugby. I would appreciate a rugby school type of mode where people can learn a bit of the game of rugby, how its played, general strategy etc... that way when someone tries to pick up and play they know what they're doing
 
It must be slightly mental being a rugby fan in Texas. If you're also an atheist, I truly feel for you.

They put some basic training stuff in early versions, I imagine they'll do the same; but it'll be mostly to learn the game controls, rather than to initiate the player into basic rugby strategy, which can be fairly swiftly learnt elsewhere. The target audience for a rugby game is likely to be almost entirely those who are familiar with it. I don't know anything about the technical aspects of (American) football, but maybe there is some crossover there somewhere, as I can still fumble my way through a game of madden and enjoy it: albeit by launching field length hail mary hollywood passes on every down until one sticks...
 
ddahahahahahaha you must be the only normal person in texas if you like rugby haha nice one mate
 
Fav

*goal kicking
*amount of teams
*the lions tour
*depth of player lists

Negs

*ratings not accurate e.g.Jamie noon had a tackle rating in the 70s where Wilkinson was high 90s
*poor commentary linking
*limited directional movement
*players fatigue to easily
*hardest mode to easy with good teams but lose to much ruck ball with poor teams

Glad to see another game on the way,hope it is 4 player locally!
 
Going by rugby 04 (yes people still play that lol)

Fav
*Many Team Licences
*Actually having a rugby game to play
*Many competitions
*Playability/ease of use

Least fav
* graphics (although this game is almost 7 years old, so it is expected)
*passing system that sometimes single passes sometimes double(frustrating)
*
 
just wondering is this game ever going to be made? no announcments or anything? ive still got hope though!!
 
We definatly know there will be grass in the game. We have seen the grass it is glorious. Can you imagine how bad it would be without grass.
 
Well the release date is and has always been Q3. Summer 2011 release date is probably confusing for you goes the other side of the pond, only just turned spring for us :)
 
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