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kaftka
Guest
Damn, I bought that magazine for 10 bucks, when all I had to do was look at it on the net.
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esoj
Guest
lol. Kafka bought the mag just for that review of rl 2
. seems like a fairly decent review only concern is that they mentioned several times the controls take sometime getting used to. hopefully it only takes a few games to get most of the moves down although on the other hand a learning curve isn't too bad ala pes 5.
K
kaftka
Guest
Damn straight. I flipped through it, saw that it got a whopping 9/10, bought it, took it home, read it, and then came on here to tell you guys all about it in 3 words or less....Originally posted by esoj@Oct 31 2005, 06:39 PM
lol. Kafka bought the mag just for that review of rl 2.
What a kick in the nuts....The only other worthwhile thing in that mag was the bit aout True Crime NY that looked pretty cool...
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esoj
Guest
yeah it was a good review and to get a 9 is pretty good. it is sounding like the franchise mode and new controls are living up to the hype .
C
C A Iversen
Guest
Chris Stead, GamePro Australia
31/10/2005 13:53:32
Well punch us in the head when we're not looking if this hasn't been the best damn Rugby League season in donkey's years. The big guns have floundered, the outsiders have fired and the competition table is so close you couldn't slide a fart between the premiership contenders. And if you too have been swept up in the razzle dazzle of season 2005 then you might want to start saving, as Rugby League 2 is just as impressive.
It has been two years since the original Rugby League stormed onto the gaming scene and developers Sidhe have been thinking hard about ways of improving their ***le: that effort is clearly evident throughout the game. First and foremost, it's in the expansion in game modes. Adding to Single Game (at club, regional, state and international levels for UK and Australian comps) and Competition modes is a great multi-user competition (where up to 15 players can choose a team each), Online and an epic Franchise mode.
It's this last mode which is easily the most exciting component. Spanning ten seasons, the Franchise mode allows you to take control of a club in the position of coach/manager, getting your hands into every component of the game. Rather than just a 'nice feature', it's wonderfully in-depth and you will be acutely involved with everything from trading and buying players, determining training schedules, managing injuries and suspensions, squad selections, securing sponsorships, accepting emails from fans and fiddling with finances. Further to this, you can create your own players, determining everything from visual appearance, to attributes and favoured foot. Unless you get sacked for being lame, this makes for a very cool and long gaming experience.
On the paddock, RL2 is as delightful as a Joey Johns long ball and as innovative as a Benji Marshall side-step! Growing wonderfully upon the winning template of the original, Rugby League 2 re-jigs the control scheme to allow for far greater depth to the gameplay. You can now deliver cut-out passes up to four people wide, drop the shoulder when running with the ball, strip in one-on-one tackles, hold the player down to give your line time to reset, run from dummy-half, perform two-man tackles, contest the high ball, ankle-tap, dummy, side-step and toe the ball forward! You can even pass directly to a playmaker (when in attack) or switch directly to the fullback (in defence) to best apply fifth tackle options and counter line-breaks respectively.
It's all very well thought-out and you will be surprised by how realistic it can feel. You can drift across field and throw inside-balls or cut-out passes that put players into gaps, you can exploit slow defenders who don't get back to their defensive line and you can throw dummies and fend off players or grubber through the line and toe the ball forward. The AI is quite smart too and it won't back away when defending on its line nor prove a liability in gameplay. And with the same innovative slow-mo camera from the first game in tact (it stops play while you aim kicks or possession changes hands) you never loose sense of where the action is heading.
However, you may loose sense of your controls. With so many gameplay mechanics on offer, mastering the vast array of control types (attack, defence and loose-ball) and combinations (many of the moves require duel-button pressing) is no mean feat. There is no Training Mode either and coming to grips with all your options in the heat of gameplay can not only seem overwhelming, but acts to unbalance the gameplay during the relatively intense learning curve, something which may dissuade casual gamers. However, a bit of perseverance and you will be enjoying the game with much more satisfaction than its predecessor. And thankfully, a multitude of game options covering aesthetic (time of day, weather, game length, video ref, injuries etc.), rule (extra time, offloads, knock-ons, 40/20 etc.) and even scalable attributes (ball-handling, pass accuracy, aggression etc.) help you bend the experience to your arcade or sim desires.
Then there is the presentation. Rugby League 2 looks pretty awesome and far better than its predecessor. You will recognise all your favourite players and see plenty of great, authentic animations like wrestling tackles, kicks for goal, diving tries, big dummies and crashing shoulder-charges. The stadiums also look impressive, especially the grass that looks alive and fresh. Interestingly, you'll come across in-game cut-scenes - like a captain berating a player for dropping the ball or an argument between two hulking front rowers - which is cool at first, but isn't of the highest quality and may be worth switching off. As for the SFX, they are solid and are strengthened by Andrew Voss's credible voice-over.
However, the biggest thing in Rugby League 2's favour is developer Sidhe Interactive itself. They clearly love the game and many of the features, gameplay mechanics and options on offer are far from generic and wonderfully tapered to best excite the sport's faithful. As such, if you are a fan of Rugby League (yes, even if you like the Roosters), then you'll really enjoy this well made and impressive local product.
Verdict
A forward-thinking and enjoyable step forward for the series that will be deservedly loved by the sport's faithful.
Pros: Franchise Mode, new gameplay moves, online.
Cons: Complicated controls, steep but short learning curve.
Score = 9.0/10
Am I the only one a little concerned by that first paragraph, where the reviewer is talking as though he wrote that either last week of August or first week of September?
And how Rugby League 1 STORMED onto the scene two years ago? It was adaquate in hindsight, and as a reviewer of the current game, he should know that. Seems a little in their pocket, and a little too full of praise. Especially if you visited Sidhe's site recently to see them trumpeting that review all over the main league page. I hope I'm just being cynical.
Or maybe just wary. Could you blame me?
Still, must be quite some improvement.
31/10/2005 13:53:32
Well punch us in the head when we're not looking if this hasn't been the best damn Rugby League season in donkey's years. The big guns have floundered, the outsiders have fired and the competition table is so close you couldn't slide a fart between the premiership contenders. And if you too have been swept up in the razzle dazzle of season 2005 then you might want to start saving, as Rugby League 2 is just as impressive.
It has been two years since the original Rugby League stormed onto the gaming scene and developers Sidhe have been thinking hard about ways of improving their ***le: that effort is clearly evident throughout the game. First and foremost, it's in the expansion in game modes. Adding to Single Game (at club, regional, state and international levels for UK and Australian comps) and Competition modes is a great multi-user competition (where up to 15 players can choose a team each), Online and an epic Franchise mode.
It's this last mode which is easily the most exciting component. Spanning ten seasons, the Franchise mode allows you to take control of a club in the position of coach/manager, getting your hands into every component of the game. Rather than just a 'nice feature', it's wonderfully in-depth and you will be acutely involved with everything from trading and buying players, determining training schedules, managing injuries and suspensions, squad selections, securing sponsorships, accepting emails from fans and fiddling with finances. Further to this, you can create your own players, determining everything from visual appearance, to attributes and favoured foot. Unless you get sacked for being lame, this makes for a very cool and long gaming experience.
On the paddock, RL2 is as delightful as a Joey Johns long ball and as innovative as a Benji Marshall side-step! Growing wonderfully upon the winning template of the original, Rugby League 2 re-jigs the control scheme to allow for far greater depth to the gameplay. You can now deliver cut-out passes up to four people wide, drop the shoulder when running with the ball, strip in one-on-one tackles, hold the player down to give your line time to reset, run from dummy-half, perform two-man tackles, contest the high ball, ankle-tap, dummy, side-step and toe the ball forward! You can even pass directly to a playmaker (when in attack) or switch directly to the fullback (in defence) to best apply fifth tackle options and counter line-breaks respectively.
It's all very well thought-out and you will be surprised by how realistic it can feel. You can drift across field and throw inside-balls or cut-out passes that put players into gaps, you can exploit slow defenders who don't get back to their defensive line and you can throw dummies and fend off players or grubber through the line and toe the ball forward. The AI is quite smart too and it won't back away when defending on its line nor prove a liability in gameplay. And with the same innovative slow-mo camera from the first game in tact (it stops play while you aim kicks or possession changes hands) you never loose sense of where the action is heading.
However, you may loose sense of your controls. With so many gameplay mechanics on offer, mastering the vast array of control types (attack, defence and loose-ball) and combinations (many of the moves require duel-button pressing) is no mean feat. There is no Training Mode either and coming to grips with all your options in the heat of gameplay can not only seem overwhelming, but acts to unbalance the gameplay during the relatively intense learning curve, something which may dissuade casual gamers. However, a bit of perseverance and you will be enjoying the game with much more satisfaction than its predecessor. And thankfully, a multitude of game options covering aesthetic (time of day, weather, game length, video ref, injuries etc.), rule (extra time, offloads, knock-ons, 40/20 etc.) and even scalable attributes (ball-handling, pass accuracy, aggression etc.) help you bend the experience to your arcade or sim desires.
Then there is the presentation. Rugby League 2 looks pretty awesome and far better than its predecessor. You will recognise all your favourite players and see plenty of great, authentic animations like wrestling tackles, kicks for goal, diving tries, big dummies and crashing shoulder-charges. The stadiums also look impressive, especially the grass that looks alive and fresh. Interestingly, you'll come across in-game cut-scenes - like a captain berating a player for dropping the ball or an argument between two hulking front rowers - which is cool at first, but isn't of the highest quality and may be worth switching off. As for the SFX, they are solid and are strengthened by Andrew Voss's credible voice-over.
However, the biggest thing in Rugby League 2's favour is developer Sidhe Interactive itself. They clearly love the game and many of the features, gameplay mechanics and options on offer are far from generic and wonderfully tapered to best excite the sport's faithful. As such, if you are a fan of Rugby League (yes, even if you like the Roosters), then you'll really enjoy this well made and impressive local product.
Verdict
A forward-thinking and enjoyable step forward for the series that will be deservedly loved by the sport's faithful.
Pros: Franchise Mode, new gameplay moves, online.
Cons: Complicated controls, steep but short learning curve.
Score = 9.0/10
Am I the only one a little concerned by that first paragraph, where the reviewer is talking as though he wrote that either last week of August or first week of September?
And how Rugby League 1 STORMED onto the scene two years ago? It was adaquate in hindsight, and as a reviewer of the current game, he should know that. Seems a little in their pocket, and a little too full of praise. Especially if you visited Sidhe's site recently to see them trumpeting that review all over the main league page. I hope I'm just being cynical.
Or maybe just wary. Could you blame me?
Still, must be quite some improvement.
K
kaftka
Guest
Well, I bought that magazine about a month or so ago, and they usually finish the reviews about two weeks before we get them on the shelves, so yes.
C
CeeJay
Guest
This is old news, didnt someone else already scan it and post it ages ago. How do you give a game nine out of ten when it hasnt been finished, must be pretty damn good, either that or theyre full of crap.
C
C A Iversen
Guest
Good call, CeeJay.
Must have missed that scan when it was posted, so sorry to anyone whos seen that before.
D
doovepop
Guest
Woops sorry people forgot that we have already seen it.
Mods can delete the thread if they want.
Mods can delete the thread if they want.
