• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

HB has let TRF down

it's a very, very weak point.
Agreed. But without much else to go on due to limited info from both companies we're left with little else than speculation.

Why would a Detroit or Cape Town developer be any good at making a New York Simulator?
Detroit and Cape Town would be good at making a hijacking simulator, given their particularly high rates of that crime.

Anyone else have any gut instincts as to which game has the edge?
 
Agreed. But without much else to go on due to limited info from both companies we're left with little else than speculation.


Detroit and Cape Town would be good at making a hijacking simulator, given their particularly high rates of that crime.

Anyone else have any gut instincts as to which game has the edge?

What a pile of drivel, HB know what they are doing. You might fail to know they actually did the last ***les for EA. Thinking they don't know how to produce a rugby sim is insulting to them.
 
Last edited:
I attached the text below in it's entirety so that people can put it in context and see that, clearly, where these developers are located was a minor point. (I apologize that doing this makes it such a lengthy post but now people won't have to click on that link.)

---

Since 2007 there has not been a rugby (union) video game released. This year we get two and they’ll be released within a few months of each other. Which one will earn its place in the hearts of rugby gamers worldwide? Let’s take a look.

Rugby 2012
* Developer: HB Studios (Nova Scotia, Canada)
* Announced: March 2010
* Release date: Summer 2011
* Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
* Experience: Developed EA line of Rugby games (EA will not be involved in Rugby 2012).

Rugby Challenge
* Developer: Sidhe (Wellington, New Zealand)
* Announced: November 2010
* Release date: Fall 2011
* Platforms: Console, PC (Further details not released)
* Experience: Developed Rugby League franchise.

Very little info has been released on either game, so it’s hard to make a call as to which one will be the preferred one. But if I had to make a pick based on what I know today, I’d go with Rugby Challenge. Here’s why:

1. HB announced Rugby 2012 first (March, 2010). From the beginning they made it clear that they did not yet have a publisher; they were taking this development upon themselves and had a very small budget for the endeavor. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I’m willing to bet that they saw a Rugby World Cup year as an easy way to make a few bucks by cranking out Rugby 08 with an updated roster and HD graphics but no other major changes (read: not a major upgrade from Rugby 08). This wouldn’t be a problem if they were the only rugby game on the market, but…

2. Enter Rugby Challenge. Sidhe was fully aware of Rugby 2012 and its summer release date when they announced their plans for Rugby Challenge to be released only a few months after it. This says a lot about their confidence in their game to go head-to-head with Rugby 2012. Oh yeah, and Rugby Challenge also has exclusive rights to the All Blacks and Wallabies.

3. Even if HB weren’t planning a “re-packaging†of Rugby 08, they will still be constantly facing the temptation of re-using Rugby 08 content, especially when these budget constraints come into play. Sidhe doesn’t have this temptation: they can’t reuse their content because rugby league is just different enough to require new material. They’re going to have to build a lot of it from the ground up. Sidhe is poised to innovate. They can incorporate their own fresh ideas with some of the best features of the EA Rugby series. Expect Rugby Challenge to be different in a good way.

Bonus point: Consider the developers for both companies â€" the actual people developing the concepts and code for the game. How many of HB’s (Canada) people do you think grew up playing rugby? Compare that to the number of Sidhe developers who probably grew up playing in New Zealand. The New Zealanders at Sidhe are making a game that they “get.†They know what it’s supposed to look and feel like. Sure, HB is probably quite familiar with rugby, but not to the extent that New Zealanders are. I’m not saying this is a make-or-break factor, but it’s another point to Sidhe.

Does Rugby 2012 stand a chance?
Of course. HB’s biggest advantage is their head start. If they can get it to market first, they might be able to establish themselves. Look for Sidhe to counter this with some pre-release hype to try and get people to hold off on getting Rugby 2012 until Rugby Challenge comes out. (And if you think HB’s biggest advantage is the Rugby franchise name, think again. It’s been four years since the last Rugby ***le and the EA name won’t be on it.)

In the end…
This is all speculation. Both companies are being very tight-lipped about their developments so only time will tell which game really rises to the top. My real hope is that this competition pushes them both to create the best rugby game possible because, in the end, I’m probably going to buy both.
 
Agreed. But without much else to go on due to limited info from both companies we're left with little else than speculation.

I'm not resorting to the insults others here are working on.

Speculating about this now is a bit like speculating whether the Xbox<big> ∞</big> or the PS4 will be the more powerful console. Nobody knows any more then the chest beating coming out from both sets of fanbois.

Sidhe have a few licenses, that we know. They also have promised some form of season mode, most likely a carbon copy of the season system from RL2. On their part however they also have a track record of **** ugly, miserable-playing Mungoball games. No experience to anybodys knowledge of rugby games. They're firing blind and are more a dark horse then in pole position. If they deliver, I'd consider that more a bonus then whet I'm honestly expecting after playing their previous ***les (no offence intended if you read this Mario!)

HB on the other hand are playing their cards very close to their chests. Have they got licences? They're so far not telling us. Is there a manager mode? Not as such it seems. However they have told us they're promoting the online element and they have a track record of producing the best rugby games along with numerous other huge ***les. If I were a betting man, I'd say that HBs ***le will be the higher quality product if you compare HB's and Sidhes direct head to head comparisons down the years.

Also, asking that on TRF - When the vast majority of members are huge HB Studios fans - which game they're likely to want to be good is a daft question. Especially in the forum dedicated to Rugby 2012.

Go onto Sidhes board and the likely answer will be reversed. That or some narcissistic kiwis will be the typical arseholes that board normally produces and spout some ******** about TRF, NH rugby and anything else which they feel can be both uncomplimentary and self-congratulatory as they can.
 
First of all, thank you for the refreshingly thoughtful response. You make some very valid points.

My thinking was, at the rate we're getting information, it's going to be quite a while before we can do more than speculate. (I understand the legal ramifications these companies face in publicizing information and I'm not complaining, just stating the reality of it.) I suspect both companies will trickle out a few more licensing announcements, some screenshots, some video, up until the release. So while my post may be premature, it's going to be a while before we have much more to go on than we already have now. Nonetheless, I agree that there's no way to really know which one will rank better until we actually have the games in our hands.

I myself haven't played Sidhe's Rugby League games so I wasn't aware of how poorly their previous attempts at a rugby game played. I just watched a YouTube clip of Rugby League 2 and, based on what I saw, Rugby 08 is definitely the better of the two. I'm still not sold that this definitely means the next releases will follow suit, but you open up a very valid argument.

Thanks again for the info, I am going to dig a little deeper on HB's and Sidhe's past performances and let you know what I find.
 
No, but a bit more balance wouldn't go amiss either. For instance, are the vast majority of people on here really "huge HB Studios" fans, or are they just here because they are looking forward to the next rugby video game, irrespective of the developer?
 
We've had a huge community based on the HB series for the past 6-7 years. that says yes, they are fans of the games.

there are two entire forum dedicated to hbs games. the only other series which we gave a forum to has a total of one active thread. people may sign up about the new one now, but the activity we have enjoyed over the past half decade for a years old video game implies that yes, we do have mostly fans of the series.

not to mention the huge modding community.
 
I'm not resorting to the insults others here are working on.

Speculating about this now is a bit like speculating whether the Xbox<big> ∞</big> or the PS4 will be the more powerful console. Nobody knows any more then the chest beating coming out from both sets of fanbois.

Sidhe have a few licenses, that we know. They also have promised some form of season mode, most likely a carbon copy of the season system from RL2. On their part however they also have a track record of **** ugly, miserable-playing Mungoball games. No experience to anybodys knowledge of rugby games. They're firing blind and are more a dark horse then in pole position. If they deliver, I'd consider that more a bonus then whet I'm honestly expecting after playing their previous ***les (no offence intended if you read this Mario!)

HB on the other hand are playing their cards very close to their chests. Have they got licences? They're so far not telling us. Is there a manager mode? Not as such it seems. However they have told us they're promoting the online element and they have a track record of producing the best rugby games along with numerous other huge ***les. If I were a betting man, I'd say that HBs ***le will be the higher quality product if you compare HB's and Sidhes direct head to head comparisons down the years.

Also, asking that on TRF - When the vast majority of members are huge HB Studios fans - which game they're likely to want to be good is a daft question. Especially in the forum dedicated to Rugby 2012.

Go onto Sidhes board and the likely answer will be reversed. That or some narcissistic kiwis will be the typical arseholes that board normally produces and spout some ******** about TRF, NH rugby and anything else which they feel can be both uncomplimentary and self-congratulatory as they can.

Agree with everything above (other than the shots at kiwis).. HB has a good track record it has to be said, their previous rugby ***les were great (for the time). Sidhe has a somewhat patchy record, I played their league games and they were definitely a fair way behind the rugby games. Past performance isn't a direct indicator as to future results, so anything can happen, but with the limited info we have out of each camp in terms of gameplay (which is going to be the deciding factor regardless of manager modes, licenses etc) HB has the better history of producing good gameplay.
 
Just relax. I trust HB to come up with the goods. Plenty of time left in the development cycle.
 
And you expect people here to be anti HB??????

Why does it have to be a case of anti anything. Obviously this forum has a bit of a duty to HB, but could you at least pretend to be balancing things impartially? The way you ruthlessly **** on anything that can be seen as pro-sidhe is embarrassing. Especially from someone in your position.
 
That's funny, as Sidhe are just as welcome on TRF as HB.

It's just Bullitt that doesn't like SIDHE games, not the forum.
 
That's funny, as Sidhe are just as welcome on TRF as HB.

It's just Bullitt that doesn't like SIDHE games, not the forum.

Still the status quo around here in general then, Dan? I've enjoyed a few months of being alive in New Zealand and not hearing about how narcissistic we kiwis are and how awful we are and the whole NH/SH thing. I guess my reasons for sporadic involvement still reign supreme, lol? :lol:
 
That's funny, as Sidhe are just as welcome on TRF as HB.

It's just Bullitt that doesn't like SIDHE games, not the forum.

Im sorry that i didn't make it clear, i didn't mean the forum as a whole i was referring to Bullitt directly.
 
Which is fair enough - he makes little secret of it!

Personally, I loved Rugby League and Rugby League 3.
 
Which is fair enough - he makes little secret of it!

Personally, I loved Rugby League and Rugby League 3.

The first one was a good starting platform, the second was a huge let down, the third (by all accounts) is 3/4 of the way in the right direction.

On another note, Alistair and Mario have apparently chatted and show no real animosity at all, so why is their so much ill-feeling in either direction on this forum? Both teams are trying their best to produce great rugby games and we should be thanking then both for doing so. :)
 
The first one was a good starting platform, the second was a huge let down, the third (by all accounts) is 3/4 of the way in the right direction.

On another note, Alistair and Mario have apparently chatted and show no real animosity at all, so why is their so much ill-feeling in either direction on this forum? Both teams are trying their best to produce great rugby games and we should be thanking then both for doing so. :)

Thats my point of view exactly. Im willing to look at both sides objectively, and lets be honest, im going to buy both games regardless. Im stoked that there are two options and they are both trying their best, thats why it grates on me when Bullit is so openly rude to one side. For someone of his stature here to be acting like that, it just doesn't seem right. Especially given that Mario is an active member of the forum..

But then again on further thought i guess thems the breaks when you have mods openly sharing opinions on a forum.. Ah well.
 
There is 2 games? Sorry i am too lazy to read this whole thread, can someone explain?
 
Top