RWC 2011 Demo - Your thoughts?

[kim-bateman]

oh chur, thanks bro

 

[ds_cru]

Another bug - a 3 on 1 overlap 15m from tryline. I drew the fullback and passed for a walk in try ... but no, as soon as i pressed pass, the 2 players outside me decided to sprint (unbelievably fast) backwards to cover a kick i assume. Ball then picked up by a.i.

 

[fraserdavidson]

Ball thrown back over dead ball line by my player. 22 drop out given to me instead of ai scrum 5.

 

[Duckdee]

Gameplay
Continuity of play from pick-and-gos is good
AI defence is more aggressive near their try line
Rucks are more video game than rugby, but this doesn't bother me, they seemed to be giving the right results
I didn't pull off a quick pick-up, but I like when the AI gets one, keeps you on your toes
Superman tackles are still a bit too effective, wrapping up players where there should've been an ankle tap
Can still get tackled out of a diving animation
Everyone seemed to run at the same speed, I didn't feel any difference in breaking the line with Cole compared to Youngs
I struggled with aiming restarts, I couldn’t fully get over the skewed results of my inputs

Graphics
Hard to comment on player likenesses when 90% of camera shots are of the back of the head, but when I did catch a glimpse, they seemed good
Better hairstyles are needed to really get the looks right
Necks are a bit long on the player models
Crowds are too robotic and synchronised
Those dump tackles really should be penalised

UI
I like the general style
Menu text is a bit small
Disappearing player indicators at the breakdown can make knowing who you've got control of in defence difficult
A wind indicator when selecting how to take a penalty would be helpful
Why doses the team select show International, when International is all we can choose from?

Audio
Commentary seems good, the odd mistake which is to be expected, but I didn’t notice any awkward pauses
I got a little tingle hearing the crowd sing Swing Low, but I'll feel a bit guilty if England are the only team with something like this

 

[daveycrockett]

Having only Rugby 06 to play with on xbox 360, the demo in my humble opinion has really whetted my appetite for the full game. My comments break down as follows;

Likes:
Immersion is excellent, commentary especially is very fluid and believable, very impressed with this as it can't be easy. Rugby Challenge commentary sounds awfully stilted and wooden in comparison to RWC 2011, RC's commentary has no feeling.
The presentation is very smooth and slick.
The speed of the game is excellent.
Love the new rucking system and options for how to ruck; have found this definitely has an impact on the possession. I tended to opt for 'nearest man' which means backs will be going into rucks to secure ball, leaving the likes of Crofty or Easter on the wing. Liked this option alot.
Chip kick is great.
AI give away penalties and infringe - brilliant!
New x button to pinch ball from isolated player is excellent! Have to be super quick though
New guard feature for defence at rucks is great, really helps line up a smash tackle on opposition runners.
Tackle animations are sweet as; love the ball carriers 'legs-still-peddling' while he's in mid-air. Class.
Lineouts and scrums are both good.Above all, the gameplay is sweet - can't wait for harder AI and online opponents.

Dislikes/suggestions;
Models of players look unrealistic
Overall the gameplay graphics look too bright/cartoon/unrendered/lack of shading/lack of details
Players faces look a bot like beavis and butthead; some look good like Courtney Lawes and Dan Cole but others look really questionable i.e. Poor Toby Flood!
Skin tones need tweaking/blending.
Hair needs work to look realistic
Gaps in defence are too easily exploited, but hopefully harder skill levels will reduce these.
Bunching, bunching, bunching!
Forwards can acclerate and runs has fast as forwards in a lot of cases
Accleration of players should be included rather than two-speed jog and sprint.
Ability to disrupt tries/TV match offical?

I think the wait and anticipation for this game has over-egged a lot of people's expectations. Having only had Rugby 06 to use I am really excited about this game and am overall very happy. I love how playable it is. I am trying to work from home but can't stop playing the demo!!!
I think a lot of people who don't normally engage with rugby games may find they are able to with this edition (my dad for example!)Good work HB, you have my support for this and future ***les/improvements.Best of luck for the manufacturing, distribution and release!

 

[SebMcCue]

Also just noticed that the half ended on 40:00, without play ending, something you may want to look into, happened twice now.

 

[MichaelBoard]

All too similar to Rugby 08 in my opinion, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm just glad to be able to play a rugby game on a next-gen console so this game is greatly appreciated. The fact that I will be able to play online adds a whole new dimension to it anyway so so far so good and I can't wait for its release.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

It's now listed on the Playstation Blog as coming for PS3 users. Should be about 2-4 hours from now.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/08/03/heads-up-game-store-update-3rd-august-2011/#more-44486

 

[Lochsta22]

The demo isn't available in South Africa yet it features the Springboks?

 

[HB_AJ]

A few gameplay pros and cons and suggestions for next time (a bit early yet for suggestions but oh well):

I'd like to start off by thanking Ali-G and the rest of the HB side for giving us another installment of the franchise. I know Mario and Milla have been eager to claim underdog status, but with a much more modest budget its commendable that HB have been able to compete blow for blow like they are.

Great feedback ranger - thanks for taking the time to dig into the demo and for posting your thoughts.

Thanks to everyone else for the feedback as well.

 

[Rhyer]

This is bullshit.

[h=3]Demos (PS3)[/h]

• Rugby World Cup 2011

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates




​Classic HB, you guys are a joke.

 

[marwyk]

I own every Union Rugby ***le that came out since Jonah Lomu Rugby for the 1995 world cup. I'm not a league fan. And I must say playing one on the 360 feels great. I am loving the demo. So what if people think it's the same as 08 and there is still bunching and other bugs. At least now we have a rugby game with updated team and player stats. Updated players in the teams. If they can put out a new Rugby game each year to improve on the previous games that will be good. They will never be able to please everyone that plays the game. There is not a game out that does not get criticized by someone. It's about freaking time we get a rugby game on the newer gen consoles. And now we are even treated to 2 games in the same year. It can only get better from here.

Thank You HB for giving us this demo before release and thank you for even putting in the effort to make a rugby game instead of making a brand new football/soccer/cricket/tennis/basketball game. If you guys didn't make these where would we be.

 

[liamashley]

me too mate. Im thinking Road Trip and we'll meet em there

 

[liamashley]

me too mate. Im thinking road trip and we'll meet em there

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

This is bullshit.

[h=3]Demos (PS3)[/h]

• Rugby World Cup 2011

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates




​Classic HB, you guys are a joke.

1. This is more than likely a distribution problem that was beyond their control.
2. You don't appear to like their game anyhow, so I'm not sure why it matters to you.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ball thrown back over dead ball line by my player. 22 drop out given to me instead of ai scrum 5.

We brought this up on the playtest evening, hopefully it's been changed for the full game, I can't imagine it's that hard to do

This is bullshit.

[h=3]Demos (PS3)[/h]

• Rugby World Cup 2011

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates




​Classic HB, you guys are a joke.

Surely this is Sony not HB
Why would HB request it not to be released in a country with such a big following of Rugby?

 

[blackbird762p]

You have said it.I agree 100%.That should be the bottom line to this discussion.It sums it up nicely.

 

[doogiedog1234]

3 years ago i bought a PS3 over an xbox because i assumed EA sports would release another ***le on the playstation.. although EA are not the developers and its coming out on both consoles i have been waiting 3 years for this day. Can not wait to play it

 

[lionmaull]

Question for AJ OR GLENN

What is the advantage with going with forward, or first to ball tactic in the rucks, over balanced?
Wouldn't balance ruck pick the best option? Would seem pointless then?
What does balance mean? Will "balanced ruck" put the first to ball and then a forward in no matter how far he is from ruck and first to ball will put first to ruck and then 2nd closest to ruck no matter if it is a wing or back and foward ruck just put forwards?
Really enjoying demo by the way, do you have a release date for the US, I am doing my part here in the states, letting everyone know about the game particularly the guys at our local game stops, they have no idea it is comming out, it is a good game for them to play as they wait for there madden I have played rugby 08, and rl3 4 times as much as any other game Really got some true enjoyment out of the games, and yea in 4 years you can find exploits in any game, that is why it is good to release one every 18 months That is about the time people have to master them
Cheers and Salud
PS: AJ have you given some thought to the "pile in, hold up, and balance tactic additional rucking tactic " I believe Raziel brought up?

 

[The Cam]

Good on you Rhyer! Its a free world, I am also ****** about it not being released in South Africa, HB are losing a lot of loyal rugby gaming followers!