Rugby 06 is the latest addition to a series of solid sports sims. Past titles have lacked the depth and realism of other titles in the EA range, but it seems that the Rugby games are slowly catching up. It was a matter of balancing Rugby’s complex rules, with a good simulation and some solid gameplay. Ever since the first major game was released in 2002, there really haven’t been any major overhauls of what is a solid game engine. The main changes were more like additions to the system that have tried to make the game more realistic, yet giving the game a good flow and not getting overly complex. For those who can remember back to Jonah Lomu Rugby, that’s a very good thing.
There'll be plenty more where that one came from
Rugby 06 keeps up the trend. The game played very similarly to Rugby 2005. However, there have been a couple of additions to the gameplay and this year’s addition seems to have the best lineup of match modes. You’ll have the ability to play through the World Cup, Tri Nations, 6 Nations, Super 14 and other domestic and fictitious fixtures. However, apart from the quick match mode and a very basic tutorial, that’s all there is to the game. There are no extravagancies, no online and the tutorial looked like it needed some beefing up (Rugby is a complex game after all).
There were a few additions to the gameplay and a couple of these that are particularly notable. The off-load passes came in particular use if there was a player close by. If there was a chance for an offload pass, an icon would appear above a player’s head. By pressing the correct button in time, you could offload and continue running the ball. You now have the option of being able to utilise quick line-outs and quick penalties. These additions are good from the perspective that they improve the flow of the game.
Other additions to the game include the option to high tackle players. An odd option but it’s meant to give you the choice of risking a send off for trying to take out a key opposition player. This doesn’t sound so silly when we learn that the game tries to implement star players. It seems that a lot of work has been done to recreate some of the unique and game-breaking abilities of real-life players. That is, at times in the game, they’ll be able to pull of big clearing kicks or breaking runs. We didn’t get to see this feature in too much detail but it is promising. There are even a greater amount of set plays, which will hopefully allow for more control over various situations.
Besides the gameplay and mode additions and the obvious roster/stats update, the game literally plays very similarly to previous versions. The previous Rugby games were very solid and playable sims but they did have a few flaws that aren’t as prominent in other titles in the EA range. One such flaw is particularly noticeable in the defensive game. It is way too easy to get your players offside and this problem was very simply rectified in Rugby League 2 with some basic AI that automatically brings the player back to the defensive line. Not only that, but the bind button is the same as the “aggressive” button, so we saw a lot of diving tackles that were aimed at no one.
Another issue is that it seems that on higher difficulty levels, it is almost impossible to form a ruck bind quick enough. So you’ll defend for numerous phases and when you finally get the ball, you lose it after one phase. Admittedly, we may have missed something or have been doing something wrong but it was an issue that was quite glaring. Other things that look like they have yet to be fixed are issues like poor ball picks and a randomised choice of player when you change players.
A classic scenario of good vs evil. And it looks like the good are coming out on top.
Presentation-wise, the stadia were looking very good, though they were almost entirely inhabited by animation cardboard cutouts. The commentary was exemplary and it finally felt like the game was being commented by actual people. Sure, Grant Fox does sound a bit like he’s reading but at least the calls were accurate.
Despite the flaws, the last games were very decent and playable titles, especially when you evened the scales in multiplayer. In some places, such as the line-out, Rugby 06 felt superior to its predecessors and the some new additions actually did help in creating a game that had more running involved. It remains to be seen how well some of the other features some off. It may not challenge the likes of Madden but Rugby 06 is likely to satisfy the fans of the sport.
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