(Editor's Note: The game is known as Super League Rugby League in the UK, and Stacy Jones Rugby League in New Zealand)
It's My Game
The sport of Rugby League is a relatively simple game, and Rugby League does a great job of reflecting this through an intuitive control system. Passing is controlled via the triggers, while the face buttons are responsible for various moves and kicks. The kicking system during the on-field play appears to have taken a few notes from Rugby 2004, though play will slow down momentarily to allow players to have a chance to place their kick. Unfortunately, the system for attempts on goal and place kicks is rather dated and clunky, something we hope will be fixed for the next game. The fluidity of play in Rugby League is one of its best assets, but you may find that there are occasions where a pass will go to a person who stands still momentarily before moving, and this can be a real pain, especially if he knocks on or loses possession when tackled.
AI is a big part of any sports game, and is the difference between a good game and a great game. Rugby League is Sidhe Interactive's first shot with the sport, and they've done a respectable job of providing challenging AI, but there is a long way to go before things are perfect. Rugby League provides four different difficulty levels - Schoolboy, Reserve, Seasoned and Legend - the first two are a cakewalk, Seasoned only provides a challenge for the first few games until you discover the gaps in the AI, leaving only Legend to provide any sort of challenge and excitement in the single player game.
There are a few play modes for the single player game. Since this is the first Rugby League game Sidhe has released, the level of options present in other sports games is missing. This doesn't have any effect on the gameplay - just the overall experience and longevity of the title. The meat of the single player experience is in the competition mode, which allows you to play either the NRL competition or the Tetley's Super League competition. You can also design your own custom competitions and tournaments, allowing you to play for a variety of different trophies, including the State of Origin and the City/Country shields. The game keeps track of a large number of statistics throughout the season and provides the player with a nice schedule. However, the competitions lack a few things, namely a judiciary for player conduct, a few statistical categories, the draft and a franchise mode (letting you manage the team over a number of seasons). We hope that these features will make it into the inevitable update.
Rugby League's lasting factor is heavily influenced by the game's multiplayer, which supports up to 8 players over System Link (only 4 on the PS2 game). The intuitive control method goes a long way in assisting newer players to get a grasp, so just about anyone should be a worthy opponent in the space of a few games. There are some fairly extensive customisation options where you can create players, teams and your own competitions. Custom teams and competitions can be used in multiplayer modes too.
Not a Looker
One of the big problems of being a small developer is obtaining a budget for a game. Certain portions of the game also cost more to develop than others, especially graphics, which is why a lot of the lower budget games produced in Australia and New Zealand look quite rough, and Rugby League is no exception. The main problem with Rugby League is a lack of detail on the players, especially facial detail, and rather odd and floaty animations. We understand that Sidhe wouldn't have a budget of an EA team, and that this is their first effort, but that's no reason to go easier on them. Another aspect that needs attention is the overall presentation of matches. The developer looks like they've gone and tried to capture a TV style presentation, but they've only really gone part of the way. More on screen displays and possibly some sponsorship from NRL broadcasters could go a long way. Apart from these problems, Rugby League is a decent looking game with no framerate or camera problems.
Rugby League's commentary is provided by long time Channel 9 commentator Andrew Voss. Voss' commentary is quite good in some aspects, but rather questionable in others. Voss does a pretty good job of calling the game, but his colour commentary is severely lacking. Bringing other Channel 9 personalities into the piece could make for better commentary - Ray Warren and Paul Vautin did ARL '96, so maybe they will be willing. Sound effects and music throughout the game are rather generic, but they get the job done.
Simply the Best
Sidhe Interactive has proved with Rugby League that you can make a decent local sports game on a small budget with a small development team. Success is inevitable for HES Entertainment and Sidhe Interactive - Rugby League has sold out across Australia (except in Victoria). This success provides Sidhe Interactive with the opportunity to fix up the mistakes in Rugby League and add some much needed features to the game, such as the much lauded franchise mode, better on-screen presentation, improved graphics and better commentary. Rugby League is much better than your average local sports game, and is worth a look for all fans of the sport.
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