RWC 2011 Demo - Your thoughts?

[The big Kangaroo]

I'm enjoying the demo so far but I'm having trouble with the kicking to touch etc. as I prefer the end-to-end view but the camera is set to the side-on view.

Is there any way to change this in the demo?

i looked and i could not find any camera options

 

[Kev85]

Honestly I don't like the demo much at all. Sluggish FPS, average graphics... hectic unrealistic gameplay, poor kicking, exactly the same animations, too bunched. Pass.

I think some folk need to remember this is a demo!!

 

[09cwyles]

Demo Review

Hand on heart this review is completely unbiased to either party (pro-RWC/pro-RC).

Audio: I thought the commentary was great but I can imagine it's gonna be another sports ***le where I get to know every line of commentary of by heart. I thought the crowd sounded pretty good and a nice touch was when the English crowd burst into song singing Swing Low after I had scored. The pitch noises are alright as well, mostly the exact same stuff from 08. 7/10 for the audio.

Visuals: I was actually shocked when I fast saw the players run out onto the pitch, the bodies of the players are horrendous! Graphics were not that much of an update either, was really not that impressed at all! 4/10 for the visuals.

Presentation: The themes and the World Cup song (don't know the name of it ) and the menus all looked nice, a big improvement over 08. The lineups at the start are pretty cool as well. The game gives a decent amount of stats and figures and a general improvement over 08, still felt there was a bit left wanting thought and that HB were capable of more! 7/10 for the presentation.

Gameplay: Anyone here played 08? Well RWC is exactly the same! I don't know what HB were going on about with the ruck but it seems nothing has changed. The only difference being that there is a bar showing how good you are at button mashing. Disappointed all over with the gameplay. But then I guess, the game is still fun as it always was. However, from the animations to the button prompts, EVERYTHING has been carried over from 08 and I personally couldn't see any additions at all. In all honesty, I actually felt the speed was slower than 08, it all felt quite rigid and clunky. 6/10 for the gameplay.

Overall, It felt like I had simply connected my laptop to the big screen and put a contoller in it. Genuinely disappointing, especially seeing as HB now has real competition from you know who! I can't see the limited modes available making a difference to be honest. I think this game is going to get very old very quickly and I'm afraid I am not willing to spent £40 on this and will be picking up a copy of Rugby Challenge instead. 6/10 overall.

 

[The big Kangaroo]

it may have a slight rugby 08 look but its a much more like the real thing defence is rucks are exiting and it just had a real fun feel about it , its not as easy as rugby 08 to get across the try line which i reckon is a good thing case its the reality of the sport, shame it does not have the wallabies in it . its a
fun game and i played against a human and the ai. im hoping that it has end on end view. well done HB thanks for giving us a rugby game

 

[Cain]

I think this demo is exactly what I expected , the 2004 game engine with tweaks .... Rugby 05 should have been 04 , 06 should have been 05 , 08 should have never happend and rwc11 should have been 08.

 

[StevoIRL]

Also when did Flood dye his hair blonde? Do you think such things would be allowed in Leicester. Nooooooooooooooooooo.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

how do you put that hypnotoad in that under thingie? not that im gonna copy, im just gonna write something else

At the top of the page click on "Settings", then on the left click "Edit Signature"

it may have a slight rugby 08 look but its a much more like the real thing defence is rucks are exiting and it just had a real fun feel about it , its not as easy as rugby 08 to get across the try line which i reckon is a good thing case its the reality of the sport, shame it does not have the wallabies in it . its a
fun game and i played against a human and the ai. im hoping that it has end on end view. well done HB thanks for giving us a rugby game

End on view will be available in the full game, it's just no in the demo

 

[The big Kangaroo]

Hand on heart this review is completely unbiased to either party (pro-RWC/pro-RC).



Presentation: The themes and the World Cup song (don't know the name of it ) and the menus all looked nice, a big improvement over 08. The lineups at the start are pretty cool as well. The game gives a decent amount of stats and figures and a general improvement over 08, still felt there was a bit left wanting thought and that HB were capable of more! 7/10 for the presentation.

Gameplay: Anyone here played 08? Well RWC is exactly the same! I don't know what HB were going on about with the ruck but it seems nothing has changed. The only difference being that there is a bar showing how good you are at button mashing. Disappointed all over with the gameplay. But then I guess, the game is still fun as it always was. However, from the animations to the button prompts, EVERYTHING has been carried over from 08 and I personally couldn't see any additions at all. In all honesty, I actually felt the speed was slower than 08, it all felt quite rigid and clunky. 6/10 for the gameplay.

it feels really different when your playing a human as you have allot more turn over ball than in 08

 

[fight2fight]

i just played the demo now, and you got to be kidding, all the hype and talk about this game being so great etc.., i just played not even 5 mins of the game and turned my console off, worst horrible rugby game ever.

to be honest as well its worst then rugby 08 by EA sports. rugby 08 is 10 times better id rather play that then this cheap version.

im really disappointed hb studios.

hopefully the Rugby challenge game thats coming out at the end of the year is way better then this.

 

[umosay]

This really is some ADD rugby, cancelled my pre-order :/

 

[Scotsman]

Just played about 5 games.

I never play side camera nor on easy so its pretty hard to tell if this is any good from a gameplay perspective. But here are my observations:

Pro:

I love the 'pick and go' option
Forwards play off the ruck is generally much better - more options etc
Special moves seem to be easier to pull off and actually work (Although could be because on easy)
As far as I can tell everything is a bit snapier - less delay when passing/kicking etc
Commentry is much better in my book - love the UK commentary line up
If you play properly i.e mixing forwards play with backs phase play can be very satisfying
There is the option for the inside ball but doesn't happen enough
Ai doesn't always run setplays at it did in 06 and 08 - seems a bit tougher than before
Offloads don;t seem to happen as frequently whihc is good

Cons

Graphics are below par for an X-box 360 game (not even as good as rugby 08 on PC)
This is definitely a game for the masses -I fear there won't be enough here to keep the veterans happy. Too similar to past games and not 'deep' enough gameplay
Support play is still poor - no AI player running different lines. Too slow in support means its easy to get isolated. You have to find the next man to pass to rather than him coming with you
I don' really get the ruck intensity function - I still think there should be an option to add or take people out of the ruck
Rucks and mauls remain simplistic and arcady
Steal or kill ball function doesn't seem to work
Lots of clipping - worse than 08 in my opinion. Players running on tracks. Looks unfinished
Passing looks clunky and ugly TBH
Animations identical to rugby 08 - lazy HB

Conclusion:

I think when cracked up to its hardest level and from end on view I'll enjoy it more - also on harder levels I hope the game will become more tactical and the new features will come into their own. TBH its very hard to get a proper impression from the demo. I'm not disappointed or particularly excited about the game at this point in time. It still lacks depth and there are many problems/hangovers from rugby 08. It very much looks like a straight conversiton to next gen but not much progress has been made under the hood. However its a new rugby game so I'm determined to enjoy it despite its draw back. I hope that rugby 2012 will have all the bells and whistles and be a real step up. This game is really just cash in on the world cup I'm afraid.

 

[Xander_Is_Over]

won 7-0, lost 7-12 and won 16-7 so far

All games I played were as England but I can't stand that camera angle though

 

[Teh Mite]

On the plus side, all the troll posts seen on here means there's lesst chance of pubesant morons shouting expletives when playing online.

 

[umosay]

Troll? We're trolls if we don't like the game I suspect? You think everyone who says it's bad is an RC fanboy?

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

This really is some ADD rugby, cancelled my pre-order :/

Cancelled your pre-order? That's very sad. Oh well, I guess that's Umosay done and dusted with TRF till the next rugby games come out.



Myself, I'm not sure pre-ordering games is particularly wise. Why pre-order something, that you know very little about? That was rhetorical, please don't answer, as you've obviously maturely moved on from RWC and are getting on with your life. Good show sir!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

i just played the demo now, and you got to be kidding, all the hype and talk about this game being so great etc.., i just played not even 5 mins of the game and turned my console off, worst horrible rugby game ever.

to be honest as well its worst then rugby 08 by EA sports. rugby 08 is 10 times better id rather play that then this cheap version.

Why do you think this?
I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, I'm just wondering why you think 08 was much better etc.

 

[StevoIRL]

Why do you think this?
I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, I'm just wondering why you think 08 was much better etc.

I don't think 08 is much better then this, this game has more of it's own unique problems I feel then 08 did. I think it's pointless saying this game is crap cause 08 is crap only a few of 08's problems seemed to have carried over into this game and that's more to do with AI pathing then anything else.

 

[raziel_eire]

alrighty...

I've had my first few games (halves!) on it and my first impression is I like it, its good and it is very similar to HB's previous games in the series.

First game I drew 3-3 playing as England with a Flood drop goal on 40mins. Initially I was surprised at how fast the gameplay was, but I suspect that was due to me trying to remember the old controls now on an Xbox360 controller (previous versions I always played on PS2) and trying not to use the button combinations that are programmed into my brain for playing FIFA.

Difficulty level for the 1st game seemed good, but that was probably down to my crap controls. Subsequent games are now getting much easier as I spot the gaps (same gaps in R06 & R08) in midfield and sprint around them.

Hape & Tindall are set to too fast in my opinion!

I've drawn 2 games, lost 1 and won 3 so far, with my win margin gradually increasing up to 14-0 and above. Though I play in a way as to not always exploit the known AI gaps just so I can score the most tries and win by huge margins. I like to keep it close up front and attempt as many life-like and intricate play as possible.

Things I've liked...

- Quick-tap penalties - much improved, you no longer get smashed after touching the ball to your foot
- Scrumhalf pick up from a ruck - this has been done really well, becomes a viable option to use now and not only to burst 2-3yards for the tryline
- Pick & go from a ruck - again, this is now a viable option for play.. yards can be gained - really like it
- Winning my own put in at a scrum, dillydallying over a set piece choice and the opposition getting a shove on and winning the ball back through the scrum... colour me surprised!
- General pick & go forward play from rucks/mauls & scrums feels improved and useful ingame
- Commentary, sounds very fluid and in keeping with real life commentary. I never listen out carefully (in any sports game) to see if they match up saying exactly with what move has just been performed on the pitch, but as background noise and soundbytes while playing, my opinion is that it sounds very good.
- Grubber kicks, tried this once and was not superman tackled or made to knock on, so from that limited perspective its a 100% improvement
- The AI does infringe, initial memory is that I got 2 penalties in a brief spell of a match in my own half when SA were loosing and trying madly to win back possession. This was a very rare occurrence in previous ***les.

Generally, all the animations while the same/very similar to previous ***les, run much smoother or are better suited to this engine their using.

Dislikes...
- same old gaps as previous ***les in the midfield, but we're on Easy, so letting this one slide until I play the full version
- graphics... not great for this generation at all, but I had my eyes open coming into this as to what they would be like, so I'm not going to complain about them when I was already prepared for it. There is a slightly cell-shaded quality to them as Teh Mite had mentioned, but after a few games now this is becoming less noticeable.

Undecided...
Still getting to grips with the Ruck play, initial feel is that I like it, but I need to give it more legs to see how it develops. I do like the rucking strategy options though, as nearest man has helped me out a few times where I'd have been done over in past ***les.
Setplays... not really used them as yet
Lineouts... not seen too many so far, but have seen the AI steal one from me - waiting to see just how random/automated this aspect might become
Chip kick... I've actually not tried it yet

Overall at first impression, IMO it is nothing like a ground breaking or tipple A ***le, but it is a smooth, well paced rendition of rugby that I can already see (with the numerous tweaks and improvements) will be a great addition to the genre, particularly when online play is activated in the full ***le (if the online setup is capable of giving seamless match). There are that much more actual useful gameplay options for a human player to use now, that when faced against another actual person, it should be a proper contest.

(I've never actually played against another person on any of the previous ***les, so am keen at having to pit my wits against another thinking/breathing opponent!)

 

[locksley]

First impressions when the demo loaded up was disappointment. However, I stuck with it and played 8 games on it and I now KNOW I will not be buying this. In short, it's pathetic. I DETEST side view in rugby games, so that didn't help, but the defence setting is now far too fiddly and the gameplay is IDENTICAL to 08. As for the rucks!!!! Wtf?????? The passing isn't as good as it was in 08 and overall it's a HUGE disappointment!!!!

 

[lionmaull]

Intial thoughts: played 2 half games.
Positives
1. If you use your forwards you will see it plays much different then 08.(IN A GOOD WAY).Will give more details later.
2. Although the animations are supposedly the same as in 08, they feel different.(More user control)(much quicker and responsive)
3. You do not feel like if you make a break in the line with a forward and you gain quite a few meters you will lose ball at the ruck.(Much better ruck support).
4. It felt like the ruck tactic strategy will play a big part, experimented a few times out wide, when I left the tactic on forwards I would lose the ruck because they could not get there on time, when I switched(ON THE FLY) to first man there, it seemed like I a could retain control of the ruck.
5. Kicking, is much quicker(feels better)
6. mauls although they happen in the same places, they feel different,(better) You can wheel the mauls.

Cons

1. If you play it like 08, without using the new features it may feel like 08. New features These are not cons, just listing them: (rucking tactics) (quick ball at ruck) (secured ruck for set plays) (Defensive(strafe) line up) (foward play, is not automatic) try these.
2. I thought the graphics would be a little better(but I normaly play on end on view) It felt a little far away.
3. the presentation in 08 seemed more complete, like talking about and showing the star players before the game starts, like replays after big hits, (maybe it is in the game, have not played that long and it is a demo)

Overall I think the game play itself is much, improved, particularly forward play, cannot stress enough how much this feels different, if you play rugby the way rugby should be played, you will see big changes. I thought the presentation would be better, 08 did a very good job at that. Although I do like the fact that you can change to 3 different commentary teams, did not pay much attention to actual commentary, to busy testing the new features Will give a more endepth review, after more play time. You may or may not like the game play, but please don't say it plays like 08, because if you use the new features, IT DOES NOT, if your going to just throw it out to your backs everytime and try to zig,zag through then, it will seem similar to 08. People try the new features first, you will be amazed how much more fun it is.
Really enjoying the demo, I wish it had end on view, as it is the view I prefer. Don't know if you can change in the demo??
Cheers and Salud
Cheers and Salud