Got to say I'm really enjoying the game so far. Still finding my feet in it though.Gameplay seems to have good depth. The learning curve is much steeper than RWC and it takes a bit of getting used to, having been so used to HB's games.
I like the rucking in that adding too many players creates gaps and the balance and strategy involved in it. Defending is more difficult than RWC I find- no superman tackles! The defensive line seems that bit slower to set than RWC, making it a bit more realistic there too. Love the inside passes in this game
Kicking is good and slick. Being able to drop into the pocket would be nice, as would set plays.
Like the 'hit' aspect of scrummaging and the timing, though the movement of the scrum back and forth is a bit too extreme.
Also like the lineouts. RWC's are too simple IMO. Needs a mauling option though. Like the spontaneous mauling though. Lovely addition.
Fly half can end up in funny places though. The game needs a bit more forward play too. RWC has done quite well here, even if the superman tackles make forward play largely redundant. The fend and side steps are nice, though I'm undecided about the dummies.
Kind of annoying that we can't move the players from provinces to Irish team, but the player models look remarkably similar to the ones in the provinces, but with different names. Only thing I noticed though, when I change the player names, the commentary names aren't read out, just the generic "number 12" etc. Not sure of the reason for this. Gets a bit irritating.
The commentary isn't actually that bad when you're playing the game. Thought I'd have to turn it off but I can live with it. RWC's is probably better though, if more limited. Customisation is fantastic if you have the patience for it. Can't comment on the career really as I haven't played enough of it. I think the graphics are pretty special for what is probably a relatively low budget game. Game looks wonderful.
For some reason there doesn't seem to be a button to perform a defensive touch down? Would be nice to be able to launch the number eight of a scrum too.
That's all I can think of at the moment. There are good and bad points to both games, but based on my limited playing time, RC seems to be the better package, though time will tell as the novelty will wear off to an extent I'm sure.
All in all I really hope that Sidhe and Tru Blu will build on what seems a pretty impressive foundation for future games in a series. I just really hope that I won't be waiting four more years for the next fix.