The comparison thread

[welshglory]

But do people complain about the Fifa and Madden gameplay as much as they have for this? I dont know. You have to remember that although there were quite a few who said they wouldn't mind it being like rugby 08 but updated to start with, i think that was more out of desperation than anything to be honest i dont think they actually expected that. and there was also a lot of us who didn't want that.

 

[TRF_heineken]

COD has got everything right!

I didn't say RWC is bad, in fact i'll be raping it until RC or even the next rugby game. What I'm trying to show is that with all the hype this game received i thought i was getting the FULL strategic, simulation rugby gamimg experience. just like fifa, madden, fight night etc. And all it really is...... is an updated version of R08... which is what they should've said from the start. thats all. Just stating the obvious. I would've been happy KNOWING that, instead of getting my hopes up.

in regards to GAMEPLAY! could go on all day about the negatives but thats not the point. once again please list all the Major improvements???

So have you read any of the posts in the RWC2011 thread?

a lot of people said that, even AJ from HB mentioned it a couple of times that they are working from what they had and trying to make it into a next-gen console game...

It's a little bit sour grapes from you if you ask me, as i haven't seen any comments or constructive critisism from you on any of the other posts. You joined in 2008 and only had 9 posts... so you are one of those sit at the back of the class, not participating and then expect everything must be perfect for you??? Grow up!

 

[Sunia Vulaono]

dude, if i post all the negatives here, i'll be told that it should've been posted on the glitches/problems thread. but thats not the point!!! lol
why would they say things like this and not expect us to feel like we've been duped...

"Developing RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 for Xbox 360 and PS3™ has given us the opportunity to create the definitive representation of a sport we all have such a passion for," said Alastair Jarvis, General Manager at HB Studios. "The attention to detail in both the visual quality of the game and the representation of the gameplay is second to none. It captures the thrills and excitement of Rugby World Cup in a way we simply have not been able to achieve before. Online play, especially, adds an entirely new dimension to the game, boosting national pride as players challenge competitors from across the globe to their own international matches."

...things like that got me all excited and then...*BOOM* headshot!

 

[TRF_heineken]

dude, if i post all the negatives here, i'll be told that it should've been posted on the glitches/problems thread. but thats not the point!!! lol
why would they say things like this and not expect us to feel like we've been duped...

So Why didn't you???

"Developing RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 for Xbox 360 and PS3™ has given us the opportunity to create the definitive representation of a sport we all have such a passion for," said Alastair Jarvis, General Manager at HB Studios. "The attention to detail in both the visual quality of the game and the representation of the gameplay is second to none. It captures the thrills and excitement of Rugby World Cup in a way we simply have not been able to achieve before. Online play, especially, adds an entirely new dimension to the game, boosting national pride as players challenge competitors from across the globe to their own international matches."

...things like that got me all excited and then...*BOOM* headshot!

Well i got what i expected and i'm very happy with the game, maybe my expectations weren't as high as yours, or maybe i just read every thread and knew what to expect...

 

[Scotsman]

COD has got everything right!

I didn't say RWC is bad, in fact i'll be raping it until RC or even the next rugby game. What I'm trying to show is that with all the hype this game received i thought i was getting the FULL strategic, simulation rugby gamimg experience. just like fifa, madden, fight night etc. And all it really is...... is an updated version of R08... which is what they should've said from the start. thats all. Just stating the obvious. I would've been happy KNOWING that, instead of getting my hopes up.

in regards to GAMEPLAY! could go on all day about the negatives but thats not the point. once again please list all the Major improvements???

Just like Fifa and Madden are you kidding mate? Do you have any idea how much budget these games get in comparison to RWC2011? RWC gets about 5% probably less. Rugby games will NEVER be anything like on a par with fifa. You've got to lower your expectations.

 

[Xorg]

The biggest difference between Rugby '08 and RWC '11 is the cover it comes in.

 

[Sunia Vulaono]

Just like Fifa and Madden are you kidding mate? Do you have any idea how much budget these games get in comparison to RWC2011? RWC gets about 5% probably less. Rugby games will NEVER be anything like on a par with fifa. You've got to lower your expectations.

NEVER! when the day comes that the best rugby game is out, i hope you remember what you said!

look, if RWC 2011 came out as Rugby 09 there would'nt be as much complaining, in fact we would have loved it... its the fact that Rugby 08 was a good base, and 3 years later RWC comes out with what looks like a brushed up version of 08 plus glitches.
Yes i know how hard they've worked, yes i know they don't have the budget or licenses, i would've been happy if they said "look guys we don't wanna f@#$ u guys around, the feel of the game is EXACTLY like Rugby 08 plus what we added on" that would've been sweet.

*sigh* back to the question that to this point has not been answered: what are the MAJOR improvements from Rugby 08?
I'm not trying to knock the game, or the guys that made it. just want some answers

 

[dakkadakka]

look at call of duty 4 and call of duty world at war.

but anyways can you tell me what is so bad about rwc2011? rugby challenge has so much crap wrong with it, so IN REGARDS TO GAMEPLAY what makes rwc2011 a bad game?

Great informative post - 1. It has sweet FA to do with COD. 2. You have not played Rugby Challenge.

Youtube shows 08 is a better game, until it becomes too easy which eventually in RWC 2011 will happen.

RWC 2011 I'm am liking it, but not a lot.

 

[Nobblynick]

Just like Fifa and Madden are you kidding mate? Do you have any idea how much budget these games get in comparison to RWC2011? RWC gets about 5% probably less. Rugby games will NEVER be anything like on a par with fifa. You've got to lower your expectations.

So it retails at 5% of the price of FIFA and Madden does it?

Lower expectations but same price?

 

[cimbomjubi82]

So it retails at 5% of the price of FIFA and Madden does it?

Lower expectations but same price?

That's nonsensical. EA Sports are a goliath amongst game developers, and have a huge budget as a result on their franchise games. Do you remember their early efforts? I do, and they were much like HB's efforts. Modest games, but with some potential. But there has always been a good competition for soccer games, so they've had to up their game (no pun intended) to provide the best game. Then after they get a good mix, they just churn out re-hash after re-hash with no new features, or gimmicky features that don't really enhance the gameplay.

HB's game is good. It's not brilliant, but it's solidly good. I have yet to play RC, but that appears to all style and little substance. So, would you rather pay for a game that looks amazing and plays average, or buy a game that looks ok, but has familiarity to it. Neither of these games are poor, they just don't equate to what you decided is value for money. If RC plays like toss, but has 96 teams, does that make you feel any better?

 

[Nobblynick]

That's nonsensical. EA Sports are a goliath amongst game developers, and have a huge budget as a result on their franchise games. Do you remember their early efforts? I do, and they were much like HB's efforts. Modest games, but with some potential. But there has always been a good competition for soccer games, so they've had to up their game (no pun intended) to provide the best game. Then after they get a good mix, they just churn out re-hash after re-hash with no new features, or gimmicky features that don't really enhance the gameplay.

HB's game is good. It's not brilliant, but it's solidly good. I have yet to play RC, but that appears to all style and little substance. So, would you rather pay for a game that looks amazing and plays average, or buy a game that looks ok, but has familiarity to it. Neither of these games are poor, they just don't equate to what you decided is value for money. If RC plays like toss, but has 96 teams, does that make you feel any better?

What has familiarity got to do with it? I have not played Rugby 2008 which everyone seems to be using to justify RWC.

As a new user making a purchase decision in 2011, the FIFAs and Maddens are clearly superior products. The relative budgets mean nothing to me when the retail prices are the same. This is the issue for me.

You think RWC is value for money in comparison?

 

[Angry Panda]

That's nonsensical. EA Sports are a goliath amongst game developers, and have a huge budget as a result on their franchise games. Do you remember their early efforts? I do, and they were much like HB's efforts. Modest games, but with some potential. But there has always been a good competition for soccer games, so they've had to up their game (no pun intended) to provide the best game. Then after they get a good mix, they just churn out re-hash after re-hash with no new features, or gimmicky features that don't really enhance the gameplay.

HB's game is good. It's not brilliant, but it's solidly good. I have yet to play RC, but that appears to all style and little substance. So, would you rather pay for a game that looks amazing and plays average, or buy a game that looks ok, but has familiarity to it. Neither of these games are poor, they just don't equate to what you decided is value for money. If RC plays like toss, but has 96 teams, does that make you feel any better?

I think your missing the point. The fact that they have a smaller budget to work with is not relevant. As such they are putting out a product that competes against many other products at the same price point. This is the commercial reality of it. I also think that a lot of the frustration surrounding this game is due to the fact that people feel "more could have been done" to make it a better game. This does not have to be things like licensing (although one does feel that it couldn't have been difficult to obtain the Georgia / Romania / Namibia licenses), but more like gameplay advancements from their last ***le. Some of the flaws from 08 are still present in this game and that just seems very poor, considering all the feedback they had gotten while in development of this game. I dont think this is a bad game, it is fun ... I just feel that they did not do as much as they could have with minor tweaks.

 

[cimbomjubi82]

What are the MAJOR improvements from Rugby 08?

1. The rucking system is much better, and you have a good degree of control over them.
2. Chip kick is a great addition.
3. Stats editor.
4. Gameplay overall is smoother.
5. Hemisphere Tour mode (and don't say it's just a bunch of friendlies, because then so is the RWC mode)
6. Hard mode is actually challenging for veteran players.
7. Online mode to acceptable, if 'minimum' standards. i.e no leaderboard etc


Minor improvements (would be expected as standard)

1. Graphics of player models are much improved.
2. The front-end is much improved, no more clunky menus.
3. Animations are less pronounced, and more have been added in needed areas, such as scoring a try, halftime etc.
4. Generic kits look much more realistic, as they resemble some of the national teams real kits., i.e Namibia, Georgia, Tonga.
5. Passing glitches, and AI glitches to a degree.

 

[Thingimubob]

NEVER! when the day comes that the best rugby game is out, i hope you remember what you said!

look, if RWC 2011 came out as Rugby 09 there would'nt be as much complaining, in fact we would have loved it... its the fact that Rugby 08 was a good base, and 3 years later RWC comes out with what looks like a brushed up version of 08 plus glitches.
Yes i know how hard they've worked, yes i know they don't have the budget or licenses, i would've been happy if they said "look guys we don't wanna f@#$ u guys around, the feel of the game is EXACTLY like Rugby 08 plus what we added on" that would've been sweet.

*sigh* back to the question that to this point has not been answered: what are the MAJOR improvements from Rugby 08?
I'm not trying to knock the game, or the guys that made it. just want some answers

Well the main improvements are the rucks and improved AI. You can actually string more than a few phases together, rather than in 08 where it was basically random who won the ball. Also you complained in your first post about them being 'button mashing' well when you go off and play RC you'll find exactly the same I'm afraid. Seen them described as more tedious because they have a habit of taking a while.
With the AI, what sums it up for me is I could hammer the All Blacks by 40 points on 08 on 'Elite', in RWC I haven't even managed to beat them on Hard yet.
Graphics aren't the best around, but they are definitely better than 08.
Chip Kick is an awesome addition, though I find it works better on multiplayer than against the AI.
Grubber Kick is improved, with only a tap needed to pull one off (or hold Y/Triangle down for a longer one)
Drop Goals - so much better than the rubbish system in 08, very happy they went back to the 06 style ones.
Player Editor - Something 08 really could've done with, lucky we had Woosah to create one for us!
Online - As far as I know, this is actually the first Rugby game you can actually play online against people.

Personally, it feels completely different to 08 and I'm really enjoying playing it. There's plenty of things that I don't like about the game, and plenty of things I want them them to improve on for their next ***le, but this is a step in the right direction for the gameplay.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

NEVER! when the day comes that the best rugby game is out, i hope you remember what you said!

Just as I thought, this is mostly just propaganda. One thing I love about Rugby World Cup, is that it's fans are only either:

1) Defending their interest in the ***le
2) Enjoying or talking about the ***le

On the other hand, there's a whole crowd of other people who seem to get off on telling people what to like and what to think. Fans of other rugby ***les should just enjoy them and promote the heck out of them, not spend all their time trying to bring down RWC.

If it's so bad and the other is so good, why not spend all your time talking about that? Or is this all sour grapes, because that same lovely bunch of grapes is crawling with bugs at the moment? Believe me, I'm sure they're working on a good pesticide for them and when that comes out you can go back to enjoying them again.

 

[Thingimubob]

Just as I thought, this is mostly just propaganda. One thing I love about Rugby World Cup, is that it's fans are only either:

1) Defending their interest in the ***le
2) Enjoying or talking about the ***le

On the other hand, there's a whole crowd of other people who seem to get off on telling people what to like and what to think. Fans of other rugby ***les should just enjoy them and promote the heck out of them, not spend all their time trying to bring down RWC.

If it's so bad and the other is so good, why not spend all your time talking about that? Or is this all sour grapes, because that same lovely bunch of grapes is crawling with bugs at the moment? Believe me, I'm sure they're working on a good pesticide for them and when that comes out you can go back to enjoying them again.

That analogy is brilliant

 

[cimbomjubi82]

or buy a game that looks ok, but has familiarity to it.

This is a key factor for game sequels. RWC11 is a direct sequel, it needs to improve from the last game. And i have listed at least 2 major gameplay updates (Rucks and general play and competant online). You don't change a winning formula this early in a franchise, you add to it to compliment it.

You need to be able to pick it up, and play it almost instantly. Rugby is a complex game to a non-rugby familiar, and it has to be made playable to new players (for their view of what rugby is now) as well as offer a real gaming experience for fair-ability gamers. It seems your only argument is that it's worth -£20. Well, i'm sure you can wait until after the RWC when it'll be in a bargain bucket for £9.99. There is your solution, so go do that. That's getting yourself value for money. I don't need to listen to how much you think stuff is worth.

Your argument is flawed. Don't expect to be paid half a days wages because work was quiet, and claim it was a full days earn and you deserved full pay. I'm sure you'd offer the money back straight away to your employer out of good faith so he can get his value for money.

It's overly-negative opinions like we have on this forum that damage rugby game sales. Tell me, why based on general comments of their game which have been on a ratio of 7 poor to 3 good, HB would want to make a game for you to play next year? They've made a competant sequel. But it's a RWC year, so they've decided to limit the game.

Regardless of the quality, you have a choice to pay full price or wait until it's down to your value, so just make up your mind and stop commentating.

 

[dakkadakka]

If the rucks are listed as a major improvement, game should be bundled with a coupon for discount on a new controller after two nights mine is mashed in.

I don't like it when I think about it, when playing the game I don't give a monkeys. Is it skill based? when I see a green tick it's the time to stop.

 

[Thingimubob]

If the rucks are listed as a major improvement, game should be bundled with a coupon for discount on a new controller after two nights mine is mashed in.

I don't like it when I think about it, when playing the game I don't give a monkeys. Is it skill based? when I see a green tick it's the time to stop.

You broke your controller? How is that HB's fault?
And ah I see you liked it when rucks were decided before anyone even got to them? Hell I was playing Japan on 08, got tackled NOBODY turned up to the ruck for a good 3 seconds (and when they did my players were there first), yet Japan were given the ball straight away? Simple fact is, anything that makes it a contest is a major improvement on the old system.

 

[cimbomjubi82]

The ruck system is great. It's not about mashing, it's about timed presses. I won the ball against NZ with Japan with one press, because it was the right timing, so it does work. You do mash occasionally, but that's more excitement and lack of understanding how it works, than anything. I love that chip kick too, i've just scored 4 beauties with England online. Do we have a place to save replays at all on this game?