Originally posted by NZL fan@Mar 28 2005, 11:52 AM
Everybody is entitled to there opinion, so here's mine............please note these thoughts are based on the one player mode. If games are meant to only be good on multiplayer then they should be advertised as such. The only real way to judge any other game, and compare it to others, is to base your judgement on single player mode - the most used mode by the majority of people playing the game.
Like most I bought the game on release and was amazed at how well HB studios had done. However as days wore on, and the improved graphics I had seen had lessened in importance, the poor gameplay and overall design of the game started to grate - to the point now that a week later I think I've had enough.
For instance.
*Difficulty modes are ********. Normal is far too easy, and hard is a real snooze fest against teams like England, where turnovers occur against you regardless of a given situation, and the oppostion players have been "sped up" to make it harder (rather then they actually play better). I can beat England more times then not on hard, but to be honest it isn't FUN in the way you have to play, due to the handicaps you have been given in hard mode.
*The game comes across as far too automated. In normal difficulty the same type of tries are scored all the time. You'll break the line, and regardless of how quickly you free the ball the opposition will have a perfect line of defenders waiting. Watch any super 12 game and look at the defensive lines after several phases of play. some players are deeper, some flat - not all lined up in a row like in rugby 2005. If this occured in rugby 2005 you would then be forced to try different attacking approaches, and defending would be harder. At present defending is FAR too easy, and on hard mode the opposition AI tends to just kick endless drop goals in order to acheive a win (yawn).
*Talking about the automated feel.........set pieces are still far too slow. On one of the set peices you can never tackle one of the passing players due to the animation being half completed!! Certain players in certain set moves always have a hole to run into.
*The biggest issue is the motion capture animation problems. This is especially evident when you go to pass but cannot (even though the tackler is still five mtrs away from you), because the "tackling animation" has already kicked in. More of a gameplay issue on the hard mode as the opposition have been unfairly sped up to make it harder, so the animation problem occurs when the tackler is even further away from you! It also affects the ability to grubber kick on the run, and also the use of the right stick.
*The right stick moves are fairly useless (mainly due to the timing problems caused by the "animation problem"). Some people will swear black and blue that they "use them all the time", but you'll actually find you'll beat more players by just changing direction yourself using the left stick.
*Lack of penalties awarded you. Penalties are an important element in any rugby union game. You hardly ever get a penalty given to you. I've played a lot of games and just about all my penalties came from the opposition collapsing the maul. I ONCE got awarded an offside penalty (yippee!!), but this was after about 40 games where the computer controlled opposition seemed to be able to tackle my players regardless if they had retired behind the last mans feet or not. Really annoying when your first five is tackled by a retreating player who suddenly tackles your man when he is at least 10mtrs offside!!
*All camera angles are crap - two are virtually unusable, the other two both have major gameplay issues, or are unattractive to play from.
*The rucks are a dogs breakfast. There appears to be no decent reasoning behind a majority of the ruck wins - in fact on hard mode the computer downright cheats to deny you possession. You can sometimes have your entire forward pack at the breakdown but somehow lose the ball to the opposition forwards arriving half an hour late. You can make multiple big hits that drive the opposition back 15 mtrs or so but still you can not get a turnover??
There are millions of other annoying things (ie. players "warping" into position, the 8mtr diving tackles, player creation problems, poor player research, unable to create a tourney, players seemingly anable to catch a simple punted ball, passes going 40mtrs backwards to nobody etc etc).
Yes it is the best rugby game created thus far (though that isn't saying too much!!) but I now find this game VERY boring.
In fact the biggest improvement have been in the graphics (which had very little to do with HB studios ability as developers) whilst the gameplay from rugby 2004 has been "tweaked", with some annoying issues still not rectified.
The real problem gameplay issue for me is hard to finger, but if I had to try to explain it I would say that it doesn't feel like real rugby (like PES4 feels like real football), and the PLAYERS seem to have no real redeeming qualities that make one seem different to one another (except for speed).
Thats it I think - the developers have captured the TEAM element of the sport without capturing the INDIVIDUALITY of the different players that make up the teams.........
Well just for the record, I'm still playing single player on hard and loving it, mainly because I have learnt the little nuances of the game and accepted there are floors. Yes there are gameplay issues, but for many of them there is a way round.
I am playing as England, and I am finding hard mode a real challenge, where the oppositon are able to break my line and score good tries, yet I am still able to score some spectacular tries, and put some great moves together. Some games can be boring just like in the real life, but at the same time I have had some cracking encounters!
It just takes patience and a lot of time on the practice field!! seriously if you are having problems go back to the practice field and keep trying moves until you crack them. Understand your set moves inside out and when best to use them. Learn to judge exactly when to initiate a special move, because they DO work!! The trick is to do everything much earlier than you think.
Even against the very best sides such as NZ I have pulled off some stunning running rugby, passing the ball all over the park, using grubbers kicks to good effect. Yet the games are still a real challnge and I tend to lose!
You can play exciting attractive rugby in this game, but just like real life its hard to pull off. You also need to make an effort to play good rugby. Its easy to just spin the ball one way and then another, but if you mix it up you'll be rewarded.
One of my latest tricks is to use the hand off special move with forwards around the ruck. You can make good ground, and sometimes break the line to realese the ball to your speedy backs. I have just brought robinson onto the wing and he is creating all sorts of havock!
yes there is a motion capture problem which means you cannot pass when the tackle animation kicks in. But once you recognise this you can judge the distance when the animation will start and make sure you pass before hand!! You have to be very quick with the passing, way before you think you need to pass. I can now judge it perfectly and tear the oppostion apart with great passing moves. If you mix it up between forwards and backs, use the special moves to gain extra ground, use grubbers and up and unders, you can have a great game.
Yes hard mode is fustrating but if you understand the game and how it works I promise you can work round this. I have have found all the tries very different in hard mode, not at all samey like normal mode. You really have to work your socks off to score, but when you do what a great feeling!
OK the AI does kick too much, but not always, and I still find them hard to stop when they use their backs.
Yes the lack of penalites is annoying but hone your drop kicking skills and you can still pick up those precious three points.
Single played will never be as good as mulitiplayer we all know that. But please give it another chance! I very nearly gave up on single player myself, I found hard mode too hard and fustrating. But then it suddently clicked. I began to really understand the game and now I am LOVING it.
So guys, go back to the practice pitch, learn the game, and then give it another go remembering this game isn't perfect.
You need to dig a little deeper to find the true gems in single player, trust me!!
