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After a rough first season, EA Sports’ Rugby series returns. Obviously, Rugby isn’t very popular in the United States. Besides that episode on “Friends” and a few occasions of it on cable, most people aren’t really familiar with the inner workings of the sport. Sure, you’ve heard the name, and have a basic idea, but I’d wager that most Americans haven’t seen a live Rugby game. Rugby 2005 seemingly portrays the game accurately, and is pretty fun, as well.
Rugby 2005 includes a number of gameplay modes, as expected in a sports game. The game lets you play quick game, tournament, create-a-player, and a helpful practice mode. Quick game lets you pick any one of the 61 teams, all of which are assigned rankings to help you differentiate between them. The game’s tournament mode is made up of six different tournaments. You’ll find European Trophy, Lions Tour, Six Nations, Super 12, Ten Nations, Tri-Nations, and World Championship. In the last one, you’re able to play over many seasons, making the team the best it can be. It even includes a rudimentary trading system. The game’s create-a-player feature isn’t quite involved, but you should be able to make a decent looking player.
The practice mode deserves special mention because you’ll spend much of the early time in this mode. You’re able to see an introduction movie that gives you the gist of the sport. Also included are training sessions that let you practice the game’s rudimentary controls (like running, passing, and tackling) to the more involved ones. All in all, the practice mode does a great job of introducing you to the basics, and provides enough skills to be almost competent in game. I suspect that it will be more useful to those that have some background knowledge in the sport, but even newcomers should get the general picture.
Rugby 2005 includes a number of different plays for you to try to do. Actually completing these plays will take some dedication, as you get used to some of the sport’s unique traits. Those familiar with the sport will be able to use the game’s advanced kicking system, which is seemingly a major aspect of the sport. Also included are three difficulty modes. Newcomers will want to pick the easiest one, as losing the ball will become more prevalent.
The game’s visuals are respectable, but nothing out of the ordinary. The player models are decent, but unoriginal. They don’t really stand out amongst each other. Incidentally, this is one of the major things working against the create-a-player mode. The fields look decent, but again, nothing great. The animations are pretty varied, though some clipping problems can be found. The camera captures the game pretty well, though the side view usually used in soccer games will have to be changed.
Similarly, the audio is just as middling. The commentary, though accurate, is repetitive and doesn’t induce you to pay attention. It just isn’t very interesting to hear the same lines over and over again. The sound effects are a little better. Tackles carry enough weight, for example. EA Trax provides the soundtrack, and you’ll find a reasonably varied soundtrack to play to.
Rugby 2005 is in uncomfortable position. The sport isn’t really familiar to Americans, thus playing it requires a bit more effort than the other sport games. The unfamiliarity also doesn’t allow us to accurately judge how close it portrays the sport of rugby. If you’re a fan of the game, based purely on fun, Rugby 2005 isn’t bad, but then again, you probably already own it. Sports fans interested in giving rugby a try won’t be disappointed, either. Renting it before is wise, though. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Apr 7, 2005
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