Rugby World Cup 2011 Review (HB Studios/505 Games)

Rugby World Cup 2011 for the Xbox360 and PlayStation Network is a gem, especially considering that rugby games are quite hard to come by in North America. This fall is a rarity in that two games will be launched, but only one is an exclusive product and will feature every aspect of the Rugby World Cup inNew Zealand.

RWC 2011 is produced by HB Studios, which is the industry expert when it comes to creating realistic depictions of rugby, a sport that is difficult to transfer to a video game setting. HB has been involved in previous incarnations that were published under the EA Sports umbrella.  This year 505 Games, the name behind the Backbreaker football series, will be the force behind the title.

The release of Rugby World Cup 2011 coincides with the actual event currently taking place in New Zealand.  Again this is an exclusive title that will not see any competition for at least a month when Madcatz releases their Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge title here in the U.S.  That head start is massive, putting more pressure on the competition.

Many gamers will make the purchase of RWC 2011 out of curiosity, wanting to learn more about a sport that is rich in history and diversity.  Unprecedented media coverage and broadcasts available to the mainstream means more people are learning about a sport that sparks curiosity among even the most casual of fans.

Hardcore rugby fans will find this to be a “must have,” just as FIFA 12 is a no-brainer for the footy fan.  Either way the customer will be thrilled with this purchase even though the title is not entirely perfect.  The pros heavily outweigh the cons as you will soon see.

The stadium and player models are true to life and spectacular in every regard.  The atmosphere of the real event is transferred to the gameplay experience thanks to smooth music and customized commentary. This is reason enough to make the purchase considering that rugby is difficult to make into a video game.  HB Studios did that and did it very well.

Menus are clean and easy to navigate. The amount of gameplay modes is exhaustive.  Full tournament, international test, warm-up tour, place-kick shootout, and online play are all options for the customer.  A glaring deficit is the lack of a practice mode or a series of tutorials for those new to the game. This would have been a literal game-changer, opening up the sport to the masses.

We absolutely loved the warm-up tour, which allows you to play a series of exhibitions to prepare for the real tournament.  The number of licensed teams was impressive, putting out 10 of the top teams including England, Argentina, South Africa, Canada, and of course the U.S.

We encountered just a few minor issues like repetitive cutscenes and limited online play. Some of the crowd graphics get a bit old after seeing them over and over. We admit that we had a bit of trouble finding quality competition in the online play mode, but this is sure to get better as more and more people purchase the game.

There were little differences between the Xbox360 and PSN versions of the game.  The HB Studios team made sure that both versions were equally good.  That is not always the case as some developers look to the platform that is selling the most copies.

We felt the PSN version was ultra-convenient, considering it can be downloaded quickly without a trip to the store.  If you want the Xbox360 version, check out Gamestop for the best price on the Web.

Score: 9/10

We like to keep things simple here at ISN. We use a 10 point scale for all of our reviews with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.  This fits in with many of the gamer-specific sites out there on the Web and provides a system that is easy to understand.