Crippler
Juniors
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- 743
This was posted on the playstation forum.
Like many other Rugby League fans, I have been waiting years for a rugby league game. It?s a whopping 7 years since the previous game and I?m itching to get stuck into a next-generation version of our favourite sport! Fortunately, the wait is almost over. Sidhe Interactive (an NZ development studio) is working on ?Rugby League? (known as ?Stacey Jones Rugby League? in New Zealand), set for release in October on PC, PS2 and Xbox. And I was invited up to the studio to have a play.
I arrived to the Sidhe Production Studios at about 4pm on a Friday afternoon. I was very anxious as I was heading up the elevator, knowing that not only was I about to be playing game but also witnessing some ?behind the scenes? action. This is not something I do everyday!
Arriving at the office, the game?s producer and Sidhe?s Managing Director Mario introduced me to Alan Bell, the assistant producer of Stacey Jones Rugby League. A few quick formalities out of the way, he was kind enough to introduce me to the team and explained each department of production.
After the tour, Alan sat me down in the lounge area to get down to business. The build that was loading in front of me (on an Xbox) was a week old from the most current one. Alan and I went straight into a friendly match, and we randomly chose North Queensland and Canberra at Townsville.
Almost instantly we were into the action and I managed to get a perfect attacking option from a Canberra forward pass, clearly shown by the ?infringement? replay. Minutes later, the speed of the Cowboys backs was too much for the Raiders scrambling defence. First try to North Queensland! Already I was indulged in the straightforward controls and smart game play, and was starting to get a hold of things.
The tussle was tight and intense; every aspect of the game was fantastic. The big hits, the offloads, the referee?s calls, the replays, the atmosphere, and the classic commentary from our man Voss!
The only aspect of the game I had to get to grips of, and this may be different for others, was the kicking in play. I got my head in a spin trying to attempt different styles of kicking (eg. chip kicks, grubbers) and Alan told me that it was best to concentrate on the normal long and high kicks before going any further, as it was important to give your team field position. None the less, it worked a gem and in no time I was placing long kicks in the corner of the park with precision, and putting huge pressure on the fullback and wingers. I found the matrix-style slow down kick positioning one of the coolest aspects of the game, and I can?t wait to give other styles of kicking a go when the game is released.
With a more controlled style of play in my teams attack, I found my defence was sharpening up too.
The tackling felt really natural and the added incentive of aggression in the tackle made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, witnessing the numerous ways of finishing off the ball carrier!
To cut a long story short, my first attempt at Stacey Jones Rugby League was a victory! 12-5 to the Cowboys, although I'm sure Alan took it easy on the amateur!
All too soon and it was fulltime and I was wanting more!!! Who are we going to play as now??? The games had only just begun.
What more can I say?
Any game that is 1) easy to adjust to, and still has plenty of depth in the gameplay 2) has smooth and slick animation 3) is very close to realism and 4) leaves you drooling at the mouth for more gets a strong 9 out of 10 from me!
This game is going to be the pinnacle to all Rugby games to come. And I?ve only just scraped the surface....
THE LEAGUE GAMER
Like many other Rugby League fans, I have been waiting years for a rugby league game. It?s a whopping 7 years since the previous game and I?m itching to get stuck into a next-generation version of our favourite sport! Fortunately, the wait is almost over. Sidhe Interactive (an NZ development studio) is working on ?Rugby League? (known as ?Stacey Jones Rugby League? in New Zealand), set for release in October on PC, PS2 and Xbox. And I was invited up to the studio to have a play.
I arrived to the Sidhe Production Studios at about 4pm on a Friday afternoon. I was very anxious as I was heading up the elevator, knowing that not only was I about to be playing game but also witnessing some ?behind the scenes? action. This is not something I do everyday!
Arriving at the office, the game?s producer and Sidhe?s Managing Director Mario introduced me to Alan Bell, the assistant producer of Stacey Jones Rugby League. A few quick formalities out of the way, he was kind enough to introduce me to the team and explained each department of production.
After the tour, Alan sat me down in the lounge area to get down to business. The build that was loading in front of me (on an Xbox) was a week old from the most current one. Alan and I went straight into a friendly match, and we randomly chose North Queensland and Canberra at Townsville.
Almost instantly we were into the action and I managed to get a perfect attacking option from a Canberra forward pass, clearly shown by the ?infringement? replay. Minutes later, the speed of the Cowboys backs was too much for the Raiders scrambling defence. First try to North Queensland! Already I was indulged in the straightforward controls and smart game play, and was starting to get a hold of things.
The tussle was tight and intense; every aspect of the game was fantastic. The big hits, the offloads, the referee?s calls, the replays, the atmosphere, and the classic commentary from our man Voss!
The only aspect of the game I had to get to grips of, and this may be different for others, was the kicking in play. I got my head in a spin trying to attempt different styles of kicking (eg. chip kicks, grubbers) and Alan told me that it was best to concentrate on the normal long and high kicks before going any further, as it was important to give your team field position. None the less, it worked a gem and in no time I was placing long kicks in the corner of the park with precision, and putting huge pressure on the fullback and wingers. I found the matrix-style slow down kick positioning one of the coolest aspects of the game, and I can?t wait to give other styles of kicking a go when the game is released.
With a more controlled style of play in my teams attack, I found my defence was sharpening up too.
The tackling felt really natural and the added incentive of aggression in the tackle made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, witnessing the numerous ways of finishing off the ball carrier!
To cut a long story short, my first attempt at Stacey Jones Rugby League was a victory! 12-5 to the Cowboys, although I'm sure Alan took it easy on the amateur!
All too soon and it was fulltime and I was wanting more!!! Who are we going to play as now??? The games had only just begun.
What more can I say?
Any game that is 1) easy to adjust to, and still has plenty of depth in the gameplay 2) has smooth and slick animation 3) is very close to realism and 4) leaves you drooling at the mouth for more gets a strong 9 out of 10 from me!
This game is going to be the pinnacle to all Rugby games to come. And I?ve only just scraped the surface....
THE LEAGUE GAMER
