Ruck: A loose formation created
around a free ball or a player who has been brought to the ground with the ball.
Oh, you mean like the snap from
scrimmage in American football. Ok, that seems easy enough.
Line Out: A play where two single
file lines are formed by both teams after the ball goes out of touch. A player
from the team that did not take it out throws the ball back in from the touch
line between the two lines. This brings the ball back into play and determines
which team receives the ball.
That’s sort of like the
old-fashioned inbounds plays in basketball. Gotcha!
Maul: A loose formation brought
around a player who is still in possession of the ball and has not been brought
to the ground.
Wait a minute – isn’t that like a
ruck? Well, Ok, sort of is, but the player is not eating grass … yet.
Dummy: A technique where one
pretends to pass the ball.
Ok, here’s a twist on that one –
Dummy: The initial feeling one has who is hearing and trying to understand rugby
terminology for the first time.
But seriously, it is not all that
complex, and give credit to EA Sports for making the PlayStation 2 release of
Rugby 2005 easy to understand, even for “Yanks,” and a hard-hitting, raucous (or
would that be ‘ruck-ous’) good time.
You will not get this view when playing the game,
but it still looks good
The game comes with Rugby 101, a
video briefing of the sport and you must hit the play button to work through a
short series of skills challenges before you can unlock the game modes. There
are two prime game modes – practice and tournament. Practice features basic
training, free play, scrimmage and goal kicking. There are eight tournament
modes – World Championships, Tri-Nations, Six Nations, Ten Nations, Super 12,
European Trophy, World League and Lions Tour.
For those unfamiliar with the basics
of the sport, there are 15 players per team on the field during a match, with
two types of players, the bigger ones as blockers and the lighter, speedier ones
are the main ball carriers (or backs). Of course, you have to always pass
backwards, and this is easily accomplished with the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons.
The controls also enable you to sprint, shoulder charge a player, or try to
avoid the tackle by sidestepping and using your hands to fend off the would-be
tackler. The control scheme uses the left and right analog sticks to effect the
moves, and the only real stumble in the whole scheme comes in using the sprint
key, and then tapping at the right pass button (R2 and R1 respectively). There
seems to be a bit of a pause in the controls between one and the other, which
can mean a tackle, and ruck.
The game itself has no pads and the
hits can look rather jarring. One team kicks, the other receives and you try to
move the ball as quickly as possible down the field. Should your ball carrier be
tackled, you bind players quickly to a ruck, and try to get the ball back, pitch
it out and move it down the field. A try is scored when the ball is touched down
in the end zone. You can also move the ball by kicking it. When it comes to
kicks you have the grubber and up-and-under, in addition to the drop kick or
place kick for conversion after a try (which is worth 5 points). You can also
get a penalty kick, worth three points. You can also set offensive plays prior
to a scrum using the D-pad.
Rugby 2005 allows for team
management and creating your own player. There are 61 teams represented here and
the franchise abilities of the game are intriguing.
While the game itself is fast-paced,
and even the most novice of this sports gamers will pick up on the nuances of
the game quickly, the biggest problem that this game has belongs to the camera.
There are four camera positions, two of the classic variety, one broadcast and
one side. The default is the side. The problem is that with 30 players on the
field, tracking the ball carrier (while on defense) – if you can determine which
one is the ball carrier – can be tough.
The game’s sound is a hardy blend of
soft rock tunes and the play-by-play is solid. The fans chants even add an air
or authenticity to the setting.
Like many EA Sports games, you can
tailor the experience by adjusting various facets of the game, but until you
fully understand the rudiments of the sport, you may find yourself on the
receiving end of a few losses.
EA Sports has delivered a
challenging game that embraces both the rugby novice and veteran. The on-field
collisions are vicious, the action fast paced and each match invokes elements of
strategy and solid athleticism if victory is to be grasped.
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Gameplay: 8.0
Once you begin a match, the game moves forward at a consistent framerate with
only minor setbacks when it comes to controls and how they work with the camera
angles. It is easy to say the camera angles would have improved the game
experience, but how to position the camera (other than a top-down view) to
accomplish that is hard to say.
Graphics: 8.5
The animations are excellent, and the venues are well rendered. The physics of
the game have a wonderful life-like quality.
Sound: 8.8
One of the star attractions of this game, the play-by-play, music and crowds
bring this game to life.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The medium part is on offense; the hard part is finding which of the three
abreast sprinting backs has the ball. The game does have several difficulty
levels to tailor the experience.
Concept: 8.3
This title has everything needed to take a person who has never seen the sport
to a savvy fan. The controls have only minor stumbles and that is mostly
confined to the shoulder buttons (sprint and right lateral).
Multiplayer: 8.0
The game sports two-player, head-to-head gaming. Playing with someone else who
doesn’t know what he or she is doing can be great fun, and slightly less
punishing than the AI, at least initially.
Overall: 8.3
Rugby 2005 is a challenging game that serves not only as a very good
introduction to the sport, but also delivers a solid gaming experience. The
problems are relatively minor, and time in the saddle playing the game will
yield dividends in terms of guiding your chosen team toward championship after
championship. The game does have a decent options package and can be tailored to
fit any player’s gaming skill level.
