Rugby 2004 reviews

Good game but it needs be better they need to up date the players.

I love Jonah Lomu Rugby, it was by far and above the best rugby game made. I cannot beleive EA, who normally produce great sports games, managed to produce this.

As far as the technical side, 10 years on since Jonah Lomu Rugby was released, the technicality has been diminished. When in the rucks and mauls, playing Jonah, the user could simply add more players to a ruck, or remove them. This was great, simple, yet realistic. In Rugby 2004, you have no choice, it's all chance.

If a player steps out too early after a ruck, even if he doesn't get near the ball, the ref blows his whistle. This ruins the whole continuation of the game. Whats worse, is this is done greatly in Jonah.

You cannot pass left and then try and pass right. The passes just get left in the field where it's near impossible to continue the free flow play.

The AI involved for working how difficult each team is, is simply how often they drop the ball, or their chances of winning a ruck. Terrible as there is no user control in this. Jonah had this down nicely.

Get Zinzan. From the makers of Jonah, only 10 years later.

Okay, the graphics improved a little. However, the game is begging for patch because for this game only: my Logitech Dual Action Controller doesn't work; my Thrustmaster Controller doesn't work (and of course doesn't vibrate); and if you want to play it on trainer mode, you can only use your keyboard. Of course that's not it. The darn game sound clogs up if you make a bunch of big plays to the try line. Oh, and the folks at EA games still do not appreciate the laws of the game correctly. After a kick for goal isn't made, it's a live ball if it's still on the field, unless of course you’re playing this game. I got ripped off because my dreams of a better rugby game were not fulfilled. Why can't EA allow you to pick the controls yourself like in their Hockey? Why can't EA hire one guy that plays rugby and knows the laws? EA must be to busy making promo videos showing the improved graphics to Wow the public into buying a BAD game.

What a disappointment. That’s probably the best way I can describe my feelings about this game. I loved Jonah Lomu Rugby, and even enjoyed EA’s Rugby 2001. None of those two games saving graces seem to have crossed over into this title.

Firstly the open play is terribly limited. Missed passes happen too regularly (sometimes caused by a pass going completely in the wrong direction) and instead of allowing quick pickups from one of your players, it forces a maul situation for no apparent reason. This wouldn’t be too bad if the mauls were fairly quick, but they’re slow and cumbersome to the point of being lethargic.

Both the scrums and placement kicks are reasonably done. Scrums are a basic timing system for pushing, hooking and twisting. Gone are the control thrashing days, and good riddance. The placement kicking is the basic direction, height and power meter we’ve gotten use to in sports titles and does the job adequately.

Does this game have any decent features? Actually yes, the lineouts. The lineout system is actually quite good. You have to time your jumpers with the throw, which garners a good competitive aspect to the lineouts. Your opponent has to judge which player the ball is being thrown to and then has to counter the jump at the right time.

Sadly, rugby games live and die on the flow of the open game, and this game doesn’t promote that aspect at all. I wouldn’t even recommend this title to a die-hard rugby fan – the poor blighter wouldn’t deserve to see his favourite game in this light.