The animation of the players is utterly amazing! Superb is one word that can sum it up. There are so many different animations for tackles alone, that you could play the game hours on end and still see animations you've never seen before! All the moves of real life rugby league are replicated extremely well here. Fends, dummies (that actually work!), side-steps, big hits etc. are all brilliantly animated and compliment the gameplay brilliantly.
Graphically, the way the game deals with the kicking system is nothing short of stunning. The camera zooms in behind the player as time slows down, you move the arrow to the desired point, kick, and then the game goes back to normal speed, but zooms out a bit higher than normal so you can see the ball AND the players.
From the cheers of the crowd, through to the commentary and sound effects, Rugby League is aural pleasure. Andrew Voss is an excellent choice of commentator and his comments certainly add a hell of a lot to proceedings.
Passing the ball is probably the most important part of Rugby League, and it's important that this is well implemented in any rugby game. For the most part of the game, the passing is quick and responsive. Diving passes from dummy half, short balls, long cut-out passes and offloads in multi-men tackles are the norm here. All are done fantastically well.
The atmosphere is just right for Rugby League and along with the great graphics, wonderful sound and fantastic gameplay.
Addictive, fun and gorgeous to look at, Rugby League hits the Xbox with a HUGE BANG.