Rugby Challenge Preview

Rugby, internationally, is a popular sport. In the States, the game flys under the radar. I would say it is on the same level as Cricket. Unbeknownst to most Americans, there is a Rugby played here. The AMNRL (American National Rugby League) was established in 1997 and has been running ever since. Even the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has recognized the league, making it the governing body for the sport in the United States. There is a national team as well. Actually, there are two of them; The Tomahawks controlled by the AMNRL, and The Eagles under the International Rugby Board (IRB). The video game realm has taken a stab at Rugby before, but none have run with it. Enter Tru Blu Entertainment and its game, Rugby Challenge (Rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB and PEGI: 3). Being developed by Sidhe for the PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC, Rugby Challenge is looking to tap into a market that is in want of a deep Rugby simulator. Being the sports fan I am (yes, I play rugby and watch it from time to time), I had to share this game with you all. Lets start with the features shall we:

[spoiler]FEATURES

• Play in Single Match Mode, Competition Mode, multi year Career Mode (up to 13 seasons), and attempt a legacy in Franchise Mode. Franchise mode has both international and representative teams, allowing players will be able to choose between a club and an international side to play as during their franchise. The World Championship is also present in Franchise Mode.

• 11 competitions as well as extensive Tutorial Mode options available for players new to the sport or needing to to refresh their knowledge of the rules and strategies of the Rugby. Said tutorial uses drills to teach you the basics.

• 96 teams and 31 stadia featured including official team and competition licenses for the All Blacks, the Qantas Wallabies, the USA Eagles, Bledisloe Cup, AU/NZ Super Rugby, Aviva Premiership Rugby, TOP 14 Orange, RaboDirect PRO12, ITM Cup, and Ranfurly Shield

• Enjoy the game with groups of friends locally, or compete in online multiplayer with support up to 4v4 via PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE®, or Steam; all with leaderboard support and minimised lag.

• Create or customise players, teams, and competitions using the extensive customisation tools to shape the game to your own preferences and keep the game fresh season after season

• Rugby Money used to obtain unlockables. These rewards come from completing various activities such as running through the tutorials or playing online, and can be spent in the Rugby Store. This is not an online function, but rather an in-game unlockable system similar to Sidhe’s Rugby League games.

• Dynamic presentation delivers a true on-field rugby experience with enhanced replay angles, lifelike cut-scenes, rich sound, and real-time commentary from seasoned rugby commentator Grant Nisbett and former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall

PRESENTATION

- Weather effects, TMO, on-field referee and touch judges, the traditional ‘Ka Mate’ Haka, realistic team tactics/playing styles, and rich sound

- The range of techniques and technology surrounding the presentation of the in-game crowd includes the following:

• Every crowd member rendered in realtime from a full 3D animated model
• Crowd members dressed in home, away, or neutral apparel and colours
• Home, away, and neutral fans animated independently depending on game events
• Team flags and banners, camera flashes, and stadium pyrotechnics supported
• Lighting model includes stadium structure shadows and ambient occlusion for natural results
• Variable crowd density that flood fills the stadium in a natural way
• Crowd sounds linked to game events and cutscenes to reinforce the action emotionally
• Game officials, team support staff, media and cameramen, and stadium security also shown

LICENCES

Rugby Challenge will feature 94 licensed/unlicensed teams, an additional 4 miscellaneous teams, and 31 stadiums from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa & Europe. Due to a rival game, the official strip/emblem/stadium/player likenesses of England, South Africa and France, and the official strip/emblem/stadium of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy will not be included within the game. With that said, Top 14, Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect Pro12 got the licences of the players of these countries will be included within the game (England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy). Also, Rugby legend Jonah Lomu lends his likeness and expertise to the game. The European and American versions of the game will feature him on the cover, and the game will be called Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge.

INTERNATIONAL

Competitions
• Tri-Nations
• Quad Nations (Tri-Nations plus Argentina. Unlicensed)
• Bledisloe Cup (In game Holders: New Zealand)
• Six Nations (Unlicensed)[9]
• World Cup (Unlicensed)

International Teams

- Licensed

• Australia
• Georgia
• New Zealand
• United States

- Unlicensed

• Argentina
• Canada
• England
• Fiji
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Namibia
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Samoa
• Scotland
• South Africa
• Spain
• Tonga
• Uruguay
• Wales

All twenty teams competing in the 2011 Rugby World Cup will be included, however Sidhe is yet to confirm which of the remaining teams will be licensed and which will be unlicensed. The Six Nations teams will have most of their players licensed due to the licensing of the Aviva Premiership, RDP12 and Top 14 leagues. However due to rival game Rugby World Cup 2011 the official strip/emblem/stadium of these countries will be fictional.[10] Several South African and Argentine players (who play in the aforementioned leagues) will also be included.

DOMESTIC

It was confirmed that the squads are as of ‘June 2011′, the end of the 2010/2011 season.
Sidhe has said that further licenses will be confirmed closer to the release date.

Competitions
• ITM Cup
• Ranfurly Shield
• Super Rugby
• Aviva Premiership
• Top 14
• Pro 12

Teams

ITM Cup

• Ranfurly Shield
• Wellington
• Waikato
• Taranaki
• Canterbury
• Southland
• Auckland
• Bay of Plenty
• Hawke’s Bay
• Counties Manukau
• Northland
• North Harbour
• Tasman
• Manawatu
• Otago

Super Rugby

• New South Wales Waratahs
• Queensland Reds
• ACT Brumbies
• Western Force
• Melbourne Rebels
• Crusaders
• Blues
• Chiefs
• Hurricanes
• Highlanders
• Bulls (Unlicensed*)
• Cheetahs (Unlicensed*)
• Lions (Unlicensed*)
• Sharks (Unlicensed*)
• Stormers (Unlicensed*)

*Unlicensed teams will be named after their respective regions (eg. Stormers will be ‘Cape Town’)*

Aviva Premiership

• Bath Rugby
• Gloucester Rugby
• Exeter Chiefs
• Harlequins
• Leicester Tigers
• London Irish
• London Wasps
• Newcastle Falcons
• Northampton Saints
• Sale Sharks
• Saracens
• Worcester Warriors
• Leeds Carnegie (Relegated in 2010/2011 season)

TOP 14

• SU Agen
• Aviron Bayonnais
• Biarritz Olympique
• CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
• CA Brive
• Castres Olympique
• ASM Clermont Auvergne
• Stade Rochelais
• Montpellier Hérault RC
• USA Perpignan
• Racing Métro
• Stade Français Paris
• RC Toulonnais
• Stade Toulousain
• LOU Rugby*
• Union Bordeaux Bègles*

*LOU Rugby and Union Bordeaux Bègles are included in the Top 14, having being promoted from Pro D2 in 2010/2011 season.*

Pro12

• Munster
• Leinster
• Connacht
• Ulster
• Aironi
• Benetton Treviso
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow Warriors
• Cardiff Blues
• Newport Gwent Dragons
• Ospreys
• Scarlets

Miscellaneous Teams
• Team Lomu (A whole team comprised solely of Jonah Lomu)
• Lomu All Stars (World XV selected by Jonah Lomu)
• Sidhe Staff Team 1
• Sidhe Staff Team 2

STADIA

“Rugby Challenge” will feature 14 New Zealand stadiums, 6 Australian stadiums, 5 South African stadiums and 6 European stadiums.

Licensed Stadium

Stadium | Country

Eden Park | New Zealand
Rotorua International Stadium | New Zealand
AMI Stadium | New Zealand
Growers Stadium | New Zealand
McLean Park | New Zealand
FMG Stadium | New Zealand
North Harbour Stadium | New Zealand
Toll Stadium | New Zealand
Forsyth Barr Stadium | New Zealand
Rugby Park Stadium | New Zealand
Yarrow Stadium | New Zealand
Trafalgar Park | New Zealand
Waikato Stadium | New Zealand
Westpac Stadium | New Zealand
Sydney Football Stadium | Australia
ANZ Stadium | Australia
Canberra Stadium | Australia
Suncorp Stadium | Australia
AAMI Park | Australia
NIB Stadium | Australia

Unlicensed Stadia

Stadium | Country

Kings Park Stadium | South Africa
Loftus Versfeld | South Africa
Ellis Park | South Africa
Newlands | South Africa
Free State Stadium | South Africa
Aviva Stadium | Ireland
Twickenham Stadium | England
Stadio Flaminio | Italy
Stade de France | France
Murrayfield | Scotland
Millennium Stadium | Wales

Unlicensed stadia will be named after their respective regions.

[/spoiler]

I also have a ton of screenshots for you people to give a gander. In fact, I even included a wallpaper for the game in these shots. It is my current wallpaper right now. I think it to look fit. Feast your eyes on these:

Finally, for those that want to see the game in action along with commentary and input from the developers themselves, check out these videos:

Rugby Challenge is already out in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. It is launching very soon in other regions as well (I am hearing word that it already is available in the UK and that the game is region-free). Be on the look out for the inevitable review on TheBitbag by myself.

For more videos, pictures, updates on everything Rugby Challenge related, check out these locations:
Websites: http://rugbychallengegame.com/
Facebooks: http://www.facebook.com/RugbyChallengeGame
Twitters: http://www.twitter.com/rugby_challenge