Rugby World Cup 2011

Sport video games are one of the most interesting divisions of the video game world. It has a guaranteed market waiting for the new releases of their favorite sports game, and these players don't really have to e hardcore gamers, but rather they are more on the casual side of the spectrum. You could consider these games a niche, but they are also incredibly popular and good in sales for the most part. Rugby World Cup 2011 is a nice example of something different from most of what we just said. But let's talk more about that and the game itself, so let's get started!

About the game

It's no secret that rugby is not at all the world's most popular sport, and it is often confused with NFL football. Outside of the UK, it is a fairly unpopular sport, so it's not expected to be a super seller right out of the gate. However, the sports fanbase is pretty hardcore and dedicated, and when there's a sport that's so left out y the AAA sports franchises, this is sure to drive some good numbers.

Having said that, it's clear that this game is directly aimed at the fans of the sport, as you'll have to be pretty used to the rules, teams, and top players. The game launched at the beginning of the 2011 Rugby World Cup that took place in New Zealand, and it served as a great way to get the fans excited, especially since there hasn't been a rugby game released since 2008. So when HB Games launched Rugby World Cup 2011, fans immediately had to get it.

It delivers the best experience if you’re looking to be able to play the closest possible recreation of the Rugby World Cup. But keep in mind there are plenty of game modes available, there’s the classic tour mode, the championship, the free match, and some more so you can have a lot of fun there.

As for the World Cup recreation, there’s of course the official World Cup mode available in the game, so it would have all the real brackets of the cup available and you could choose to play as your favorite team.

How does it compare?

There aren't that many rugby games out there as we mentioned before, and the previous one before this was EA's Rugby '08, and by comparing these two, Rugby World Cup 2011 takes the cake. But when you compare it to titles like FIFA 12 things are very different. Starting with the licenses available, even though both of these games are the officially licensed deal, Rugby World Cup 2011 didn't manage to get all the player's licenses, so you can't do a completely realistic recreation of the matches played in the cup, at least if you really want all the real players involved.

Pros:

• Lots of teams
• Alright gameplay
• Accurate rules

Cons:

• It lacks some important player licenses
• It’s generally mediocre.