So I bought this reading the poor reviews and thinking 'If it's based on the older rugby games, I really enjoyed them and it can't be /that/ bad. It is.

PROS:
Official Names for most european clubs and official names for their players.
A small bit of potential for a massive re-develop of this game.
Some nice implementations of kits and stadia.
Nice user interface.

CONS:
-No way to re-map your controls, so the game is stuck in the down right stupid controls that they have implemented.

Passing (1/10): Left and right pass are the same button, and it depends on where you move the thumbstick (also run)... so basically you have to run in the direction you want to pass. When the player passes, they often glitch up and pass it the wrong direction for the animation, and the receiving player glides 10 metres up the pitch to receive the ball. Forward passes are also not a rule in the game, and though this often works to your advantage, it strongly affects the realism of this game which is very bad. All of this makes for a highly jumpy and disjointed flow of the game, actually no flow at all.

Running (5/10): This is /okay/, but theres no way to differentiate between jogging and sprinting as there is in most sports games. It's full speed or nothing.

Kicking (3/10): Place kicking is quite easy, and I actually like the thumbstick power controls for this, however all other aspects of kicking are horrendously buggy and hard to perfect. The ball often goes in the opposite direction to where you kicked it, just like the passing, and there is no marker or guideline of where the actual kick is headed, you have to gauge it by how much you've moved the stick, and even then it bugs up and totally goes in the opposite direction.

Rucks, Mauls, Scrums and Lineouts (5/10): This section of the game is /okay/ but it has serious bug problems yet again. The controls are very simple to use, and you win everything pretty much. I'd like more of a challenge, as rugby often is in this area of the game. However, when you go to pass from of the ruck or scrum, the ball more often than not goes in the opposite direction than you assigned. Before the ruck comes the tackle, and the mechanics for tacking are buggy and inconsistent too. I've had a player just fall over, and a player on the other side of the screen do a tackling animation.

OVERALL SUMMARY:

Where the devs could improve:
Make the game more fluid with the passing and running, and implement 'run' and 'sprint' into the game.
Complete overhaul of the passing and kicking mechanics.
Complete re-think of the button mapping or better button customisability.
Add markers or guides to where kicks are headed and a nicer overall explanation to kicks in general.
Complete overhaul of the tackling mechanics

I sincerely hope the developers care enough about this game and its community enough to try to make a change with this game, and with their next, hopefully improved game, I think should be given to the community who bought this game for free or a reduced price. The trailer and the features they have listed give a very wrong impression of the game. I cannot help but pick out the piece thats starting me in the face saying 'Rugby 15 is the best rugby simulation ever made.' IT IS NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. Rugby 2001 by EA sports was actually much better than this. The names of the players are incorrect in the International teams, which arguably is the style of rugby most players would like to play. Overall, this game seems very rushed indeed, and I would much rather have seen a very nice polished Rugby 16 with correct game mechanics and a nice user experience, rather than this lacklustre attempt at copying a 7 year old game which was, for the record, MUCH better.

So I bought this reading the poor reviews and thinking 'If it's based on the older rugby games, I really enjoyed them and it can't be /that/ bad. It is. PROS: Official Names for most european clubs and official names for their players. A small bit of potential for a massive re-develop of this game. Some nice implementations of kits and stadia. Nice user interface. CONS: -No way to re-map your controls, so the game is stuck in the down right stupid controls that they have implemented. Passing (1/10): Left and right pass are the same button, and it depends on where you move the thumbstick (also run)... so basically you have to run in the direction you want to pass. When the player passes, they often glitch up and pass it the wrong direction for the animation, and the receiving player glides 10 metres up the pitch to receive the ball. Forward passes are also not a rule in the game, and though this often works to your advantage, it strongly affects the realism of this game which is very bad. All of this makes for a highly jumpy and disjointed flow of the game, actually no flow at all. Running (5/10): This is /okay/, but theres no way to differentiate between jogging and sprinting as there is in most sports games. It's full speed or nothing. Kicking (3/10): Place kicking is quite easy, and I actually like the thumbstick power controls for this, however all other aspects of kicking are horrendously buggy and hard to perfect. The ball often goes in the opposite direction to where you kicked it, just like the passing, and there is no marker or guideline of where the actual kick is headed, you have to gauge it by how much you've moved the stick, and even then it bugs up and totally goes in the opposite direction. Rucks, Mauls, Scrums and Lineouts (5/10): This section of the game is /okay/ but it has serious bug problems yet again. The controls are very simple to use, and you win everything pretty much. I'd like more of a challenge, as rugby often is in this area of the game. However, when you go to pass from of the ruck or scrum, the ball more often than not goes in the opposite direction than you assigned. Before the ruck comes the tackle, and the mechanics for tacking are buggy and inconsistent too. I've had a player just fall over, and a player on the other side of the screen do a tackling animation. OVERALL SUMMARY: Where the devs could improve: Make the game more fluid with the passing and running, and implement 'run' and 'sprint' into the game. Complete overhaul of the passing and kicking mechanics. Complete re-think of the button mapping or better button customisability. Add markers or guides to where kicks are headed and a nicer overall explanation to kicks in general. Complete overhaul of the tackling mechanics I sincerely hope the developers care enough about this game and its community enough to try to make a change with this game, and with their next, hopefully improved game, I think should be given to the community who bought this game for free or a reduced price. The trailer and the features they have listed give a very wrong impression of the game. I cannot help but pick out the piece thats starting me in the face saying 'Rugby 15 is the best rugby simulation ever made.' IT IS NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. Rugby 2001 by EA sports was actually much better than this. The names of the players are incorrect in the International teams, which arguably is the style of rugby most players would like to play. Overall, this game seems very rushed indeed, and I would much rather have seen a very nice polished Rugby 16 with correct game mechanics and a nice user experience, rather than this lacklustre attempt at copying a 7 year old game which was, for the record, MUCH better.