Essentially, each player now has a Form and Morale rating, both of which can go up and down depending on whether they're picked to play or not, how they play, what injuries they sustain, disciplinary record in a match and so on. Instead, Rugby 08 tries to inject a bit of campaign continuity to proceedings with its concept of Form and Morale. To be fair, the Challenge mode has a fair amount of weight to it, with plenty of matches to plough through and numerous tasks in each ("score three trys with the same person", "run around behind the try line for ten seconds without being tackled before putting the ball down" and so on), but it's not really the same - or as good - as taking your own team from bottom-feeders to European champions, especially when the only reward is World Cup video highlights that could just as easily be found via a ten second search on YouTube. It still boasts all the licensed club squads and competitions of previous years, but the promising career mode introduced into Rugby 06 has been jettisoned in favour of a simulation of the six-week World Cup tournament (which, by its very nature, lacks any kind of transfer market), along with a brand new Challenge mode where players must replay classic moments from World Cup history.įrankly, it's a rubbish decision - it's like PES forgetting to put the Master League in. So, any major problems then? Well, as the official World Cup game, Rugby 08 understandably concentrates on pushing the national side of the game. Then again, going by previous EA Rugby games, these are the sort of minor issues that will no doubt be fixed by the time the next game comes out.
#RUGBY 08 WORLD LEAGUE PRO#
And the decision to change the previously ineffective line-out system of timed button presses to a choice of simple or pro methods, the latter requiring you to mimic your arm swinging movement on the touchline with the analogue stick, is more actually a choice between overly-simple and overly-complicated. Being able to rotate mauls and scrums now also seems great in principle, but in all honesty, adds very little to the game tactically. The loss of the constant offside decisions is great, but it's been replaced by endless high tackles (in this case, performed by the computer). Not all the changes are quite so good, admittedly. It's like Rugby 08 finally cracks that thorny issue of making defence feels just as fun and dynamic to play as attack. Some of the best moments can be had pulling off Herculean defence efforts on your own try line against phase after phase of concerted attack. Forcing the ball down the last five meters of the field for a try has always been the hardest thing to do in rugby, simply because you're working against a defence packed into a smaller and smaller space, and so it is in Rugby 08. Even better is the way defences now organise themselves when pushed back to their own try line. The dark days of fish-like shoals of running drones are long gone, with defensive lines that react intelligently to your set-plays. The Saints, in contrast, are aiming for their 16th.But of all the positive changes, the most notable goes to the computer AI, which really pulls its socks up this year.
Catalans, the league leaders who have impressed so often in 2021, are now the only side standing between the Saints and a third consecutive league title as they bid for their first championship. This St Helens side have dominated the competition for a prolonged period, but we will find out next weekend whether they have finally met their match.
There are stories everywhere you look, but the one thing you suspect we are guaranteed is drama. Whatever happens next Saturday, history will be made at Old Trafford as two sides with records that could not be more contrasting compete to be crowned Super League champions. The three-peat versus the new kids on the block.
They will meet maiden Grand Finalists Catalans Dragons. The reigning champions ran in six tries to two to earn a trip to Old Trafford next Saturday. St Helens turned on the class to secure an emphatic 36-8 win over Leeds that takes them to a record-extending 13th Grand Final and a step closer to a third successive Super League crown.Ĭatalans Dragons vs St Helens, 6pm GMT Old Trafford
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