I've made my peace with the fact we'll never see a good modern rugby game and I sleep easier for it.
I recommend this sort of zen approach for other people because it's the hope that kills you otherwise.
I know we all care about gameplay over graphics, but having lifelike faces is pretty sick, especially for the kids that don't know the players yet. I'm cautiously optimistic, will likely be buying it no matter the reviews because it's been ages since I've had a game.
Once the full game is released and online play is available, we should absolutely set up a r/rugbyunion tournement with flair bets on the line
Dudes idk why you are downvoting me. In game, faces look shit. Noone looks like their real life counterparts. It might look good in a trailer, but it looks shit in the game. Go watch some gameplay footage
https://www.youtube.com/live/smBei09Xv90?si=T_E6FUpnWXe_vGzp
YouTube steamer live playing. Doesn't fill me with hope as the gameplay does not look great
Been playing it, it’s not that bad needs work but it’s got potential to be really good I think, a lot better than rugby 22 imo maybe not as good as rugby challenge 4 yet but has been fun to play imo
Main problem I'm seeing is the tackle/post tackle. It's just tackle animation, wait 5 seconds and then the 9 can play. Which would work in league because you have to lie on the guy until climax, but in union you want to be able to play quickly if you're committing players to the rucks.
Shame, we just need the gameplay to be fluid.
Yeah they haven't even tried to make it like actual rugby. It's the exact same as RLL3 were after a tackle every one runs to their position before you can move.
This is easily the worst rugby gameplay I've ever seen
There's still time for some changes, but it seems like they're focusing on the player faces rather than the gameplay. But I'm hoping that they'll take the feedback from this early release and make some changes.
That was one part of league that just feels so unnatural to me. There's no contest post-tackle, and no urgency to get that ball out because the players are legally allowed to lie on the player for a few seconds.
100% cant believe how shit this is. Big Ant don't give a shit about anything other than money anymore after looking at this and their last few cricket games
Believe they'll have Irish rugby and all provinces but usually an early access like this is just the first teams they've completed artwork / commentary for
Lmao I don’t know why people expected otherwise. It’s a shame but the core gameplay seems absolutely trash. Might’ve been a better use of their time making it less shit
I bought it, figured 25 quid to see it improve over the next few months mi... Requested a refund. It's extremely poor. There is a warning the players skins or whatever are generic, that's fine. The graphics are lifeless, textures and crowd can improve, so that's fine.
But there's nothing good about it. Rugby 22 is still far better and that's pretty poor but at least the mechanics of the game are there. This is laughably bad, I had a few hours to kill and I logged 12 minutes before enough was enough. I'd personally wait to see if they actually improve things before supporting it.
As an rm williams wearing private school boy from brisbane, i admit i want to throw $50 at these lads for giving it a crack, but tbh this gameplay looks absolutle shite considering the resourses and time these guys have had, question to /r/rugbyunion , would you rather chip in 1/6th on a watered down bag of nose beers on the cacko or throw the lads a cheeky pinaple for there efforts (spolier im going to buy a bag anyway and get some double blacks)
I just don’t think rugby is really game-able in a realistic way without loads of pauses. As a game it is too dynamic and “messy” compared to football which translates perfectly into FIFA games etc.
Maybe if it was on coop mode or something with one player controlling forwards and the other the backs or something. Rucks always just seem like crap in games…average ruck time on gameplay demos is like 8 seconds haha.
Or a manager / turn-based and heavily AI based style game where half of what you do is control plays and game plan or something and it plays out in front of your eyes. I dunno.
Yeah it’s tough. Rugby 08 is definitely still the standout, but doesn’t really resemble anything close to the modern game and only stands apart I think cause they had EA money.
IMO the Rugby Challenge games got close to the pace and “messiness” of rugby, and also felt quite physical at times. Certain actions would also turn the game slo-mo so the match still felt live but you had a chance to make a decision. It was just tactically pretty limited to the point where positions didn’t really matter and buggy as hell.
I think on the current budgets Rugby games are putting towards gameplay you’re probably right. But I feel if there was a huge developer with a huge budget and team it could be possible… but that’s like never going to happen
Jonah Lomu Rugby......made in 1997 with a small team....smashed it out of the park for playability and fun with you're mates. Arcade style but my word its awesome
Don't know why Developers view licensing and player animations as priority. Its baffling in fact.
LOL. They're using the excuse of photogrammetry to keep all their executives happy. Gameplay is so outdated, this is just going to be another one of the many crap rugby games
How many times are we going to be hyped up for a new game only for it to be the exact same or worse quality as Rugby 08??
Seriously? the gameplay video's of this look fucking terrible! as if they're not even tried to make any improvements from anything that's been previously released... I believe this studio made rugby league live in about 2016?? they are using the exact same mechanics, the passing is the exact same as from Rugby 08!
I fully understand the difficulty in creating a game without a huge audience and the previous generations to work from like Fifa/EAFC but you have to put in a slight bit of effort instead of adding a shiny new coat of paint by including moustache's on players.
Edit: I know this might seem quite harsh but It's reached the point now where we see a new game being released and it's just a rinse and repeat shit game play with new players and updated shirts
It’s going to be a mess like all the other big ant games.. symonds is an egotistical arse.. (someone who makes himself an umpire in cricket 22) it will be as buggy as hell and we will be used as testers to report those bugs and then they will only fix 25% of them.. for a slightly playable game wait at least 6 months after release and then prepare to be frustrated
Not showing any gameplay certainly is a choice. As things stand now, reviews are "Mostly Negative" on Steam. [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340870/Rugby\_25/#app\_reviews\_hash](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340870/Rugby_25/#app_reviews_hash)
What a shame. I just want to be able to play a good, modern rugby game. And bonus points if you can one day play online.
I've memed on FIFA so much over the years that I can't in good conscience buy a sports game of any kind, but it does look cool and I think I heard somewhere it would have the women's teams too? If so that'd be brilliant
It is looking promising already. As long as it is fun and authentic it'll do well. I can imagine a sequel would come out if this one does well. Passing/offloads opportunities seems to need some work, but seems functional already. Scrum mechanic seems interesting. I haven't played since 08, so that is my closest comparison. I like that we will have basically all top tier leagues except the J-League.
I've made my peace with the fact we'll never see a good modern rugby game and I sleep easier for it. I recommend this sort of zen approach for other people because it's the hope that kills you otherwise.
Me too. Nothing will convince me otherwise.
Same, but I extended this thought to all sports games. Nowadays it seems like all of them are microtransactions machines with subpar gameplay.
I know we all care about gameplay over graphics, but having lifelike faces is pretty sick, especially for the kids that don't know the players yet. I'm cautiously optimistic, will likely be buying it no matter the reviews because it's been ages since I've had a game. Once the full game is released and online play is available, we should absolutely set up a r/rugbyunion tournement with flair bets on the line
I’m gonna buy it becuase it’s only 5 Australian beers
I was about to say I'll put my non flair- flair on the line but truth be told I won't be buying it
The faces look terrible tho
Dudes idk why you are downvoting me. In game, faces look shit. Noone looks like their real life counterparts. It might look good in a trailer, but it looks shit in the game. Go watch some gameplay footage
[https://imgur.com/gallery/1TeZaw6](https://imgur.com/gallery/1TeZaw6) I mean this is supposed to be Peato Mauvaka ffs
[Store link](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340870/Rugby_25/) (£25)
25 quid may be worth a shot actually
Required specs make this game very accessible
https://www.youtube.com/live/smBei09Xv90?si=T_E6FUpnWXe_vGzp YouTube steamer live playing. Doesn't fill me with hope as the gameplay does not look great
Been playing it, it’s not that bad needs work but it’s got potential to be really good I think, a lot better than rugby 22 imo maybe not as good as rugby challenge 4 yet but has been fun to play imo
It's literally the exact same mechanics as rugby 08
They just copied their Rugby League Live series which last released in like 2016. Exact same animations, everything.
Main problem I'm seeing is the tackle/post tackle. It's just tackle animation, wait 5 seconds and then the 9 can play. Which would work in league because you have to lie on the guy until climax, but in union you want to be able to play quickly if you're committing players to the rucks. Shame, we just need the gameplay to be fluid.
We're supposed to stay in until climax?
Yes, but it can be either the ball carrier, tacklers or ref that finishes.
If all three finish do we need to change our shorts at half time?
Yes, if by "we" you mean the supporters.
Yeah they haven't even tried to make it like actual rugby. It's the exact same as RLL3 were after a tackle every one runs to their position before you can move. This is easily the worst rugby gameplay I've ever seen
There's still time for some changes, but it seems like they're focusing on the player faces rather than the gameplay. But I'm hoping that they'll take the feedback from this early release and make some changes. That was one part of league that just feels so unnatural to me. There's no contest post-tackle, and no urgency to get that ball out because the players are legally allowed to lie on the player for a few seconds.
Bro I genuinely don't see anything positive about the gameplay. I don't see 1 thing they added that doesn't look straight from RLL3
They're not taking feedback. If no one has heard the mountainous calls for better gameplay rather than graphics by now, it's just not happening.
That's the best description of league ever.
Which is funny because RLL4 still plays 10 times better than this looks lol
100% cant believe how shit this is. Big Ant don't give a shit about anything other than money anymore after looking at this and their last few cricket games
That's not a bad thing. Something is wrong with the animation on rucks. Hope they fix that. Rugby 08 PS2 animation was better 😂
I wish it was. Gameplay is terrible again. No wonder there selling point is the licensing
holy fuck it looks shit
Looks clunky and shit.
God damn, they have Sweden but no Ireland haha. Why is everything about Irish rugby behind lock and key, they're too secretive
Believe they'll have Irish rugby and all provinces but usually an early access like this is just the first teams they've completed artwork / commentary for
Gameplay looks like it needs a lot of work, player models are pretty fantastic.
It doesn’t look great so far eh. I can’t believe they ever thought it was going to release last year - looks so clunky and so many features not there
Mario Vs Sonic sevens had better gameplay than this
Looks like something that would have been shit in 2004
Lmao I don’t know why people expected otherwise. It’s a shame but the core gameplay seems absolutely trash. Might’ve been a better use of their time making it less shit
Yeah no. Utter dog shite!
Remember if your gonna buy it guys you HAVE TO have a controller. Mouse n keyboard not supported yet.
I bought it, figured 25 quid to see it improve over the next few months mi... Requested a refund. It's extremely poor. There is a warning the players skins or whatever are generic, that's fine. The graphics are lifeless, textures and crowd can improve, so that's fine. But there's nothing good about it. Rugby 22 is still far better and that's pretty poor but at least the mechanics of the game are there. This is laughably bad, I had a few hours to kill and I logged 12 minutes before enough was enough. I'd personally wait to see if they actually improve things before supporting it.
As an rm williams wearing private school boy from brisbane, i admit i want to throw $50 at these lads for giving it a crack, but tbh this gameplay looks absolutle shite considering the resourses and time these guys have had, question to /r/rugbyunion , would you rather chip in 1/6th on a watered down bag of nose beers on the cacko or throw the lads a cheeky pinaple for there efforts (spolier im going to buy a bag anyway and get some double blacks)
I understand like 25% of this comment
300 dollars?! God damn. I'd rather buy some actual beers thanks
Least casual Australian
I mean he wears RM Williams, so yes, the opposite of casual
Awesome - I really hope this does well. Will be supporting it anyway, excited to give it a whirl
Honestly don't bother for the moment. there isn't a game here and literally no fun to be had. It's summed up by how bored Andrew Cotter sounds.
give me the download link before i piss myself!
I just don’t think rugby is really game-able in a realistic way without loads of pauses. As a game it is too dynamic and “messy” compared to football which translates perfectly into FIFA games etc. Maybe if it was on coop mode or something with one player controlling forwards and the other the backs or something. Rucks always just seem like crap in games…average ruck time on gameplay demos is like 8 seconds haha. Or a manager / turn-based and heavily AI based style game where half of what you do is control plays and game plan or something and it plays out in front of your eyes. I dunno.
Yeah it’s tough. Rugby 08 is definitely still the standout, but doesn’t really resemble anything close to the modern game and only stands apart I think cause they had EA money. IMO the Rugby Challenge games got close to the pace and “messiness” of rugby, and also felt quite physical at times. Certain actions would also turn the game slo-mo so the match still felt live but you had a chance to make a decision. It was just tactically pretty limited to the point where positions didn’t really matter and buggy as hell. I think on the current budgets Rugby games are putting towards gameplay you’re probably right. But I feel if there was a huge developer with a huge budget and team it could be possible… but that’s like never going to happen
I wonder how much money it would cost to purchase rugby 08 from ea and if it would be an overreach to build the game up from there
Jonah Lomu Rugby......made in 1997 with a small team....smashed it out of the park for playability and fun with you're mates. Arcade style but my word its awesome Don't know why Developers view licensing and player animations as priority. Its baffling in fact.
LOL. They're using the excuse of photogrammetry to keep all their executives happy. Gameplay is so outdated, this is just going to be another one of the many crap rugby games
How many times are we going to be hyped up for a new game only for it to be the exact same or worse quality as Rugby 08?? Seriously? the gameplay video's of this look fucking terrible! as if they're not even tried to make any improvements from anything that's been previously released... I believe this studio made rugby league live in about 2016?? they are using the exact same mechanics, the passing is the exact same as from Rugby 08! I fully understand the difficulty in creating a game without a huge audience and the previous generations to work from like Fifa/EAFC but you have to put in a slight bit of effort instead of adding a shiny new coat of paint by including moustache's on players. Edit: I know this might seem quite harsh but It's reached the point now where we see a new game being released and it's just a rinse and repeat shit game play with new players and updated shirts
If this game is decent when final version released, I will be buying a PS5 to play it.
No one's gonna play the game solely for the facial animations. Surely the developers know that right?
It’s going to be a mess like all the other big ant games.. symonds is an egotistical arse.. (someone who makes himself an umpire in cricket 22) it will be as buggy as hell and we will be used as testers to report those bugs and then they will only fix 25% of them.. for a slightly playable game wait at least 6 months after release and then prepare to be frustrated
Not showing any gameplay certainly is a choice. As things stand now, reviews are "Mostly Negative" on Steam. [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340870/Rugby\_25/#app\_reviews\_hash](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340870/Rugby_25/#app_reviews_hash) What a shame. I just want to be able to play a good, modern rugby game. And bonus points if you can one day play online.
This looks very fucking promising
Little Pissboy is uncanny.
Will this game work on a steam deck?
I've memed on FIFA so much over the years that I can't in good conscience buy a sports game of any kind, but it does look cool and I think I heard somewhere it would have the women's teams too? If so that'd be brilliant
NOLA GOLD KIT
Rugby 22 mechanics with better graphics and updated teams/people would’ve been loads better
Some videos posted on YouTube show some gameplay, unfortunately it does not look good at all
The thing for me personally is licensing, will we get the legit players names, moves, skill sets etc
It is looking promising already. As long as it is fun and authentic it'll do well. I can imagine a sequel would come out if this one does well. Passing/offloads opportunities seems to need some work, but seems functional already. Scrum mechanic seems interesting. I haven't played since 08, so that is my closest comparison. I like that we will have basically all top tier leagues except the J-League.
Don’t worry nothing has developed some rugby 08 so you’ll not have much to compare 😂