Rugby 08 Critic Reviews

It’s a game of strategy and decision-making and, probably more than anything else, teamwork. EA Sports has pulled it off nicely and made a great game that that is both serious and fun at the same time. Very highly recommended.

Fans of the sport will find everything from the controls to the graphics has improved greatly and while it’s not a major leap forward, it is a big leap in the right direction.

The various control options allow you to naturally acquire advanced techniques once you’ve mastered the basics. I still have a few niggling problems with the controls and the ever insufferable moments of omnipresent AI. But at the very least, Rugby 2008 will certainly tide you over until the World Cup.

Rugby 08's greatest asset is the simplicity of the controls. Rugby's a fast-moving sport, with lots of things to do, but almost every action feels intuitive.

Ultimately, you don’t need to be well-schooled in the sport to get a kick out of Rugby 08 - and if you’re not, the rollicking good time you’ll have will pique your interest. Sporting all the best players in the world, plenty of depth, and the chance to smash some helmet-less faces into the mud, it’s a title that we can really sink our teeth into.

Another well-conceived and well-executed update, with enough new gameplay features that Rugby 06 owners should warrant investing in an upgrade (we'll conveniently forget the lack of career mode) and enough gameplay concessions that fair-weather rugby fans caught up in World Cup fever can confidently purchase without fear of overly complex control set-ups or endless technical rules vagaries.

If you're a rugby fan, then this game is a must buy. The addition of the Challenge mode and the inclusion of the World Cup and World League make for compelling gameplay. The ease of controls will make even first-time rugby players competent in no time. The mediocre graphics, sounds, and lack of online gameplay don't substantively detract from the overall experience.

If you have ever been interested in Rugby, this is the game to check out for you.

If you don’t know what rugby is or think of it as a poor-man’s football, this game will teach you what it’s all about, and entertain you. It’s a fast-paced sports game, and that translates well in any language.

Rugby 08 does stray into familiar territory, especially if you’ve played a lot of Rugby 06. Still, the additions and improvements to the game are definitely welcome, particularly the Challenge mode that accompanies the World Cup and the minor improvements in the complex aspects such as scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls.

Rugby 08 is enjoyable enough to warrant a rental by those curious about the sport, but only serious followers of the sport will find it holding their attention for longer.

Competent, but nothing overwhelming for the amount of time we've had to wait for it.

The gameplay itself holds up strong throughout any mode, despite the delayed controls and sudden difficulty spike, and playing with a friend is usually good fun. In the end, though, we had hoped to see a little more in Rugby 08 that would distinguish it from 06; something concrete that goes beyond cosmetic upgrades.

Not just for Rugby experts.

Rugby 08 isn't much of a step-up from the previous game in the franchise, but it still offers pick-up-and-play fun for both novices and rugby fanatics.

Rugby 08 was never going to revolutionise the 15-man code's representation in videogaming, but it wasn't intended to. Instead it throws a sliver of new gameplay to appease fans of the series in the run up to the World Cup.

The bad news? Nothing in the game has really changed from the previous game and online play continues to be missing. The good news? It still plays just like the real sport and looks excellent to boot.

The tutorial expects you to know the core rules, so complete noobs will be lost instantly.

Will delight even casual rugger fans.

Rugby 08 is at the end of the day an average re-release with some updated features.