Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge

I think it’s fair to say at the beginning of this review that rugby fans are not ones who suffer from an over-abundance of rugby games to choose from on the current generation. There was Rugby World Cup 2011… and now Jonah Lomu’s Rugby Challenge. Even worse, the previous option had never been one to try and… ah, who am I kidding, it totally sucked out loud. However, in what can only be described as “Scotland winning the World Cup” level of shock, Jonah Lomu’s Rugby Challenge does not suck!

While that may be considered a tad harsh, the previous game before wasn’t exactly terrible, but it was, at best, a time-filler in hope that one day a developer would step up to the plate and make a deserving rugby game for the fans. So, rugby fans, I’d like you to meet Sidhe. A New Zealand (YES!) based developer who has finally created a rugby game which I can say, hand on heart, is a really superb example of the genre.

For me, the issues with previous rugby games has always been the lack of feel to the gameplay. I never felt as if I was really in control of the players or the game as much as I was vaguely guiding them in the direction I wanted and hoping that the dice landed on my number. JLRC though has really shown that by tightening up the controls that the gameplay quality is dramatically increased. Passing has finally been perfected, with short and long passes to selected players down the line being an absolute breeze, and line outs and scrubs now boil down to timing a certain action on the controller at the right time, but also the timing required is based around the stats of the grouping of players involved which is a brilliant balance and keeps the flow going during the slower elements of the game.

Loose balls are also now finally something other than sheer luck of whether or not your player had decided to take a sit down on that particular part of the field or not. As you can individually control the players throughout the game, you can either play ahead or manually grab your nearest man and make a break for the ball. Seems unimpressive when explained so blandly, but being able to have that control and then go on to grab it, kick it, or do a quick pass or chip is just another building block of what helps make JLRC the best rugby game available out there right now. Plus, when taking kicks, be they penalties, kicking for touch or drop goals, the motion and controls feel fluent and always very sharp, especially with the addition of bullet-time mode while making the kick. Assuming of course that you have enough space on the pitch around you for the game to justify it, otherwise you’re just going to have to be lightning quick! Simply put: The controls make this game.

On top of all this, though, you still have a ‘Rugby Dollar’ system to keep you occupied which can be used on some of the (limited) customisation options within the game, and gives you a little more encouragement to try and max out every training and match mode possible. It can feel a tad unnecessary as the game goes on, but it’s great to start getting you into the feel of the game.

There are still a few gripes which need to be aired out, though. As Rugby World Cup 2011 owns the licences to all of the Six Nations teams, it means that you need to be a big International fan to want to jump on board with The Wallabies and The All Blacks who are licensed for this game. In an ideal world, we would have them all in one. There are also some graphical glitches, and the graphics are not the most gorgeous ones on Earth as it stands, and at times the games loading times can feel rather slack. They are small, minor issues which add up to a point or so being docked, but Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge is a very, VERY strong 8. It’s the game all rugby fans have been waiting for! If only it hadn’t taken so long to arrive.


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