All Black Rugby Challenge
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:31 pm
From an early preview
All Black Rugby Challenge
All Black Rugby Challenge is an upcoming sports title in development by Wellington based studio Sidhe. Earlier this week we were invited to our nation’s capital for the day to check on the game’s progress.
New Zealand is a rugby mad nation, so the responsibility of developing a Rugby video game must come with a degree of trepidation. Kiwi rugby fans tend to be a fairly unforgiving lot, especially in a World Cup year, and we’ve seen a few second-rate attempts at simulating our national game over the years.
Fortunately this is not Sidhe’s first rodeo –in fact they recently celebrated 14 years in the business. With over 100 staff they are the largest game production studio in New Zealand, producing numerous titles for a variety of platforms – some of the more notable releases include Shatter, Jackass, Madagascar Kartz, Rugby League 2, and Gripshift.
There is little doubt that Sidhe has the people and the skill to create quality games, and when Managing Director Mario Wynands began to talk passionately about what they were doing with All Black Rugby Challenge, any fears that I may have held were quickly replaced with both anticipation and genuine excitement.
If you’re an unashamed rugby-head like me, there’s a lot to be excited about. All Black Rugby Challenge will feature fully licensed teams including the All Blacks and the Wallabies. Competitions such as Super Rugby and our own ITM Cup are included, along with multiplayer online options, a multi-year franchise mode, tutorials, wide-ranging customisation options, and dynamic real-time commentary by Grant ‘Nisbo’ Nisbett and Justin Marshall.
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To make the game more realistic the motion capture has been done at Weta studios. During a match, every single member of the cheering crowd can be seen moving individually. Rucks become a tug of war where surrounding players can be encouraged to join in to either secure the ball or try and force a turnover. I also liked the way the wind direction was displayed, which can affect your kicking game.
New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu also makes an appearance in All Black Rugby Challenge. It will be the first time Lomu has appeared in a videogame in over a decade. In addition to including his name, likeness, and motion capture in the game, Lomu will also bring his experience to the development process by working directly with Sidhe.
Sidhe has incorporated some impressive detail into All Black Rugby Challenge; the level of customisation offers more variety than any current EA Sports game. The attention to detail is astonishing, even going so far as to include current player’s favourite boot colour and headgear design.
“After achieving success with other sports videogames, we are extremely proud to be taking on the national sport of New Zealand” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe, “This is an exciting time for rugby both within New Zealand and internationally, and it is fantastic to be a part of that”.
Sidhe is leaving no stone unturned to make All Black Rugby Challenge the best rugby experience ever in a video game. It is due to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Sony’s PSP Vita and PC in the coming months. We’ll have lots more for you between now and kick off, including an interview with Mario himself.
All Black Rugby Challenge
All Black Rugby Challenge is an upcoming sports title in development by Wellington based studio Sidhe. Earlier this week we were invited to our nation’s capital for the day to check on the game’s progress.
New Zealand is a rugby mad nation, so the responsibility of developing a Rugby video game must come with a degree of trepidation. Kiwi rugby fans tend to be a fairly unforgiving lot, especially in a World Cup year, and we’ve seen a few second-rate attempts at simulating our national game over the years.
Fortunately this is not Sidhe’s first rodeo –in fact they recently celebrated 14 years in the business. With over 100 staff they are the largest game production studio in New Zealand, producing numerous titles for a variety of platforms – some of the more notable releases include Shatter, Jackass, Madagascar Kartz, Rugby League 2, and Gripshift.
There is little doubt that Sidhe has the people and the skill to create quality games, and when Managing Director Mario Wynands began to talk passionately about what they were doing with All Black Rugby Challenge, any fears that I may have held were quickly replaced with both anticipation and genuine excitement.
If you’re an unashamed rugby-head like me, there’s a lot to be excited about. All Black Rugby Challenge will feature fully licensed teams including the All Blacks and the Wallabies. Competitions such as Super Rugby and our own ITM Cup are included, along with multiplayer online options, a multi-year franchise mode, tutorials, wide-ranging customisation options, and dynamic real-time commentary by Grant ‘Nisbo’ Nisbett and Justin Marshall.
ADVERTISEMENT
To make the game more realistic the motion capture has been done at Weta studios. During a match, every single member of the cheering crowd can be seen moving individually. Rucks become a tug of war where surrounding players can be encouraged to join in to either secure the ball or try and force a turnover. I also liked the way the wind direction was displayed, which can affect your kicking game.
New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu also makes an appearance in All Black Rugby Challenge. It will be the first time Lomu has appeared in a videogame in over a decade. In addition to including his name, likeness, and motion capture in the game, Lomu will also bring his experience to the development process by working directly with Sidhe.
Sidhe has incorporated some impressive detail into All Black Rugby Challenge; the level of customisation offers more variety than any current EA Sports game. The attention to detail is astonishing, even going so far as to include current player’s favourite boot colour and headgear design.
“After achieving success with other sports videogames, we are extremely proud to be taking on the national sport of New Zealand” said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe, “This is an exciting time for rugby both within New Zealand and internationally, and it is fantastic to be a part of that”.
Sidhe is leaving no stone unturned to make All Black Rugby Challenge the best rugby experience ever in a video game. It is due to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Sony’s PSP Vita and PC in the coming months. We’ll have lots more for you between now and kick off, including an interview with Mario himself.
so long as the create player doesn't make your player have the worlds biggest head like rugby 08