Wembley Rugby League
Description
Having previously recreated the more internationally famed rugby union with World Class Rugby, Audiogenic switched their attention to Rugby League, using the same game engine.
The main differences in the league game is that a team has to give up possession after being tackled six times – which often leads to some bold moves on the 5th tackle, especially as if you retrieve the ball an opposition player, you get a fresh set of six tackles – and that after a tackle, play restarts by flicking the ball back to another player (inexplicably knows as the ‘Play-the-Ball’), while the entire teams (of 13 players, not the 15 in Union) remain on their side of the ball. Instead of line-outs, the ball going out of play at the side results in a scrum, as does a knock-on (fumbling attempts to control a pass or recieve a kick) if those are switched on.
The gameplay is viewed from either a Kick Off-style overhead view or a forced-perspective 3D one, with a scanner on screen to show where your team-mates are (this is more important than in football). Passing is pulled off by pressing fire and directing the pass, whereas holding down fire will kick the ball up ahead. Tackling involves aiming at the player, and diving if necessary. Set-piece kicks involve aiming the direction and angle by pressing fire at the right times to stop a crosshair.
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Average score: 3.3 out of 5 (based on 2 ratings with 1 reviews)
An impressive and lovingly-made recreation of the sport
The Good
The sound effects add a lot to the atmosphere. All the rules of Rugby League have been accurately recreated, which gives the game novelty value if you aren't a League fan, and a real place in your mind if you are, as perhaps the only chance to play the game on computer.
There is a wide range of options, allowing for different match lengths, 10 difficulty levels, weather conditions, optional knock-ons and more.
Controls work well, making it easy to thread a pass through, and often giving the opportunity to offload the ball during the tackle, therefore avoiding using one of your set of 6 tackles, and giving a chance to spread the play and surprise the opposition
The Bad
The team who concedes a score always kicks off, which means that the team who've just scored are immediately back in possession. This makes it too easy to score a succession of points, on occasion I managed 20 without reply, before losing the ball and then conceding 12 without reply. As with (American) Football, the game isn't nearly as much fun when you don't have possession anyway.
The manual is not only insultingly basic, suggesting that those who aren't familiar with the sport read a book about it, but is also little help for playing the game, and certainly won't win converts to the sport.
The menu system is quite awkward, using the joystick to move a cursor (slowly) with no mouse support. In particular, it's annoying that to select a team, you have to go into a team selection page off another menu, rather that simply choosing it from a list immediately before playing,.
The Bottom Line
With a few rule differences from rugby union, and more of an emphasis on gradual progressive play rather than long kicks and optimistic chases, rugby league is quite suited to computer game rendition.
Wembley Rugby League stands alone as an individual product. On a technical level it works extremely well and should provide a lasting challenge, although the company's World Class Rugby has more mass popularity and perhaps more glamour to the range of teams and players. Viewed in isolation it all makes for a good game though.
Amiga · by Martin Smith (81743) · 2005
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Martin Smith.
DOS added by Kabushi.
Game added May 10, 2004. Last modified February 22, 2023.