Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

Rugby World Cup 2011 is a decent attempt at bringing the sport back to games consoles and despite being light on features and a bit weak in the graphics department, it actually plays a fine game of Rugby. Hopefully HB Studios have done enough to get another stab at a Rugby game and not just in four years time for the next World Cup, it would be nice to see this base engine built up over the next few years and to see the sport better represented in the gaming world.

Not perfect. But it's a welcome way to fill time between real games once the tournament kicks off Down Under. [Nov 2011, p.107]

For fans of the sport, RWC 2011 is worth the price of admission, if not the wait. It's a game full of promise, but lacks the polish to appeal to a wider audience.

The most disappointing aspect of Rugby World Cup, however, is just how threadbare it is in terms of modes.

Rugby World Cup 2011 sports a solid gameplay foundation, but it's dragged down by a mediocre technical production ad the lack of content, limited only to the World Cup teams and competitions.

As it stands there's just too little on offer here to justify the cost for a full-priced, boxed retail release.

The absence of any tutorial mode makes it an uphill battle for newcomers, while committed rugby fans will probably be put off by its lack of depth. New Zealand games don't even begin with the Haka, and where's the fun in that?

A frustrating affair. [Issue#77, p.91]

Rugby World Cup 2011 feels almost like the "lite" version of a more fully-featured game - as though you should get this for a pittance before paying an additional fee to unlock the rest, like so many iPhone games. Only in this case there's nothing more to get - other than a refund.

Quotation forthcoming.