Rugby World Cup 2015 is avideo game Rugby game developed by HB Studios . ^[1]

The game is the official video game of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and was released worldwide on Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation Vita , Xbox 360 and Xbox One on September 4, 2015.

Game modes include the official Rugby World Cup tournament and a Custom Cup mode that allows players to create their own version of the tournament. The twenty teams that qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup are featured, but only ten of them are fully licensed. The England national team is among those lacking a license because its likeness already appears in a rival game. Rugby Challenge 3 . An editing feature allows players to change the fake names used for unlicensed teams, but this applies only to exhibition and custom cup modes; the Rugby World Cup game mode retains the fake names.

Using the same control system implemented in Rugby  15 , the game was heavily criticized by critics. The lack of official team licenses, the absence of licensed stadiums, the lack of an online mode, poor graphics, and outdated gameplay presentation also drew criticism.

Reception [ edit ]

2015 Rugby World Cup was universally negative, with reviews noting that the game offered few improvements over Rugby 15 by HB Studios, and suggesting that the game had been rushed to ensure it was released in time for the tournament itself. ^[2] [3]

IGN gave the game a score of 1.5 out of 10, noting major bugs, poorly implemented AI, and a reliance on canned animations for tackles; it also observed that, while the ruck system had fewer bugs than the one in Rugby 15 , its implementation placed an "emphasis on speed [that] results in a lot of frustration and a lack of overall control." Ultimately, the game was deemed essentially a rebadged version of Rugby 15 released in time for the actual World Cup. ^[2] One critic also noted that a feature using statistical data to simulate matches between two teams sometimes produced implausible results, arguing that "no one is going to complain if South Africa crushes Japan a thousand times out of a thousand" because "That doesn't happen in real life." Ironically, during the actual Rugby World Cup, Japan famously defeated South Africa in the group stage. ^[4] [5]

GamesRadar was somewhat more positive about Rugby World Cup 2015 compared to Rugby 15 , noting gameplay and mechanical improvements that made the game feel more like real rugby—including TV-style instant replays—and calling it "the first rugby title" [to get it right]. ...years, which rewards running hard and straight rather than jumping sideways in an attempt to beat the defense." However, the game was criticized for featuring only minor improvements over Rugby 15 , with comments noting that "there is nothing here to suggest an understanding of scrums—which is forgivable, given that most international referees don't understand them either—but there is certainly no attempt to replicate the complex battle of binding, pushing, and—likely—biting that is part of the game, let alone the 'hooking' and 'shoving'." It was also noted that half of the teams in the game (including, ironically, tournament host England) were unlicensed and thus composed of fictional players, and that none of the actual tournament venues were featured. Upon giving to RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 a rating of 2 out of 5 stars, the improvements in the game were deemed "nothing more than a fig leaf barely covering the game's hideous nakedness." ^[3]