EA Rugby 2004 (PC, EA Sports)

By PETER ELEY

EA's Gamer of the Year event in Auckland last week showcased what it expects to be its biggest-selling title in New Zealand this year, EA Rugby 2004.

While that was the PlayStation2 version, the game's mechanics and graphics will be similar for the PC.

The version New Zealand's top sports gamers fought it out with was almost the full one, with just a few glitches to be ironed out, and release is imminent, says EA.

A demo version for the PC is downloadable from EA's website, which also tries to explain our national game's rules and terminology, presumably for the US market.

The demo hopefully isn't a predictor of the World Cup final, as it features a showdown between Australia and England.

The full game will be much bigger than the previous version, with 95 teams, 2000 players, 75 stadiums and gameplay where weather makes a real difference.

For example, Australia play well on hard, dry conditions, but try beating the Poms on a wet day at Twickenham ...

While there's a strong World Cup focus, there's the Super 12, European club tournaments, Tri-Nations, Bledisloe Cup and Six Nations.

It looks a much better product all round, and some of the gameplay and ideas have been adopted from EA's premier title, Madden 2004, which has been getting rave reviews worldwide.


* Christchurch student Jerry Teo won the EA Gamer of the Year title for the second year in a row, beating five other finalists in an intense five-hour session of rugby, soccer and basketball. He picked up a $10,000 home cinema and gaming system for his efforts.


* A sequel to the gritty, game noir, Max Payne, is due out this year. The original game started with Max's family being murdered and followed his subsequent and bloody quest for revenge. It was a bleak story, and Max Payne 2 promises more of the same, although we will see a softer side to Max as he falls in love with a glamorous murder suspect.

* Email Peter Eley