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RUGBY WORLD CUP '95
by Michael A Zazulak
v. 0.5
Copyright 2006
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CONTENTS
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I Introduction
II Controls
III Menu Options
IV Teams
V Version History/Legal
Coming Soon: Game Strategies, Rules of Rugby, FAQs (if anyone asks anything)
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I - INTRODUCTION
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Hooray for my third general FAQ! Yay me! Anyway, this guide (hopefully) will
allow you, the reader, to better play one of my favorite Genesis titles, Rugby
World Cup '95. When I first found this game in the bargain bin at a local game
shop, I was stoked. I mean really, who would have thought that Electronic Arts
would put out a rugby title in North America, where the sport has an extremely
small fan base? Needless to say, I picked it up, gave the clerk the $3 he was
charging, and started playing as soon as I got home. That is when I started to
notice that, despite the fact that it's a great simulation, you absolutely need
the manual to know how to do some basic rugby tactics, notably how to kick. So
where do you turn when you can't figure something out? Why, GameFAQs of course!
Unfortunately I discovered that nobody had written a guide for the game. Now, a
couple years further down the road, I land a copy with a manual, so now I know
how to fully enjoy the game. I was looking for a project to start on, and found
out that the game still had no guides up. It was destiny...or at least nobody
else who liked the game ever bothered to write one. Either way, I decided to get
cracking on a guide. The fruits of my labour I now share with you, the reader.
Enjoy!
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II - CONTROLS
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The game's controls are fairly simple, yet at the same time somewhat complex, so
because of this (and the fact that I couldn't for the life of me figure out how
to kick a grubber) I decided to put in a section detailing how to play the game.
WITH THE BALL (RUNNING)
B Button - Pass the ball to a teammate.
A + B Buttons - Hand-off opponent.
C Button - Speed Burst/Break Tackle.
C Button (behind goal) - Ground ball for a try.
B + C Buttons - Form a maul.
WITH THE BALL (KICKING)
Hold A + D-Pad Up/Down in the direction of play, then release A - Grubber kick.
Hold A + D-Pad Up/Down against the direction of play, then release A - Up and
Under kick.
Hold A + D-Pad Left/Right in the direction of the touch line - Kick to Touch.
Press A - Attempt a Drop Goal.
WITHOUT THE BALL
A Button - Tackle.
B Button - Switch player.
C Button - Speed burst.
FORMING A SCRUM
A, B, or C Button - Put the ball into the scrum.
D-Pad Up/Down in the direction of play - Shove forward.
D-Pad Left/Right relative to the direction of play - Rotate scrum.
A + B + C Buttons - Collapse scrum (illegal move - concedes a penalty).
FORMING A MAUL
B + C Buttons when in possession - Form maul.
Hold A, B, or C Button - Send Scrum Half to (A)left, (B) back, or (C) right of
maul ready to pick up the ball (release button to pick up the ball).
Tap A, B, or C Button - Release ball to player on the (A) left, (B) at back, or
(C) on the right of the maul.
KICK OFF/PENALTY KICK
(use A, B, or C Button)
Press 1 - Start the power bar moving.
Press 2 - Stops the power bar at the desired strength of the kick.
Press 3 - Stops the bar within the brackets to determine accuracy.
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III - MENU OPTIONS
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There are several options for customization and actual gameplay after you leave
the title screen. They are as follows:
LANGUAGE: Choose whether you want the game's text to be displayed in English,
French, or Italian.
PLAY MODE: Choose whether you want to play a friendly game, league play, World
Cup tournamentplay, World Cup Cup '95 tournament play, a demonstration, or just
restore a previous league or World Cup tournament.
--Friendly: Simple Exhibition play.
--League: Allows you to pick 8 teams from the list and see which team can win
the league title.
--World Cup: A tournament beginning with pool play to qualify, then proceeding
to the knockout stage, with the final team remaining being crowned as the World
Cup winner.
--World Cup 1995: The only difference between this option and the standard World
Cup option is that only the teams that qualified for the 1995 World Cup of Rugby
are eligable to be used.
--Demo: Pick the teams and watch the computer play...fun fun...
--Restore: Allows you to input the password to restore a previous League, World
Cup, or World Cup 1995 game.
TEAM ONE/TEAM TWO: These options are only available for Friendly and Demo play.
Basically, these are the two teams that are going to play. England and Ireland
are the defaults.
HALF LENGTH: While rugby is played in two 40 minute halves, most people don't
have the desire to play a video game for 80 minutes before winning a round, let
alone having to play several rounds. This option lets you change the half time
from the 40 minute standard, all the way down to 2 minutes per half. I try and
use 5-10 minutes myself, to keep the game moving.
GAME TYPE: Choose whether you want to play an Action game or a Simulation game.
--Action: Offsides and knock-ons aren't called, and the players don't get tired.
--Simulation: Players get fatigued, affecting their ability to run and tackle.
Refs also call offsides and knock-ons.
TEMPERATURE: Choose between Warm, Cold, Freezing, Random, Very Hot, and Hot. Hot
weather makes the players tire easier, while cold weather makes it difficult to
handle the ball.
PITCH: Choose from Damp, Wet, Drenched, Random, Bone Dry, and Dry. Wet ground is
harder to run on, while dry ground makes tackles that much more damaging.
OFFSIDES: Turning this off will allow players who are offside to interfere with
play without returning to an onside position first.
SHOW CLOCK: Options are Always, Key Points, and End of Half. Determines when you
can see the game clock during play.
SOUND: Choose between All, None, Music Only, and SFX Only. I'm sure you can
figure out what they do...
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IV - TEAMS
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There are generally three levels of teams in the game, with teams that they can
compete against relatively evenly. It is recommended that you only choose one of
the teams in the lower brackets if (a) you are looking for a challenge, or (b)
you are looking to handicap yourself or your opponent in a multiplayer game if
your/their skill level is different from that of yourself. Overall team rankings
are listed, then a general list will be compiled at the end.
Argentina: An average team with no real weaknesses. Then again, they don't have
many strengths. Overall: 5
Australia: Somewhat above the norm in all stats, especially their backs. They
also have excellent kickers. Overall: 7
Canada: Slightly better than Argentina, but they're still nothing to write home
about. Overall: 5.5
Czech Rep.: The Czechs are among the worst teams in the game. Below average in
every stat, use them only if you're looking for a challenge, or a
death wish. Overall: 4
England: Not quite as good as Australia, but a solid choice for an experienced
player. Their forwards are slightly above the norm. Overall: 6.5
Fiji: Nothing good to say here. All stats below average. Slightly better than
the Czechs. Overall: 4.5
France: Good forwards and decent backs make France a contender...barely. A good
choice for moderately experienced players. Overall: 7.5
Germany: Bottom of the barrel. These guys couldn't ruck their way through jello.
Overall: 3.5
Ireland: A near even match with England. Their forwards are slightly worse than
the Brits, but their backs make up for it. Overall: 6.5
Italy: Another average team. Nothing about them stands out, but nothing really
lacking either. Overall: 5
Ivory Coast: Overall ranking is average, but don't let that fool you - this is a
piss-poor team. Everything hovers on the low end of average, save
for kicking, which is just atrocious. Overall: 4.5
Japan: On par with Ivory Coast, except that their kicking is much better among
their backs. Overall: 5
Latvia: Even worse than the German team. They have absolutely no saving graces,
and should be avoided at all costs. Overall: 3
Morocco: Another team that really has no business competing on the world stage.
There's no saving this team. Overall: 3.5
Nambia: Middle of the pack. Not unplayable, but nothing special. Could offer a
challenge for a novice. Overall: 5.0
Netherlands: More mediocre teams...you must be wondering whether any good ones
were even put in the game... Overall: 4.5
New Zealand: I can't understand how their stats got so low in this game...they
are one of the powerhouses of World Cup rugby. Watch out for their
backs, they're among the best in the game. Overall: 7.5
Portugal: Another team with no business being in the game. Avoid them like the
plague. Overall: 4
Romania: A nice, well rounded team with a slight advantage in every department,
with the exception of kicking. A solid, but not spectacular, choice.
Overall: 6
Russia: Looks like the fall of the Soviet Union took it's toll on the Russian
team, because they make the Germans look like a powerhouse. Overall: 3.5
Scotland: One of the better teams in the game. Above the norm in all facets of
the game, save that their forwards can't kick. Overall: 7.5
South Africa: The host nation, and a favorite at every World Cup, for some odd
reason they're not as good as they should be. Still, they're one
of the best teams in the game. Overall: 7
Spain: Decent backs and average forwards. Not great, but still a decent choice
if you're playing against an inexperienced player. Overall: 5
Sweden: Crap-tacular team. They could give Morocco a run for their money, but
not much else. Overall: 3.5
Tonga: Another average team. Nothing makes them stand out from the crowd. Makes
for a nice switch from Italy when playing against novices. Overall: 5
Uruguay: Another team with nothing going for it. Overall: 4
United States: Never known for their rugby skills, it looks like some artistic
liberties may have been taken on EA's part, because the Americans
are slightly above average in the game. Must have been so the
game would actually sell a few copies... Overall: 5.5
Wales: The Welsh team is as close to a powerhouse as this game has. On par with
New Zealand and France. Watch out for their defence, their forwards are
killers! Overall: 7.5
Western Samoa: A good overall team. Stands out a bit in every stat, but not by
alot. Overall: 6
Zimbabwe: Somewhat below average, but not terrible. Overall: 4.5
EA Barbarians: What essentially amounts to an all-star team. Excellent in every
category, but still not a perfect team. Their backs are an inch
under flawless. Overall: 8
EA Maulers: The other all-star team in the game. The Maulers have near perfect
backs as well. Expect plenty of tries from this team. Overall: 8
GROUPS
> 5 (aka Crap Teams): Czech Rep., Fiji, Germany, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Morocco,
Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Uruguay, Zimbabwe
5 - 6 (aka Average Teams): Argentina, Canada, Italy, Japan, Nambia, Romania,
Spain, Tonga, United States, Western Samoa
6.5 & Up (aka Awesome Teams): Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand,
Scotland, South Africa, Wales, EA Barbarians, EA
Maulers
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V - VERSION HISTORY/LEGAL
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This is version 0.51 of this FAQ. I plan to add at least one more installment,
featuring general playing strategies and any questions people ask of me...of
course, there probably won't be many questions as this game is a relatively
unpopular title for a long-dead system...then again, you never really know. I
may do a section about the rules of rugby, but this is something kinda on the
back burner since anyone who plays this game probably knows them already anyway.
Of course, if feedback tells me otherwise, that section will get sped along into
future updates.
V. 0.51 - Added contact information...can't believe I forgot it. Also edited
the allowed sites.
V. 0.5 - First release, fairly bare-bones. Major sections included with the
notable exception of gameplay strategies. Submitted as a skeleton FAQ.
This FAQ is permitted to be posted on the following websites, and ONLY those
websites. I will, upon notification, take the necessary steps to protect my
intellectual property. If you wish to host this FAQ, just ask. Seriously, that's
all it takes.
To ask a question about the game, give feedback for this FAQ, or to ask me for
permission to host this FAQ on your site, please contact me at the_wizard_6669
AT hotmail DOT com, and put something along the lines of "Rugby '95 FAQ ____"
where the ____ is whatever the email is about, I will read it and reply (if a
reply is warranted) in due time.
All information in this guide was written by Michael A. Zazulak from many, many
hours of actual gameplay. Game control summary taken from the manual for the
game. All trademarks used in this FAQ are property of their respective owners,
including, but not limited to, Electronic Arts, Sega Enterprises Ltd, and Rugby
World Cup Ltd.
Special thanks to:
Electronic Arts for taking a chance and releasing a fantastic rugby sim in North
America, despite the sport's lack of popularity on this side of the Atlantic.
GameFAQs for hosting my guides, and the many FAQ writers who inspired me to
write, despite a long-held dislike for writing.
The owners of Neoseeker.com and HonestGamers.com, for expressing interest in my
work, despite the rather low quality. Makes a guy feel all warm and fuzzy :P
You, the reader, for making this guide worth writing. Without you, there would
be no reason to write it. If this guide helps even one gamer play the game
better, it's done it's job.
