Australian Rugby League [Mega Drive] - Harry Yack's great cash-in special [2/2]

Wigan (otherwise known as Simpsons FC) take on the might of Castleford (also known as Fiji) in a battle for Mega Drive Rugby League supremacy in EA's Australian Rugby League. This game, the counterpart to Rugby World Cup 95, stands alone as the system's one and only rugby league game. Since there is no competition, I guess this qualifies as the MD's best simulation of the sport, and it isn't half bad.

Australian Rugby League is basically RWC95 tweaked to include league's slightly different rules, which can be considered both a good and bad thing. On the negative side, all the bugs have been carried across and those kicks are still difficult to execute perfectly. On the plus side, EA have implemented some slight improvements such as player numbers for easy identification. Additionally, the sport of rugby league seems to translate to video game form marginally better, at least in terms of confusion levels; those ball releases in RWC95 were a proverbial female dog to control. ARL is a bit simpler to comprehend for the non-rugby aficionado and those more familiar with American football.

There are still no fist fights though. :(