Rugby League Live 3 has been released for all major home consoles and we got to sit down with the NZ Warrior’s Shaun Johnson to have a quick chat and play-through on the latest addition to the popular franchise, for which Johnson is the newest player to feature on its cover!
With a lot of new features on the plate, we throw ourselves into the fray and see what Rugby League Live 3 and Shaun Johnson have to offer players!
What are you hoping for players to get out of this experience? To bring them into the action?

Shaun Johnson (SJ): Yeah! I’m thinking about the kids you know, any kid. That’s why I got excited about it. I just think it’s cool that they get to play as people that they watch.
Xenojay (XJ): Just their heroes out on the field!
SJ: Yeah, you know get to play as Johnson or whatever, they get to be that person.
*Shaun runs in his first try during our play-through*
XJ: Did you just run a try in as yourself against me?
SJ: Yeah…my bad…
XJ: Hahahaha!
SJ: Just got a try here, you know. But yeah, that’s the main thing, just the excitement that they get to be the players out on the field.
How does it feel to be the guy on the box?! On the cover!
SJ: That’s the funny thing about the whole situation! Like, it’s just crazy and I’ll be walking past a place and I’ll just see my face on a Playstation game. Anyone that knows me you know, will be like “Yeah, that’s pretty cool”, so it’s unreal. As a kid you grew up playing Playstation games and that, so to actually see myself on the box is a bit different!
XJ: Yeah, cause it’s gonna be in a few households!
Was there anything that didn’t get in-game that you were hoping for?

SJ: With all the updates now, the game is just gonna keep getting better so it’ll keep evolving and yeah!
*At this point Shaun scores a try as himself. Again.*
XJ: DID YOU JUST SCORE A TRY AS YOURSELF AGAIN?
SJ: Yeah…I’ve found that I like to hog the ball, haha
XJ: You have a few max level stats aye!
SJ: Haha, yeah
XJ: A mate of mine said “Yeah, I think in RUGBY LEAGUE LIVE 3 Johnson has like, 96 speed!” and I respond “Aww, okay!” Haha!
How does that feel having all these statistics applied to your virtual you?
SJ: Yeah, it’s obviously a bit different…
*I unfortunately started to provide a challenge to Shaun and so we got into the game a bit*
SJ: Awww Tui…
*Johnson had run in another try, but this time as teammate Tuimoala Lolohea*
XJ: That was too much man! I love that it plays similar to the previous titles, but tidies and pulls it up to current play!
SJ: Yeah! Thanks for playing man!

It was hard not to enjoy RUGBY LEAGUE LIVE 3. With controls resembling their previous layout and graphics that capitalise on what the latest generation of consoles bring to the market, it already brings a lot that fans want.
But with new additions like the “Be A Pro” mode, which allows players to take a Forward or Back through the ranks of an Under-20 team into a full professional squad, an improved instant replay system that includes super slow-mo and user defined camera placement and dynamic time of day lighting with full Sun movement and weather systems giving dusk to night progress with mid-game rain, developers Big Ant Studios are making sure fans get the best League experience yet!