Jonah Lomu Rugby (1997)

Year: 1997

Platform: DOS, PlayStation, Sega Saturn

Genre: Sports

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: Rage Software

Notes: Jonah Lomu Rugby is a Rugby Union game, and as such, players are shown on the field, and thanks to the graphics of the day, not in much detail. The star of the game - Jonah himself - is Tongan; and without knowing the rest of the All Blacks lineup in the game, I can’t qualify whether actual Māori players feature in the game.

However, the introduction sequence to the game starts with the Ngāti Toa haka, Ka Mate, during which alternating shots of Jonah and various kapa haka performers are shown, overlaid over the New Zealand flag. Given the importance of Tā Moko and the (perceived) significance of including it of including it on the by-then-well-established PlayStation format, I wonder if a little more care could have been taken in this element? Ka Mate also plays throughout the game.

Images: Wikipedia, YouTube/HobbyGamer