EA Sports has come up with fantastic titles in football, boxing and golf. However, when it comes to cricket, EA is still struggling to come up with a winner.
EA Sports has come up with fantastic titles in football, boxing and golf. However, when it comes to cricket, EA is still struggling to come up with a winner. Though the game-play has improved a lot, Cricket ‘07 still lacks the punch. In terms of graphics, it is a big disappointment.
The highlight of Cricket ‘07 is the ‘Century stick’ which is the right analog stick. You can play different strokes by tapping the stick in the desired direction. So if you want to play a straight drive, you tap the right analog stick in the ‘down’ direction.
Similarly, if you want to play a cut or a pull shot, all you need to do is tap the stick either left or right. In order to loft the ball, you need to press L1 along with the right analog stick. In order to dance down the wicket to play the shot, you need to press R1. The batting and bowling strength of each player is varied. For example, a shot that fetches four runs for Ricky Ponting, becomes a miss-hit if Glen McGrath plays it.
When you are bowling, you can choose from a variety of ways in which you can bowl and also pick the spot where the ball is supposed to pitch. Depending upon the bowler, you can swing, bounce or turn the ball.
Cricket ‘07 comes with different versions in which the game can be played. There’s Test cricket, One Day Internationals, Twenty20, English county championship and Australian domestic league.
One of the attractions of Cricket ‘07 is the Ashes series. If you love the traditional England-Australia rivalry, you would relish the challenge of playing the 2005 series which was held in England and the 2006-07 Ashes series that took place in Australia.
That is all there is to Cricket ‘07.
If you are an Indian or a Pakistani fan, the game offers nothing. Because of license issues, the Indian and Pakistani players have ridiculous names. For example, you have a player named ‘Tendehar’ as the opening batsman for India. The other big disappointment is that the faces of a majority of players hardly resemble the real ones. The spectators look like cardboard cut-outs.
Also, if you are playing a Test Match, bowling can become really frustrating. Dismissing an entire side twice can be a real test of patience. This is partly due to the fact that bowling has been reduced to aiming. Unlike batting, where you can choose a shot and execute it accordingly, there is hardly any scope for using your bowling skills. The commentary by Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud is passable. After a while, the commentary becomes a bit repetitive. Also, there are occasions when the comments are totally irrelevant.
To sum up, Cricket ‘07 just doesn’t feel like the real thing.
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