Developer(s): HB Studios Publisher(s): Electronic Arts Engine: Modified Madden NFL Platform(s): Windows, PlayStation 2 Release date : Australia 14 November 2006 and U.K November 24, 2006 I know most the members of Romulation don’t play cricket. Therefore, this review is to represent how much proficient and treat this game can be. Cricket 07 is a game that is much better than its previous cricket games. Ea sports decided not to endorse HB studios more, after working on Cricket 2004 and 2005 but it still stands as the developer of the game. EA sports has given this game a professional look much like its similar sports – based games like the FIFA and NBA games. Graphics have changed drastically and have made really good-looking improvements prior its previous games. EA has advertised many private companies and sports equipments. However, the game still looks recycled half way through the game except for some features, graphics and some in-game traits. In addition to Cricket 07, the EA sports creative team took place with partnerships from real-life international cricket boards like ACB (Australian Cricket Board), ECB (English Cricket Board) and some cricket representatives from South Africa. The roster hasn’t changed much with some minor changes here and there but they have added some more international and club teams like- Bermuda and USA. The game modes also haven’t changed much with some new 20Twenty and Pro40 cups which has become the new craze for the International Cricket Council or ICC. The most valuable feature added is the Ashes mode. If you are an avid fan of cricket you would probably know what it is. It’s one of the biggest series in a year between two old big rivals England and Australia. The Ashes mode consists 3 main field play modes- Ashes Scenario- Scenarios that put you in certain situations in which you are applied with a reachable objective like- make a 50 run partnership etc. After completing theses objectives you can unlock cinematic scenes. Npower Test Series- Consists of test matches between the two teams (Test matches- Matches that are long and run for almost 4 to 5 days) Full Ashes Mode- Allows you to play the whole series including with domestic teams. Besides, Ashes kept as a new feature... the in-game commentary and the control system are familiar to its previous games. The graphics really look promising. How to play cricket in reality? In cricket there are 2 main worlds that are batting and bowling (and fielding). The game of cricket starts of with a toss of coin. If a captain of a team choosing heads wins then he has an option to whether to bat or bowl first. The pitch on which the play goes on determines how much this toss values. E.g. - If the pitch is damp then the bowl is likely to turn making things difficult for the team batting. So, in damp surfaces you should always choose to bowl first. After the toss, the teams come up to the fields with 11 players on the bowling side and 2 players from the batting side as only two players can accommodate to bat. Along with these players there are two more characters on the field called umpires that don’t play but give out certain decisions that the batsmen is out or not. Although, already two umpires are available on the field there is a 3rd umpire that decides whether the player is out or not through the television when it becomes difficult for both umpires to conclude on. Before we move further I’d like to explain the over system. Each over contains 6 balls exactly. In one day matches there are 50 overs as in test matches there almost 120 overs. The batsmen have to score as much in the maximum overs given. Batsmen are given 10 wickets (wickets are much more like lives in any game like Mario, if a player gets out 9 wickets would remain and it goes on like this). If a person gets out next player comes and play in his position. The stumps with bails at the top. Bowlers can get batsmen out in numerous ways but in Ea Sports Cricket 07 there is only 5 ways-1. If the bowler is able to take off the bails from the stumps. 2. If the fielder catches the bowl that is hit by the batsmen while in the air then the batsmen is out. 3. LBW (Leg before wicket) this can occur when the ball has it your pads where your knee is located and unfortunately your leg is behind the stumps then you are out. 4. Run out – If a fielder hits the stump and you are out of your crease (the line where a batsmen should stay after running or while batting) then it is considered out. 5 .Stumping- when a batsman is attempting to hit a shot while coming out of his crease and the bowl is caught by the wicket keeper (the person who stands at the back of the stump) and if the wicket keeper hits the stumps while the batsman is out of his crease then it is considered out. If the all the 50 overs are finished or all the 10 wickets are gone then what ever score the batting has made, has to be scored by the opposition team but one more then the other team’s score to win the match. You can obtain runs/score by hitting the ball off the boundary which is called a six and if the bowl is bounced a few times and then reaching the boundary it is called a four. The batsman can also get score while running. You can get runs free by the bowlers as well like no-ball or wide. So, have I made clear how cricket works well there are many more things to learn than what I have written like the shots and the bowling variations the field set and etc. Now as I have already told you the basics of the game then it’s going to be easy to understand how the game works. If you want to play a normal match then you can go the exhibition and choose your team as well as your opposition team. Then you can choose the weather, the stadium and the condition of the pitch and what type of match. Then you go on to the squads and then the match begins. Firstly you’ll be greeted by commentator and then the toss appears... the toss in the game is done randomly whether you can win or the opposition team. If you choose to bat, the game hasn’t changed the controls at all … these controls take a little time to get used to. Think if you want to hit a six or four then you’ll have press Shift + S/D (That decides to hit on back foot or front foot) + the direction where you want and remember not to get out. After, you finished scoring then you go on to bowling and you have prevent the other team from getting to your score. The bowling is done through a meter that has a dead end point, if you go above the point then that would be called a no-ball giving an extra run to the other team, still this system is not much attractive and after 5 or 6 overs you would get bored. This is how the gameplay works. However, these matches are very long and sometimes spoil the fun of the play. If you need to play a Test match get ready for a serious time-waster… these problems can get fixed through the auto-play mode which will save some time. The score display at the bottom, the run box at the top left of the screen and watch that ball coming. Create-a-Player This can’t get better than anything else. Create-a-player has undergone a major change from its previous games allowing you to create your player’s face as you want. There are many things you can edit for your player including his accessories and bats from top-class sports brands. The attribution is really important for your player to set, giving him the position in the team according to his skills. After everything is set you can add him up in any team. The graphics have been made more stable and impressive than its previous games. The faces and bats look life-looking. The crowd also looks quite real. The stadium now looks really beautiful. Though some glitches are common as any other cricket game. One thing I have probably learnt from this game is that cricket and music go along pretty well. Cricket 07’s juke box has some impressive songs for people all over the world to listen. The list of song also contains some Sub-continental and Caribbean songs. Let’s get to the scores then- Presentation – 8/10 – However, the game is presented with some cool graphics and many new features added to make the fun double in the game, still many things look recycled. Gameplay – 7/10 – The gameplay is fun at times and boring at some ways. You’ll probably get distracted by the time it takes to complete one match. Bowling though has some flaws that make the gameplay loose. Graphics – 8/10 – The graphics have made some serious improvements though it still has some glitches. Sound – 8/10 – The juke box has some good variety of sounds and SFX are really suiting the game. Though the commentary is wholly recycled. Replayabilty – 7/10 – There’s too much too discover in the game, but the matches still take time. Total – 38/50 – The game has everything a cricket fan would need.
I used to. Since I'm Jamaica, its a custom to watch it there. And since I moved I can't really get to watch the West Indies lose anymore... :-\
Yeah, they have lost their momentum lately.. they have fell down in the rankings too. Back in 70's and 80's West Indians were considered lords in cricket by winning straight 2 world cups.
