Cricket 2007 (PC)

...gamers down with their different cricket games. From Cricket 97 to Cricket 2005, there have been some very less interesting titles which had uncountable number of errors. For the people who thought that Cricket 97 was stupid, we had a number of games which proved that the game can have more problems. Cricket 2000 was one of the worst among them, and finally EA comes up with not a perfect, but a much better title. The game doesn't come anyway near ...
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EA'S FIRST REAL CRICKET GAME
Unlike it predecessors, Cricket 2007 has managed to be safer from the bugs, but even this version is not praiseworthy. Any cricket lover in India may try this game because of the love for the game. But it is the question about the gaming experience which makes them speechless. There is the Brian Lara Cricket series from Codemasters which had been scoring above EA all the time. But this time, they have ... more

EA had always let the gamers down with their different cricket games. From Cricket 97 to Cricket 2005, there have been some very less interesting titles which had uncountable number of errors. For the people who thought that Cricket 97 was stupid, we had a number of games which proved that the game can have more problems. Cricket 2000 was one of the worst among them, and finally EA comes up with not a perfect, but a much better title. The game doesn't come anyway near Brian Lara Cricket 2007 in terms of graphics, but the game scores in all other fields. Some glitches lower the game's rating but overall, its a fine game to kill time, and those who complain about the game should give it just another try.

REQUIREMENTS
1.0 GHz Intel Pentium III or equivalent
256 MB of RAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible 3D accelerated 32 MB video card
1200 MB free HDD space plus space for saved games
DirectX 9.0c or higher
32X Speed CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
MS-compatible Mouse
Keyboard

EA'S FIRST REAL CRICKET GAME
Unlike it predecessors, Cricket 2007 has managed to be safer from the bugs, but even this version is not praiseworthy. Any cricket lover in India may try this game because of the love for the game. But it is the question about the gaming experience which makes them speechless. There is the Brian Lara Cricket series from Codemasters which had been scoring above EA all the time. But this time, they have failed too, except for the graphics. The AI is much better in the EA version for sure. It does bring some above average cricket experience from EA for the first time. Forget the critics who can find thousands of problems with this one and label it as another disaster. But as long as a cricket lover is concerned, this game is adorable.

The number of teams is given a major boost in this game, as we have new minnows added to the game, as well as a number of local teams including the A teams. You can agree with the rating given to the teams or disagree, but it won't make too much of a difference when you play, as even your best prayers won't make them give you too much width or make them drop a catch. Their perfect playing style is a bit worrying, but its fine as the game is already too easy even in the hard level, only if you can manage to fool the AI. Just like the predecessor, the fast bowlers may be a bit easier choice to get runs from, as long as you can pick them when they will be mixing up the deliveries.

MORE OF A MIXED GAME
The major bug in the EA cricket games still exists as the bowlers can bowl more than the limit of ten, but only in the case of CPU. That gives them an unfair advantage, but everywhere else, its advantage player! In the easy difficulty mode, there is nothing to worry about, and the same happens with moderate mode too. In the hard level, the timing and the selection of front foot and back foot will matter a lot, but there is the timing meter on the top left corner and it shows how much the player is settled too. Along with the front foot and back foot shots, there is also the option of coming down the wicket. The use of six hit button is the same as the previous title.

There are a wide range of shots in the game including the favourite leg glances, sweeps and straight drives, as well as the very effective reverse sweep and late cut. Pull shots may be the more difficult ones to play, and the shots on the off sides bring more edges to the keeper. That makes the shots on the leg sides much safer as long as you can keep it on the ground. The fact is that the match can be won easily just with those safe shots in the hard level. The other dificulty levels may be two easy for anyone who have played some cricket in the computer even for a few hours. Others can take their time to settle in, but its still not too hard.

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO
The option of Autoplay is there for the lazy people and the ones who are sick of bowling to the very predictable computer. The use of custom field settings can give you the option of bowling in ur own style, and the use of spinners can prove very effective while bowling. But the fielders can sometimes be very unpredictable. Considering the fact that the fast bowlers always go for runs, it does make sense even if no fast bowler is in the team. To add to this, getting bowled from outside the leg stump is just a routine for the CPU players, especially in the One Dayers. Those special deliveries which you can bowl, are somewhat efective, not a big boon though.

There are lots of camera angles and there is also the replays coming on your way. There are lots of statistics stored in your profile including your personal records as well as the other scores and the trophies you have won from the beginning. This makes saving the profile, very important. There is also the in-game statistics including the batting and bowling details, Spider, Wagon Wheel, Manhattan, Worm and others. But unfortunately, there is no Hawkeye. The third umpire system is too bad that their calls make the game look stupid. Same is the case with the LBW decisions. The wide calls are also horrible, making the game look a bit dumb like its predecessors.

GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE CRICKET LOVERS
England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand teams have their players well detailed as well as correctly named. The other teams have wrong names by default and the player should have enough information to edit them and unfortunately, their faces look too confusing. But there are some licenced gear, and a fair number of stadiums. To add to it, there is the Ashes tour, including a large number of scenarios. The selection of both teams are possible, and there are also items to unlock. EA seems to be going the Codemasters way of classic matches with these options.

There are a number of game mode options for the player, including the twenty-twenties, exhibiton, world championship, test series, world tours and also the country cricket. All these can get boring unless you are a hardcore cricket fan. As the game roster is not too much updated, the players may find it a bit difficult to go on with it, but the options to create players and edit team makes it look much better. We also have the option to practice the shots and different deliveries in the net. But it is always better to check those shots during the match itself, because you never know how much distance a lofted shot travels, and the exact way through which it flies away.

For all the cricket fans out there, this is the game. For others, this is worth a try, but I have a feeling that it won't last too long in their Hard disc. But the game's low requirements make it a good choice for the people with lower level computers, but they will fail to get the maximum out of graphics though. This is a better job from EA for sure, with more realism and a little better commentry. Getting bored with the commentry has been one of the major features of all cricket games. Lets see how far EA sports can keep their name alive in cricket with titles like this.

THANKS FOR DROPPING IN HERE :-) 

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