jk16_4 said:
so can we expect a barmyarmy cricket 2005 review within few days
Here's your review. It only took me a month...
Having seen how many people are enjoying C2k5 I thought I'd give it another go and try and appreciate the game...
Patches installed are as follows: Bat pack and roster, Npower stumps and pitch ad, Aussie test kit, Tutsi AI patch, Sky Sports Overlay
Let me just start by saying that the game looks pretty superb with all the add-ons that have been made already. The Sky Sports patch is top notch and the bats add a lot of realism (even if I do say so myself).
Here's an overview of the first session of a test between England (me) and Aus (cpu):
First over Gillespie to Strauss: I play and miss a couple of times and drive it straight to mid-off a couple of times. I glance a bouncer down to fine leg where the fielder completely misses it and it goes for 4.
Second over Lee to Trescothick: Second ball ends up in the gully off my pads. I start a run but quickly decide against and press cancel. The fielder however, picks up, throws and knocks down the stumps in the space of about 0.4 seconds. Despite being in his ground my batsman has forgotton to ground his bat and is given out.
Lee to Vaughan: I discover the futility of playing the front foot drive as Vaughan misses a straight one and is cleaned up. Can't get more realistic than that!
Third Over: Gillespie to Strauss: Strauss hits yet another drive straight at mid-off. Mid-off misfields; 4 runs. Anyone else noticed that all my runs so far have been off misfields? It's during this over that I notice that second slip is changing race between deliveries. He has white arms and is white close up but from the delivery camera angle he is suddenly Black! Didn't know Michael Jackson played for Australia.
Fouth over: Lee to Bell: Bell steals a single off through a vacant midwicket and Strauss is back on strike. I try to drive at a wideish one and am slightly surprised when the ball flies off my pad, beats the slip cordon and ends up down at 3rd man! Hmm...
Fifth over: Gillespie to Strauss: All my attempts to break the infield are futile as mid-off and cover snaffle everything.
Sixth over: Lee to Bell: I discover that the only way I can score runs is to flick it off my legs. I do this for 5 of the 6 balls and one even goes to the boundary. Australia refuse to modify either the line or the field!
Seventh Over: Clarke to Strauss: This one really confused me. Bowlers are on top; it's 14/2 and we're in the 7th over. Of course lets bring on Michael Clarke. Why didn't we think of it before? Clarke hits Strauss plum in front twice in the over but no-one bothers to appeal.
Eigth over to 16th over: The game settles in to a pattern. Bell plays Gillespie through midwicket and square leg as it's the only place he can score runs. Australia still refuse to change the field. Clarke bowls like Shane Warne and produces 4 maidens on the trot with Strauss utterly unable to get him away and continually getting struck inline without any appeal being made to the umpire
17th over: Lee back into the attack: Bell drives into the covers. Mis-field and 4! Lee started the over bowling round the wicket but like C2k4 cpu bowlers can only bowl the first delivery of the over round the wicket and the rest have to bowled over the wicket. Strauss also hits short leg on the back with a leg glance. Gets a run too!
18th Over: Clarke to Strauss: 6 more balls, no more runs.
19th over: Lee to Bell: I pick up that Lee is bowling a yorker and play a forward defensive but still get hit on the toe. Umpire raises his finger: out! Pietersen to the crease; time for some fireworks. First ball bounces just short of mid off: mis-field 4 runs. Second ball bounces just short of square leg; mis-field 4 runs. Third ball smashes into middle stump and by some curious reversal of the laws of physics knocks it forward not backwards.
Colin saves and vows to return to the match sometime next year!
So there we are. I really like the graphics but the game is ruined for me by p*ss-poor AI. Props to Tutsi for making the game better than when I first played it but it's still lousy. It looks good but feels horrible.
I'll be back to BLIC I'm afraid where I'm genuinely enjoying both batting and bowling. I've played the full version of both, I'm not into arcadey games and I vastly prefer test cricket to ODI cricket yet I prefer BLIC to EA c2k5. Explain that (and don't be rude
)
Cheers,
Colin
