Just bought Cricket 2004, but...

[Beery1]

First the good stuff. I like the controls of this game - very nice and intuitive. The depth of options as regards games and tournaments is great. I like the detail of options regarding batting and bowling. Basically, it works very nicely as a cricket sim, which is the main thing when I come to play a computer game.

BUT...

The last cricket game I played was Brian Lara Cricket, so I'm kinda shocked that EA hasn't significantly improved on that old game in 5 years in regard to graphics and basic chrome. The graphics, especially with regard to faces and bodies (the umpire looks like an alien, and the players' faces look like they came out of a horror/sci-fi game) are horrible compared to contemporary games (although better than BLC), and the fielding movements (running and catching balls) are worse than BLC. Unlike BLC, the fielders don't pass the ball back to the bowler, and the whole thing just doesn't seem to run as smoothly as BLC. Added to this, camera positions seem rather lacking, as well as being clunky in terms of movement.

So what's the deal with this game? Cricket 2002 was even worse (I saw a demo and decided I couldn't get beyond the horrible graphics and 3D modelling), with movements that made the players look as if they were trying to play cricket using baseball-style movements, and with 3D body modelling that made everyone look like they had some kind of upper body wasting disease. Can anyone tell me why this game looks like it is competing with the graphic standard that was in place 5 years ago?

All-in-all, I'm happy with the game. It does what it's supposed to and it's playable, but in comparison with the current level of graphical detail in sports games it's sorely lacking. Can we expect this to be fixed in future editions of the game, or is there some compelling reason why EA's cricket games will always lag behind the standard?

 

[Briggsey]

Considering that EA bases most of its production around Fifa Titles and American Sports games, the game is not as bad as it cud be. There are lots of bugs in the game but then again which game doesnt have bugs when it has first been released, on the PC anyway. EA will want to put most of there effort into the more popular games like Fifa and NHL, NFL etc, the games most ppl will buy. With cricket games u are not guaranteed to have high sales so why put more effort into a game which may not even sell. EA will of probably spread the development of this game, such as graphics on a lower basis compared to the more popular games, and plus each shot, to be implemented into a game is very hard as there are different variations and these cannot be put in with there variations. As far as the faces go, well they are poor, especially as with most of the england team u see Darren Gough's face on nearly every player, but then again thats what sites like planetcricket.org are for!! Commentary as always is fairly lack lusture but then again which game by EA has decent communtary, considering the restrictions you will have in certain areas.

The game is an improvement on 2002 and thus EA will see it as something to work on in future titles.

Slowly but surely they are getting there and will eventually produce a game which we will all be proud of!!

 

[S_Harmison]

Also graphics cards come into play, i dont own the game on PC but i do play some games and i have a very good graphics card, when i take the game round to my ftiends house who doesent have a very good one it just look awfull.

 

[CaptainOZ]

The market for a high quality cricket PC game is tremendous and I'm surprised there haven't been more developers attempting to capitalise on it. Cricket probably possesses the most fans of any sport, right up there with soccer. Compare it to US sports, where multiple computer game developers bring out a new NFL, baseball, NHL and golf game every year. I just think there is a goldmine out there just begging to be taken and to give EA some much needed additional competition.

Just think how good your cricket game could become if there were more game developers competing for the lucrative cricket-loving population market.