My Review of CA Nets

grkrama

National Board President
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Location
Chennai
Hi finally got my controller and got around to play CA :D.Pretty impressed by what BA have done ,so here's my review of it

Graphics :
Pros-The visuals are excellent ,the level of detail is pretty high(every object seems carefully done ),from shadows,reflection,to highres player model ,color pallet,fluid weighted animations that play faster or slower according to timing,the graphic options provided is also very extensive to suit various systems.Can boldly say these are top notch visuals found in a team sports video game published by a company other than EA.

Nitpicks- when the batman takes guard ,during the back-lift while waiting for the ball,the bat vibrates a bit like it receives shock,only noticeable in near cam and not a major gripe,doesnt affect game-play ,but if it can be fixed would be cool.

Also few clipping effect near the neck region during certain shots very unnoticeable,shoe clipping a little bit in the ground during shots , think these can be polished out if aiming for perfection

Also find that at times suddenly there is a micro stutter, when there is a transition between animations esp when going to hit the ball, very rare.
could be my system.(dual core 2nd gen 2.8ghz,win 8,ati 7770, 4gb ram)playing @ 1080p all details high except ,anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion,maybe im trying to over achieve with my system here).


Audio:

The Sound effects in the nets are excellent ,its an aural treat with some of the best wood on leather sound.The music in the menu's are cool.
cant find any issues here:thumbs


Gameplay:

Camera:
Of the three camera angles provided in the nets i found the near CAM the best,cause i dont play with markers and trails,and this view gave a good view to judge the delivery and also watch the don from upclose:D.

Pro CAM ,while really immersive from a batting point of view ,the major prob i had with pro CAM, is im not able to watch those fluid and extensively done animations of the shots.(this is were the ball by ball replay comes in to factor i guess,have to wait for full game to evaluate Pro CAM)

Far cam- I guess it would give a better view of field placement at-least in front of the wicket,but i found near cam to be better for judging the delivery esp if you are playing without hud assists.

BATTING:

Pros:The animations are really well done and weighted(Have to mention it again) ,the ball physics is really good,even when you block a ball you can see it drop and spin a bit on the ground, A straight drive looks like one and feels like one,all the shots look authentic and play well.

A wide array of strokes are present covering all the generic ones, and even unorthodox ones like scoop and reverse sweep,few shots missing is slog sweep to mid wicket,front foot square cut but not a deal breaker.

A lot of people have said the ball speed is slower but once the assists like trails and marker have been turned off it doesnt appear slow.
Thanks to BA for providing this option.I personally feel this is the way it should be played,it appears and feels authentic playing like this,the markers and assists look out of place in such a real looking game.

The Control Scheme is very new compared to previous cricket titles but feels natural and is easy to learn.with the foot work and shot direction controlled by the two analog sticks and the shot selection controlled by trigger buttons(for aggressive,down the ground etc).before long you will find yourself playing a scoop reflexively.

The vibration feedback in the controller lets you know when you have nicked one or not meddled properly i guess.when the shots are from the sweet spot of the bat and timed well, there is no vibration.This will really help in full game for some one going in for a minimal hud immersive setting.

Another nice thing i noticed is Batsman guard position is remembered and the cam adjusts accordingly and so flicking the ball becomes easy with a leg stump guard and an late cut of a spinner is easier with a leg stump guard.This is a subtle but very clever feature.


Cons:One important thing i have is the same problem i had with Blic 99(that is an compliment:yes), playing a Defensive shot is as difficult as playing an normal stroke if not less rewarding.this drives you to play a stroke more than blocking, that feeling of security with a defensive block should be there ,it should be more accessible and less riskier playing,( i found myself edging more with def shots than with strokes) as its the last layer of the batman it should be more easier so that it gives an sense of security to build an innings knowing you can block the good balls out and go for the easier ones.

also the drift with spin while is really fun and challenging to play(personally i feel like hughesy while judging spin and im mostly living with square cut and late cut),it can be toned down a little to make it more real.

So thats my review of CA nets in a nutshell,fantastic effort by BigANT and ross.Hope that all the feedback gathered will go into making the game better during the following months .waiting for the Full game with lots of expectations.:cheers:thumbs
 
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