Cricket 2005

Cricket 2005

Ameya Dalvi, Aug 13, 2005 1010 hrs IST

EA, a sincere request: Please give Richie Benaud a new script.

Best looking cricket game till date, updated teams and tournament types

Poor game-play, limited range of shots, hardly any novelty, out of context and repetitive commentary, no option to change video settings and controls, needs you uninstall other software

Expert Rating :

Expert Review

The Gameplay

In this department, the thinking has been good but the execution far from it. In simple words, some of the game-play elements have been well thought out but the implementation has been bad. In Cricket 2004, the batsman could come down the pitch practically every ball and convert it into a full toss or a half volley thus resulting in a flurry of fours and sixes. Cricket 2005 puts a check on this but at the same time over reacts and puts some serious restrictions on the batsman's movements thus making batting a bundle of agony. That, you as a batsman can see the pitch of the ball reasonably late is a good element but no movement is allowed after that and the tedious controls don't help your cause at all. Immaterial of what the promos and the manual say, the range of shots are very limited and more importantly, harder to execute and even worse, you will find a fielder placed at that precise position. Test cricket in this game is a little better and allows the batsman a lot more scoring opportunities. There is also a new element called batting meter which keeps rising as you get set and stroke the ball more consistently. But again it doesn't work the way it was meant to; another good idea, but an average implementation.

Bowling is a little better than batting but again you got to keep your eyes on the bowling meter to avoid balling a No ball. After a consistent performance with the ball, you are awarded special deliveries a.k.a. Bouncer, Yorker, Slower ball, Flipper etc. which ideally should be a part of the bowler's armory by default. Bowling and fielding has never been too exciting in PC Cricket games and Cricket 2005 doesn't do much to address that issue. If you aren't too fond of bowling, you can auto generate the innings but think twice before you choose to do that as even a rookie team like Bangladesh ends up pilling up runs when the innings is auto generated. And make sure that you read the manual carefully before you start off with either batting or bowling. Else you will be all at sea with the controls.

Umpiring is a mixed bag. It reaches both extremes. The decisions are outright brilliant or completely crappy. The LBW decisions are random. There are times when the umpires get it spot on and on the other hand they turn down a LBW shout for a middle stump full toss hitting the batsman's pads. The third umpire is a complete joke. He takes a look at the situation through action replays from half a dozen angles and then gives a wrong decision. That somewhat explains ICC's reluctance to adopt technology for umpiring decisions.

The Verdict

After all the hype, Cricket 2005 ends up being yet another bag of eye-candy. The game-play and AI (if any) is disappointing yet again. It is time EA Sports seriously rethinks about its approach towards Cricket games. It wouldn't be a bad idea to hire some coders who are cricket followers themselves along with a panel of cricketing expert to sort out the matters. And please give Richie Benaud a new script. All and all, a below average game. And given the fact that the new edition of Brian Lara cricket is due for release anytime now, that might signal curtains for this title. But hopefully the fans of cricket games will have something to cheer about. As for EA Sports, better luck next innings.

Go to the next page for some more images.

Test Unit sourced from Gayatri Impex, Mumbai.