The best Cricket videogame out there, but like all the other Cricket videogames, this one fails to make an impression...
This latest avatar of EA’s Cricket franchise marks the birth of the series’ biggest innovation till date – the Century Stick Control System. Unlike the previous installments of the game, Cricket ’07 utilizes both the analog sticks for batting. The left stick is used for batter placement while the right is employed for shot selection and shot power. This has made the ability to play a wide variety of shots a reality, and you will be able pull off all kinds of real-world strokes depending on the line & length of the delivery. Hooks, pulls, various kinds of drives (cover, straight, etc.), square-cuts, late-cuts, French-cuts, sweeps, defensive shots like blocks, left-alone deliveries, etc. and more are all available for execution now. Also, the sensitive right analog stick has helped in bringing more realism to the game-play - a hard flick towards a player manning the outfield may restrict the batter to a single, while a gentle flick can help him steal a couple. This feature again becomes increasingly helpful as you ramp up the difficulty level, as hitting boundaries will become a rarity and you will be forced to deal in one’s and two’s.
The Century Stick Control System is way more responsive than any other previous systems, and you will get acclimatized to it real quick. So much so that the lower difficulty levels quickly evolve into a power hitting run-fests, hitting boundaries is a piece of cake. But as you ramp up the difficulty levels, the game changes drastically as hitting four’s & six’s is no longer easy, timing and placement is of utmost importance here as any mistimed shot mostly results in losing a wicket, running between the wickets a must. It will take some practice before you get the hang of the higher levels. However, Cricket ’07 features an optional Batsman Timing Gauge, which can help you in timing the ball. This feature is increasingly helpful for a lower-order batsman as they have a smaller “sweet spot” than a top-order batsman.
Since higher difficulty levels demands more “placing-n-running” than “big power-shots”, you will have to quickly master the art of timing your running between the wickets which is mercifully easy, all it takes is the press of a single button. But, it is quite strange to note that there is no return feature, so, if you have mistimed your call for a quick single then it will most probably result in losing a wicket. The fielders, even in the easier difficulty levels, are deadly accurate in returning the ball. And the fact that catches and throws are handled by A.I. makes fielding in this game way too easy. At most, you will occasionally have to quickly tap a button once in a while for a stumping opportunity. There is no control over the fielders in Cricket ’07. However, you can choose from over fifteen or so default field placement options to set up a field or you can also choose from your own self-created five custom fielding set-ups, the only options we have during fielding.
It would have been great if bowling had been as pain-free and enjoyable as batting & fielding, but alas, this aspect of Cricket ’07 absolutely ruins the game. Bowling in the game requires you to first choose from a wide range of deliveries mapped to different buttons, and then you will have to select the pace, line & length of the delivery while the bowler runs-in to bowl. Pace can easily be dealt with by pressing a certain key before the “Pace Meter” rises above a certain point; in case the pace meter exceeds the permitted level, the delivery’s declared a “No Ball”. However, selecting the line & length is way too messy to be fun; you will need to maneuver a circle marker towards the desired “Pitch Point” using the left analog stick and press a certain key at the exact moment to select the spot. But, the controls are way too sensitive and you will need feather touch to accurately select a “Pitch Point”. The controls, at the same time, are glitchy and often cause the circle indicator to swerve uncontrollably every time it hits the batsman crease, resulting in un-intentioned spot-selection. It results in more frustration than fun.
However, bowling is not impossible to deal with in Cricket ’07 if you’re willing to practice enough. After a while, bowling decent deliveries on a more regular basis does become a reality. But, even the best will find it difficult to take wickets against a higher-difficulty A.I. opponent, or a conservative human opponent. At higher difficulty, you can get big scores if you keep the big shots to a bare minimum; the game is all about batting. When bowling, you will be forced to serve up the same deliveries over & over again, making for a very boring experience.
There is another big problem with the game at higher difficulty against A.I. opponents – even if you get out for an embarrassing low score like 10 (yeah, it’s possible if you try to play big shots a lot!) in a limited-over game, you can still win it! All that you will need to do is bowl on the same tight line & length and the A.I. opponent will play the same defensive shots over & over again, even in the last over! It makes for a very very boring experience, as well as, a stupid one! So, playing Test Matches against the computer (or against even humans, for that matter) is worthless.
If you can get past the terrible bowling controls, then you can rejoice in the fact that there are plenty of different bowling deliveries to choose from - in-swingers to out-swingers, yorkers to bouncers, googly to doosra, and more, all are available. Better & experienced bowlers will have more variety of deliveries available in their armory; also, they will have a smaller “Circle Indicator” for choosing the right spot. Special deliveries, like bouncers & yorkers, and Signature deliveries, like Shane Warne’s flipper, only become available when the bowler’s confidence meter fills up completely - which happens through a series of successive good deliveries. And EA’s Cricket ’07 packs in enough game modes for you to try all kinds of deliveries.
There are all kinds of game modes to be found in Cricket ’07 - Limited-Overs Fixtures (5-10-50 overs) to Test matches (between international sides) to Domestic level. International mode consists of World Championship, World Series, Knockout Cup, Test Series & long tours. Domestic mode of England & Australia provide us with County Season, County Championships, the Natwest Pro 40, C & G Trophy, 20/20 Cup, State Season, the Pura Cup, the KFC 20/20 Big Bash, and the local one-day domestic series. But, I really doubt that you will spend enough time with Cricket ’07 to experience all of that!
There’s also a dedicated Ashes Mode, which will let you take control of either of the two arch-rivals – England or Australia. You will be placed in familiar scenarios from past Ashes Series and it will be up to you whether you want to change the history or not! Do you feel like investing hours upon hours on this terrible & boring game to change the history of the Ashes?
Cricket ’07, pretty much like its predecessors, is a big letdown in the graphics department too. When compared to EA’s other sports titles, this game lacks detail big time. Most of the players are unrecognizable, barring a couple of Aussies like Jason Gillespie & Andrew Symonds, who are recognizable only because of their signature hairstyles. Player movements are smooth and life-like for the most part, but there are occasional instances when they will be throwing the ball towards the wicket while looking towards the opposite side. Also, the ball has a tendency to disappear for split seconds while in mid-air on its way towards the boundary. The real-world stadiums themselves are well represented but are filled with crowds that are very disappointing and horrible looking 2-D images.
The commentary in Cricket ’07 features the voice of Mark Nicholas & Richie Benaud, and although they sound good, they have very limited phrases & expressions. You will hear the same quotes over and over again a million times, that is, if you care to play it that long. Cricket ’07 is full of instances when the commentators will be describing the exact opposite of whatever’s happening on screen.
All in all, Cricket ’07 is made wholly-n-solely for die-hard cricket lovers who can overlook the glaring deficiencies without much ado. But even those Cricket Fanatics can find fun mostly in the two-player mode, playing against family and friends. Single-player will be tried by many, but most will not be able to play for long.