Articles
By Diresim
Published: Apr. 10, 2007 1:12 AM
Codemasters have been around for a long time, and they know how to make video games. Their cricket series has been a real success over the years, and once again they’re on a good wicket with their latest release, Ricky Ponting Cricket 2007. Although it won’t amaze you on any level, it does do a good job of simulating the game of cricket in a manner which is both rewarding and worthwhile. If you’re a fan who’s bleary eyed after late nights watching the World Cup in the West Indies, this game offers enough to keep you well entertained.
Firstly, RPIC 2007 offers a bevy of play options. You can square off as or against any of the ICC teams in test matches, one dayers, even 20/20 clashes, and the inclusion of the official ICC World Cup and the Champions Trophy is a fantastic feature. You can also head online and get into some one on one battles with your mates over Xbox Live, which is a great option when you’re just chilling on the couch looking for some light entertainment and a bit of friendly trash talking.
Although the play mechanics are quite deep, thanks to the inclusion of a number of different delivery types and shots. Batting, you can move your player round the crease, play reverse sweeps, lofted drives, or even charge the bowler. Despite being relatively simple, it works well. This is mainly because the bowling is quite fleshed out. Quicks are vastly different from spinners, and learning to master the deliveries of each, as well as learning to bat against them, is not only entertaining, but provides a decent challenge. However, the core game is immediately accessable, thanks mainly to the inclusion of a number of comprehensive tutorials. Four difficulty levels ensure you’ll never get torn apart too much by the AI, and they’re broad enough to entice novices whilst still providing a solid challenge for the hardcore.
The control scheme is competent, even impressive, but falls down in one or two areas. Firstly, it’s unwieldy to move your batsmen’s stance whilst awaiting a delivery. Your chosen batsmen can’t really move fast enough by the time you’ve determined where the pill is heading. Similarly the fielding team is in for one hell of a time. In theory it’s a good system. The fielding works by providing you with a bar. You must stop the bar at just the right time to return the ball in quick order and without any fumbling or overthrows. Unfortunately, due to the camera system, you never really know when the bar is going to appear and start filling up. On test, the hardest of the four difficulties, you have about half a second to press your button, and it’s ridiculously hard to get it spot on and provide the chance for a run out, even after much practice.
The visuals in cricket games aren’t of particular importance, and therefore Codemasters definitely hasn’t gone all out on this front. Characters, when viewed close up, are pretty chunky and clunky, and facial modeling has definitely taken a back seat in development. Nevertheless, the animations are pretty good (although you’ll swear your wicket-keeper is on acid at times), the front end presentation is downright sexy, and the bevy of real world stadiums are impressive graphically despite some of them being somewhat dated. Also, not only are real world statistics presented, but they are incorporated into the presentation, as are replays and statistical analysis. This is a real bonus for those who want to bury themselves in the nuances of international cricket.
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