Cricket 2005 - Australian Review (Reviews)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

13/09/2005 12:36:46

Howzat! Pretty bloody average really. On the surface, the latest release in EA's beleaguered Cricket series has all the ingredients for the perfect gaming feast. Indeed, gamers and cricket fans have been padding up, stacking the fridge with coldies and practising their two-four-twenty-twos for months in anticipation. But stick in Tony Greig's car keys and get into the underbelly of Cricket 2005 and you find a lacklustre simulation that fails to capture the atmosphere, skill and subtle nuances of the crazy game of cricket.

You do have to push the key a fair way in however, with EA's propensity for gazillions of game modes, hip menu music and user-friendly interfaces doing their best to polish over the gameplay within. If someone somewhere has ever smacked the stitches out of a leather ball with a large chunk of willow in the name of cricket, chances are you can play it here. The World Championship, World Series, Test Series and Tours are all in attendance at international level, and you can also take on domestic season through the Pura or ING cups. Beyond this you can hit the training nets (which is quite useful for perfecting your timing), create your own player or manage a team.

While the dedicated cricket enthusiast will strap on a helmet and charge headlong into all of these game modes with Warne-esq. abandon, Cricket 2005 really lacks something more substantial for the casual fan. There was a real opportunity to create a healthy career/story mode here, where gamers could build their own player or team of players and take them through the domestic competition up to international success. But it's a failure to capitalise on opportunities like this, which could evolve and strengthen the series, that epitomises the game. There are not even cool Tiger Woods style mini-games, like say, a six & out series - and no, we're not talking about Brett Lee's 'band'. Indeed, HB Studios have shown little developmental flair or willingness to extrapolate on their series template in the areas which desperately require it.

This couldn't be more evident than in the gameplay which, like its predecessor, continues to suffer from a lack of atmosphere and more importantly, a sense of involvement. Cricket 2005 is a sterile gaming experience, especially when you are playing against the computer and don't have a friend to enliven the action with insults and wrestling.

Bowling is more boring than watching the Poms bat. Each bowler has a specific set of delivery options, but once you've tried all of these you have pretty much reached a strategic plateau. You can edit the field and try and out-think your opponent, but the fact is the batter doesn't have enough control over his shots to give this tactic the weight it requires. Furthermore, once you have discovered the AI's weakness, you can just repeat that delivery until the entire team is out. It's just completely unbalanced and it's no surprise that developer HB Studios included an autoplay option - they know how much their fielding and bowling sucks!

The Age Old Tradition of Fielding
In a move so outrageous it would make Dizzy dizzy, Cricket 2005 takes from the gamer the time-honoured pain in the ass which is fielding. Yep, once the ball has left the bat everything falls under the control of the AI, leaving you with nothing to do put prey the thing doesn't flip out and let the ball go for four runs - which does happen. Ok, so workable fielding mechanics have always been a bit of an issue in Cricket games, but develop a new approach guys, don't just fob it off and expect gamers to enjoy half the experience. Something as simple as a secondary window that reveals the position of the nearest fielder and the ball would have worked better and at the very least would have required some skill. At least there are some nice fielding animations and the AI will take some spectacular diving catches that, for a couple of seconds at least, do get the heart pumping.

Obviously, batting is where it's at and smashing pace attacks from all over the globe to every corner of a beautifully rendered stadium can be quite a lot of fun. Like its predecessor, Cricket 2005 relies heavily on timing and it will take quite a bit of practise in the nets before you're confidently choosing the right shot for the right delivery and making the desired contact. Swing too early and you'll pop it in the air, swing late and you might edge - this dynamic is quite impressive and easily the game's strongest feature.

There is a solid range of animations too and it feels like you can play most traditional shots, including glances past the slips, massive blows down the field and sweep shots to fine leg. Thankfully, the running between wickets is much sharper this time around and you will not find yourself strolling halfway down the pitch when the wickets explode into pieces - well, not that often. Unfortunately, there are still a couple of deliveries that can be awkward to play, including the dreaded full toss which can have you out LBW with a little too much regularity. The controls, while reasonable, are a little too clumsy to allow you to defend problem deliveries with confidence.

But while it may not be very pretty to play, Cricket 2005 does look and sound like the real deal. Richie Benaud's commentary is fantastic and somehow manages to feel neither forced, nor mechanic. The emotional flows of the crowd are nicely captured and the telltale sound of Punter Ponting thumping a ball into the outfield also sounds authentic. Visually, while not nearly as spectacular as FIFA or Madden, Cricket 2005 is still an obvious step-up from last year with the players being more recognisable, the stadium and field a little more alive and as mentioned previously, some excellent animations. Just watch a batter catch 150 km/h of pain right in the budgie box! The ability to replay great moments like this at any time, and watch innings highlights and lengthy celebration cut-scenes, also gives the game some much needed atmosphere.

But there is no Steve Waugh century or Shane Warne hat-trick here that can pull EA's Cricket series from its current form slump. Never has playing a sport game felt like such a detached, impersonal, just-push-the-buttons experience. Developer HB Studios have failed to address the many flaws of Cricket 2004 and have instead focused on more cosmetic enhancements. It's like they took a day old ball that's come off a Gilchrist hiding and then rubbed it up and down their genitalia for 12 months trying to give it a new sheen, rather than just starting with a brand spanking new one - utterly disappointing.

Verdict
If the Australian cricket team plays anything like this game come the Ashes, then the Poms are about to give us a right royal floggin'.
Pros: Good animations, improved graphics, plenty of game modes.
Cons: Lacks skill, bowling is woeful, never feels fluid or engaging.

Score = 6.5/10



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Graphics: 2.5 Sound: 3.5 Control: 3.5 Fun Factor: Fun Factor
Scoring scale: 1-5
Publisher: EA Sports / Developer: HB Studios / Retail Price: $69.95 (PC) /, $89.95 (PlayStation 2) /, $89.95 (Xbox) / Release date: 15/07/2005 / Genre: Sports / OFLC Rating: G