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Brian Lara Cricket 2007 (PC DVD)
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2/5 |
So Disappointing
(May 27, 2007) |
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What a God-awful game. Stick with 2005 fellas. This has to be the most un-playable game I've ever played. I bought this game on the day of release, and was so excited to get home and play it. Unless you find the keyboard and mouse an inspirational combo for playing games, please forget this game.
This is the computer equivalent of Steve Harmison's first delivery in the last Ashes. Promised so much, but was WAY wide. |
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4/5 |
Promising start
(April 11, 2007) |
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I received my Amazon copy of Brain Lara Cricket 2007 yesteday, and installed it immeadiately. The first challenge is to bypass the software problems on installation, such as experienced by another reviewer of this game. It appears that those of us with DELL computers have to download a patch in order to make the game work before we even start. Fortunately the Codemasters website was easy to find and use.
I have not played cricket on a pc before, so this was all new. The first stop then was the training school, and I quickly made it through the bowling and batting lessons (about an hour). I decided to play a 20-20 game after this rather than progress with fielding lessons, and I already knew enough to enjoy the game. Playing on the easiest of easy levels I was anialated by the A1 in just 11 overs for about 60 runs. Not to be dispirated I tried again, and this time comfortably beat the A1 with room to spare - without even knowing how to catch.
The game is very playable for anyone who understands cricket, and I enjoyed the challenge. Performance wise I am operating a new pc with 2 GB RAM and a fancy graphics card so everything worked well. The menus are not very intuative, but with trail and error, you find your way eventually.
I am looking forward to spending more time with the game, and may even try some on-line games later on. I only hope that the A1 is a more challenging opponent when the difficultly level increases, although reading over reviews I was worried that I may already have the whole thing cracked. That would be seriously dissappointing.
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5/5 |
Brilliant
(April 03, 2007) |
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if u have the spec for this game get it...i had a problem with it 2 begin with but codemasters do a patch that sorts out all for you...well worth the money |
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2/5 |
Wide!
(April 03, 2007) |
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If I was a game `test pilot' and Codemasters presented me with the `Brian Lara Cricket 2007' disc on the premise that it was a prototype still in development, I would be inclined to deliver a charitable verdict and say that whilst the AI needs a LOT of improvement before the product becomes truly playable, the game has the potential to be fairly decent. However, given that this game has been released by Codemasters as the finished product and with an asking price of between £20-£30, my verdict has to be somewhat less than charitable: BLC 2007 is, I'm afraid, crap.
The terminal failing of the game is found with the AI and it seems that Codemasters have seriously misconceived what people who buy video cricket games actually want the game to do. The fact that the default setting over length for ODIs is a mere 6 per team should immediately alert gamers to the fact that the AI is geared toward playing `commando cricket' and appears almost entirely incapable of modifying this approach to a level appropriate to a game of longer duration. If you elect to play a full 50 overs ODI or a four innings test match, you'll find that the game quickly deteriorates into a total farce. The ludicrously aggressive nature of the AI means that on the first over of a test match, computer controlled batsmen are attempting to hook you into Row Z on just about every delivery and frantically dashing between the stumps on the slightest nudge or nurdle. Needless to say, about 40% of deliveries pitched at the wicket will send stumps and bales flying in the air whilst run outs occur at the rate of about one every three overs. End result: It's literally child's play to dismiss even top national sides in about twelve overs and for less than a hundred runs. Even putting the game on the optimum `Test' difficulty level makes little discernible difference to proceedings.
The one positive of the game is that when you are playing as the batting side, the game simulates the difficulties of batting fairly well. Direction of shot is controlled by mouse movement whilst timing and selection of shot are controlled by a combination of hotkeys and mouse buttons. The combination allows the gamer to play a full range of authentic strokes as well as enabling very precise shot placement. Batting is further enhanced by the fact that each batsman receives an on-screen confidence metre which can rise and fall with each delivery. If a batsman attempts to play an inappropriate shot, plays and misses, or is struck by the ball, the confidence metre will quickly reach a low point and this in turn makes perfect timing more difficult. The intricacies of the batting set up are however rendered entirely irrelevant by the fact that your computer opposition is completely incapable of setting you decent totals to chase or knocking off a score of more than a hundred.
Beyond the AI issues, the general production values of the game are very poor and the product just reeks of minimal effort World Cup cash in. The menus look like they have been designed as part of a GCSE IT project and have unnecessarily fiddly access routes. There is one song on the `soundtrack' and it's a looped extract of a reggae number which becomes immensely annoying after about ten minutes. Statistical features beloved of cricket fans are entirely absent, scoring wagon wheels are only displayed when a player reaches a half or full century, and even individual scores for batsmen at the crease and required run rate appear on screen only momentarily at the start of each over. But then given the ridiculously brief length of games, had such features been included, they would be all but meaningless.
In summary, to call this game a simulation of `cricket' is verging on breech of the Trade Descriptions Act: if Codemasters re-titled the product `Brian Lara's Larrup-And-Leg-It 2007' or `King of the Swingers' and knocked the asking price down to a tenner, it would be fair description and pricing of a game that has far less entertainment value than Wisden's Almanack. |
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4/5 |
Split Personality
(March 30, 2007) |
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As you may have gathered from the reviews the other major faults in the game lie in the AI, so it's quite apt that by far it's highlight is the area where this impinges the least - the Online Play.
In short, it's fantastically enjoyable. If you're playing against an opponent who can both bat and bowl to a reasonable standard it really does develop into a most inguaging contest.
There are sadly glitches and bugs a plenty but these fail to detract much away from the experience in multiplayer. However single player, as has been said, is lacking in challenge, with the AI showing no nouse in terms of bowling (spinner using new ball, bring back on low confidence bowlers) or fielding changes (non apart from immediatly following the raising of the restrictions basically).
If Codemasters manage to release a patch which clears up some of the worst of the glitches and introduce a save mode for online Test Match play then it'd be approaching five stars for me, but then the online mode was the reason I decided to purchase this game in the first place. I doubt the AI frailties can be cleaned up though.
If they don't (appears to never have been a patch for the 2005 version) then they should be ashamed and count the cost of the public relations mistake.
So in my mind is simple - if you'll play it online then buy it, now and then bang on Codemasters door to get them to patch up blemishes. However if you're just going to be playing the single player it probably ain't worth it.
Only 18 pounds... surely worth a punt? |
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