Cricket 07 – Review

England are quite unexpectedly taking a damn good hiding in Australia (insert ironic tone) and are presently down by 0-2 in their defense of The Ashes, yet that fact hasn’t deterred Electronic Arts from offering its ever-faithful consumer base the chance to actually lead England to a thrilling win—at least in a virtual sense. Welcome, take a seat, snuggle beneath your duvet, and slumber to the occasional crack of birch, the soothing snore of the crowd, and the unmistakably breakneck speed of Cricket 07.

Okay, that’s perhaps a little unfair. Just because the actual game of cricket is the sporting equivalent of a double strength sleeping pill doesn’t necessarily mean that EA’s videogame version will be equally as dull—but, hey, you remember the line “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game” don’t you? Only teasing. However, in terms of game appeal, popping Cricket 07 into the PlayStation 2 is much like spreading Marmite on your toast; for some it will be the greatest accompaniment possible, whereas others will turn away in sheer disgust. There’s simply no middle ground with a game like this. So, with as much of an open mind as one can muster, here’s what Cricket 07 has to offer.

In terms of transference from real life, drawn out, seemingly never ending match play through to exciting, immediate, and compelling videogame experience the intricacies of cricket have proven to be a huge stumbling block in previous incarnations. And, sadly, although Cricket 07 offers plenty of gameplay improvements, it’s unlikely that anyone beyond the extremely dedicated cricket purist is going to invest in, or garner anything fulfilling from, the latest offering from EA—regardless of the topical high-profile media appeal of The Ashes.

But if, for a moment, we concentrate on the game’s attraction to the genuine cricket fan, then Cricket 07 delivers a wide range of play modes—it is an EA game after all—from the likes of quick-play 10-over (6 bowled balls) Twenty20 Cup, County Championships, NatWest Pro40, and the C&G Trophy, all the way through to full test matches and even international tours. And, of course—given the timing—Cricket 07 also offers up The Ashes, which allows the player to embark on the current tour and also to relive the glory of the historic 2005 victory. For those fans not keen on enduring the inclement English weather through a myriad of tours and competitions, a quick virtual jet around the globe and players can enjoy much sunnier climes across a full range of domestic Aussie competitions too. In short, there’s an awful lot to do in Cricket 07—should it be your sporting cup of tea.

From those gameplay modes, the Twenty20 cup’s quick-fix matches, which provide plenty of hard-hitting immediacy and more consistent drama, are perhaps the games of choice for the cricketing novice. And that leaves an awful lot of in-depth game modes for hardcore purists, especially as it’s unlikely casual sports fans will be able to muster the concentration and patience to handle a full five-day series or, God forbid, an entire international series.

Dealing with gameplay control is surprisingly easy and satisfying, and that’s a certain degree of overall success for the game as a whole seeing as control in cricket is so extremely focused in terms of the struggle between bowler and batsman. For bowlers, the player selects the type of preferred delivery, and where the ball should bounce during the run up, before stopping a power meter just prior to the actual delivery. However, though the deliveries are easy to execute, actual cricket fans may bemoan the lack of tactical tension between bowler and batsman, as generally there isn’t any in evidence. The receiving A.I. batsmen don’t generally respond to varied bowling styles in any other way than swinging as though each delivery is the first. This is a shame seeing as tempting them with a succession of slow balls before slamming a quick ball toward the wicket to catch them of guard would have certainly ramped up the immersion levels. Shame indeed.

Yet, despite the somewhat shallow but accessible bowling element, it’s the batting where Cricket 07 manages to create some much-needed excitement and well-earned sense of achievement. EA’s newly implemented ‘Century Stick’ control system arrives as accessible as the bowling component but supplies considerably more reward for effort expended. The left analogue stick determines the front or back foot positioning of the waiting batsman, while the right analogue stick is simply angled towards the direction the player wishes to strike the incoming ball. Naturally, it’s not quite so easy in practice, and, as with any game, success is based on timing—which actually grows harder to achieve as the player progresses through the team order and the better batsman are dismissed. Also, the A.I.-controlled fielding team will also catch on to a player’s preferred shot selections and shuffle its positioning in order to (quite literally) catch the player out.

Aesthetically, Cricket 07 is typically slick in terms of presentation (once again, it’s an EA product), yet it must be noted that considering the somewhat restricted appeal of the sport, it’s no real surprise to see that the game doesn’t quite reach the visual and aural heights as visited by the likes of FIFA, NBA, NHL, Madden, etc. Hard of hearing gamers won’t overly suffer in aural gameplay terms through the lack clattering bat against ball sound effects and moody crowds grumbles, but the game itself still plays thoroughly well. For girl gamers, the fact that the attending bowlers and batsman are, well, all distinctly male, may be a minor disappointment, but then again, it’s hard to believe that the usually disgruntled female gaming demographic will be in any way heart broken by the loss this time around.

Ultimately, whichever way you spin the metaphorical slow ball, Cricket 07 is strictly limited by its sporting niche appeal. Yes, the dedicated fan will lose themselves in the wealth of choice, but they may also find fault in the lack of tactical tension. Casual gamers will enjoy the immediacy of Twenty20 mode, but they may also lack the full-series stamina to deal with lengthy matches where the outcomes and rewards are not so quickly decided. Graphically the game is a pretty good representation, though the audio atmosphere suffers against some of EA’s other ‘premium’ sports offerings. Cricket 07 is what it is. It’s Marmite in pure white cotton and a padded cup protector.

Review by Stevie