The latest in the Ashes series between Australia and England produced some of the most exhilarating test cricket ever seen. EA Cricket 2005 falls short of this in its endeavour to excite gamers.
Although, as the Twenty-Twenty series has raised the hype around the real game of cricket, EA Cricket 2005 is a good intervention that allows gamers and "slogging junkies" a quick fix in the middle.
Unfortunately it takes a lot of time and effort to complete a test match, or even a one-day game, if all the facets of a cricket game are done manually. This need not be the case and auto-play options are available to take over fielding, bowling or batting, depending on the gamer`s speciality on the park.
The game is an improvement on the older versions, such as Brian Lara, but it seems to fall into the same trap of certain shots, such as a slog over mid-wicket, yielding easy runs while others like a straight drive don`t, which becomes mundane.
SA`s nemeses Australia and England, are the only country options available for the "domestic season" section of the game. However, completing a season, is again, time consuming, as first class four-day games, one-day games and twenty over matches are all included.
International one day and test series cricket can be played around the world - on the four continents and the islands of the Caribbean - which confronts players with varying pitches, offering batsmen and bowlers new challenges.
The test series are more than just the test matches and include the touring games that are usually played mid-week, but if auto-play is not used then a tour could take the same length on the computer screen as it does in reality.
A realistic touch is the pitch is effected by the time taken to play the game. This frustratingly leads to inconsistent bounce, but can only be good for the game.
Playing the "easy" mode is more frustrating than it is worth as the computer invariably selects whether to play back or front foot shots, so all that is needed is selecting the right direction key.
The "medium" and "hard" options are more satisfying for the gamer although these levels include the introduction of inconsistent bounce, which can play havoc with shot selection.
As for the game play, it is fairly simple and all that is needed is a keen eye on the ball speed barometer when batting, as mistiming shots more often than not results in being caught out. Bowling, in my opinion, is better done in auto-play.
Unfortunately the commentary from Richie Benaud falls short of his insight on live television as misleading statements like "that one is running to the boundary" can lead to a run out as the ball is actually being fielded at mid-on.
What is becoming a norm in any sporting, gaming environment is the option of a self styled character and the game of cricket is by no means an exception. Players can take themselves through the paces of a cricket career and build up to become a world class individual, but as in the game itself, this could take a while.
A step in the right direction for cricket enthusiasts but there is still work to be done to create a cricket game that keeps gamers glued to the screen. EA Cricket 2005 scores a mediocre 6/10.
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