Rain stops play
There isn't an option to control the fielders in Cricket 07, although you can alter the fielding positions from a choice of pre-set positions and customise your field. This meant that that the overall experience of bowling just doesn’t get the player involved enough; it’s far too slow and totally unexciting. The issue isn’t helped by the fact that the AI don’t always react well on the field and in every game I played there were times when fielders would just stand there for a few moments before throwing the ball back to the wicket keeper.
Graphically, Cricket 07 is a mixed bag. The batsmen and bowlers animate extremely well and the camera pans around the action to capture the best moments and replays, but the cardboard cut-out crowds in the stadiums are extremely poor and appear clone-like as they jump up and down cheering (as if they’re at a Take That concert) at the most inappropriate moments.
Commentary, from Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, is extremely annoying as they repeat the same phrases over and over again. Perhaps I bought it on myself by playing some awful cricket, but I felt like throwing my controller at the screen after hearing the commentator say, ‘They’re simply throwing wickets away’ for the umpteenth time in a row.
Click for larger imageCricket lovers will be thrilled with the amount of options available in Cricket 07. This year you can take part in the Ashes campaign, replay the legendary 2005 npower Test Series, compete in English County tournaments, tour the world and unlock numerous rewards for completing challenges. The authenticity of match days is also strengthened due to the fact that renowned bat manufacturers Gray-Nicolls, Puma, Slazenger, Kookaburra and Gunn & Moore have bring their weight of authenticity to the day's play.
Despite some great options, decent presentation and a solid batting system, Cricket 07 fails to deliver the perfect cricket experience. The visuals are dated, the AI is erratic and bowling is lack lustre and poorly implemented. Die-hard cricket lovers will still enjoy aspects of the game, but when you compare it to some of EA’s other sport’s titles, such as FIFA 07, it’s clear a lot more could have been done to iron to prevent the game from being a bore.
Pros
Century control system is excellent
Loads of gameplay modes
Cons
Poor graphics
Dodgy AI, batsman are excellent, fielders are all over the place at times.
Bowling is notably inferior to batting.
A strange mix of gameplay. Batting is fun and intuitive, bowling is dull and finicky.
