rohan_murti
School Cricketer
C2K5 Vs BLIC 2005, an unbiased comparison (PC)
Before beginning this comparative review, quite frankly I must admit, before this I have played only EA?s cricket games so far, but inspite of this I have tried to compare the two on an unbiased and neutral basis. However to add another point, I?m not a Cricket game review whiz or anything, the review is just like an ordinary person?s views to help people decide between 2 new cricket games in the market, with a simple and basic approach to it.
Firstly, I obviously purchased EA?s Cricket 2005 (C2K5) before BLIC since it released before, so I could explore the game for a month or so before BLIC 2005 released. Initially I had never planned on purchasing both the games, but after getting C2K5, my curiosity got the better of me since there was so much talk of BLIC being a better game and worth buying, etc.
Well these are my first impressions of C2K5. It?s a definite improvement over 2004, which was virtually unplayable due to the no. of bugs.
For:
- Graphics are good, improvement in crowd animations, stadium detail, pitch detail, player faces details
- Players in most teams like England, Australia, South Africa, etc resemble their real life counterparts
- Excellent menu system and new soundtrack, although no use for a cricket game, but some hum able music adds some life esp. during replays.
- EA?s customary complete licenses of teams, including all domestic players which makes it as real as it can get
- Batting strokes look much more realistic than earlier versions, wide choice of strokes in batting
- High rewards in batting for a lot of patience and caution, believe me, lots of patience! This makes it just like batting in real life
- Bowling has been spiced up, with special deliveries and more swing and spin
- Fielding animations very good, overall look and feel of the match much like the real thing
- Lot of improvement in the AI batting, very situational and realistic in terms of losing concentration and getting out too
Against:
- Batting is quite tough, even in normal mode. Confidence meter takes a long time to go up, meaning in most ODI?s your first 15 over scores will barely touch 40-50, which reduces the fun and excitement
- No changes in batting controls, still the same as 2004, no improvements. Some strokes like cover drive and esp. back foot strokes very difficult to get them right in the 1st place, let alone timing them to perfection
- Strokes on either side of the wicket generally travel on a fixed path, mostly straight to fielders, unless lofted.
- Dull lifeless commentary, almost the same as 2004, only some 4-5 new comments which seem totally out of place
- Few visual bugs, left handers looking right handed in cut scenes, wrong targets appearing in the scoreboard, commentary errors are plenty
Now about BLIC 2005. I purchased the game with a lot of apprehension. I shall however present my initial views on it too.
For:
- Good packaging, feels like a complete Cricket game
- Comparatively easy batting even at medium difficulty levels, easy key strokes for keyboard users
- Bowling is fun too, not too many messy controls, and with good variations at the same time
- Excellent commentary package, one of the best a cricket game has had in a long time, with a choice of 5 different commentators doesn?t make it very repetitive
- Competent player animations, batting esp. the strokes look like the real thing in replays and feel very technically correct
- Licensed tournaments from the ICC, fantastic addition of the Classic Challenge and an unlock mode of some of the best classic cricket players and matches to play with or against
- Sound quality is very good, with realistic crowd sounds
Against:
- Graphics feel a touch behind the times, esp. the overall look and feel of a match and stadiums
- Player faces look extremely unrealistic, nowhere close to their real-life counterparts, except in the licensed tournaments, which is quite disappointing
- Ball physics feel quite off at times, esp. when its released by the bowler or when an aggressive shot is played, seems to race to the boundary at bullet speed
- Very few players to choose from, no county and domestic players, team rosters also a bit outdated
- AI batting not very situational and realistic
- Tedious installation, 6 CD?s for a cricket game, takes ages to install
After playing both games, its quite simple to pick out the plusses and minuses in both the games, as they are almost immediately visible when u pick up either one and begin to play. C2K5 is tough, there are no two ways about it, and takes really long to master the batting, and can get quite frustrating at times. BLIC on the other hand is enjoyable in that literal sense. You can simply pick up the game and start whacking fours and sixes at gay abandon in no time whatsoever. Also the grounds in C2K5 feel a lot smaller not allowing any 2?s or 3?s while batting. BLIC the grounds look life-like with lots of possibilities of even stealing 3?s on the throw. Where C2K5 beats BLIC hands down is in the looks dept., the game looks good, the licensed colored uniforms, the player faces, the stadiums all feel like the real thing. BLIC I got the first impression that I was watching a cricket match that felt a touch like maybe ten years older than the current times. But new kits to download covers up for that quite a bit. Of course, Hawkeye usage in the game is excellent, beating C2K5 hands down there. And the classic matches addition makes up for a lot of things that EA missed in C2K5, I think the idea of playing as one of the current sides and trying to beat some of the best sides ever sounds exciting. Well, it sounds like every point I make is like a knock-out punch from one game to the other like a bout of boxing. I can go on and on about this, but finally let me give my verdict. I haven?t really explored BLIC to its depths, but after playing it for a few days it certainly feels better than C2K5. The matches are a lot easier, but not that easy to master mind you, the scores look a lot more realistic, and overall the game is a much more enjoyable right through than C2K5.
But having said all that, now that I?ve been greedy and picked up both the games, I think having enjoyed BLIC so much now, it doesn't mean that my C2K5 CD will just eat rust from now on. I still think it?s a good game in its own rights and will def be playing it when I feel the need for a good old tough testing encounter on the first morning of a test match with overcast conditions and a green bouncy pitch and of course with loads of time on my hands!
Waiting for your responses, hope this helped some people out there still confused on what to buy!
Before beginning this comparative review, quite frankly I must admit, before this I have played only EA?s cricket games so far, but inspite of this I have tried to compare the two on an unbiased and neutral basis. However to add another point, I?m not a Cricket game review whiz or anything, the review is just like an ordinary person?s views to help people decide between 2 new cricket games in the market, with a simple and basic approach to it.
Firstly, I obviously purchased EA?s Cricket 2005 (C2K5) before BLIC since it released before, so I could explore the game for a month or so before BLIC 2005 released. Initially I had never planned on purchasing both the games, but after getting C2K5, my curiosity got the better of me since there was so much talk of BLIC being a better game and worth buying, etc.
Well these are my first impressions of C2K5. It?s a definite improvement over 2004, which was virtually unplayable due to the no. of bugs.
For:
- Graphics are good, improvement in crowd animations, stadium detail, pitch detail, player faces details
- Players in most teams like England, Australia, South Africa, etc resemble their real life counterparts
- Excellent menu system and new soundtrack, although no use for a cricket game, but some hum able music adds some life esp. during replays.
- EA?s customary complete licenses of teams, including all domestic players which makes it as real as it can get
- Batting strokes look much more realistic than earlier versions, wide choice of strokes in batting
- High rewards in batting for a lot of patience and caution, believe me, lots of patience! This makes it just like batting in real life
- Bowling has been spiced up, with special deliveries and more swing and spin
- Fielding animations very good, overall look and feel of the match much like the real thing
- Lot of improvement in the AI batting, very situational and realistic in terms of losing concentration and getting out too
Against:
- Batting is quite tough, even in normal mode. Confidence meter takes a long time to go up, meaning in most ODI?s your first 15 over scores will barely touch 40-50, which reduces the fun and excitement
- No changes in batting controls, still the same as 2004, no improvements. Some strokes like cover drive and esp. back foot strokes very difficult to get them right in the 1st place, let alone timing them to perfection
- Strokes on either side of the wicket generally travel on a fixed path, mostly straight to fielders, unless lofted.
- Dull lifeless commentary, almost the same as 2004, only some 4-5 new comments which seem totally out of place
- Few visual bugs, left handers looking right handed in cut scenes, wrong targets appearing in the scoreboard, commentary errors are plenty
Now about BLIC 2005. I purchased the game with a lot of apprehension. I shall however present my initial views on it too.
For:
- Good packaging, feels like a complete Cricket game
- Comparatively easy batting even at medium difficulty levels, easy key strokes for keyboard users
- Bowling is fun too, not too many messy controls, and with good variations at the same time
- Excellent commentary package, one of the best a cricket game has had in a long time, with a choice of 5 different commentators doesn?t make it very repetitive
- Competent player animations, batting esp. the strokes look like the real thing in replays and feel very technically correct
- Licensed tournaments from the ICC, fantastic addition of the Classic Challenge and an unlock mode of some of the best classic cricket players and matches to play with or against
- Sound quality is very good, with realistic crowd sounds
Against:
- Graphics feel a touch behind the times, esp. the overall look and feel of a match and stadiums
- Player faces look extremely unrealistic, nowhere close to their real-life counterparts, except in the licensed tournaments, which is quite disappointing
- Ball physics feel quite off at times, esp. when its released by the bowler or when an aggressive shot is played, seems to race to the boundary at bullet speed
- Very few players to choose from, no county and domestic players, team rosters also a bit outdated
- AI batting not very situational and realistic
- Tedious installation, 6 CD?s for a cricket game, takes ages to install
After playing both games, its quite simple to pick out the plusses and minuses in both the games, as they are almost immediately visible when u pick up either one and begin to play. C2K5 is tough, there are no two ways about it, and takes really long to master the batting, and can get quite frustrating at times. BLIC on the other hand is enjoyable in that literal sense. You can simply pick up the game and start whacking fours and sixes at gay abandon in no time whatsoever. Also the grounds in C2K5 feel a lot smaller not allowing any 2?s or 3?s while batting. BLIC the grounds look life-like with lots of possibilities of even stealing 3?s on the throw. Where C2K5 beats BLIC hands down is in the looks dept., the game looks good, the licensed colored uniforms, the player faces, the stadiums all feel like the real thing. BLIC I got the first impression that I was watching a cricket match that felt a touch like maybe ten years older than the current times. But new kits to download covers up for that quite a bit. Of course, Hawkeye usage in the game is excellent, beating C2K5 hands down there. And the classic matches addition makes up for a lot of things that EA missed in C2K5, I think the idea of playing as one of the current sides and trying to beat some of the best sides ever sounds exciting. Well, it sounds like every point I make is like a knock-out punch from one game to the other like a bout of boxing. I can go on and on about this, but finally let me give my verdict. I haven?t really explored BLIC to its depths, but after playing it for a few days it certainly feels better than C2K5. The matches are a lot easier, but not that easy to master mind you, the scores look a lot more realistic, and overall the game is a much more enjoyable right through than C2K5.
But having said all that, now that I?ve been greedy and picked up both the games, I think having enjoyed BLIC so much now, it doesn't mean that my C2K5 CD will just eat rust from now on. I still think it?s a good game in its own rights and will def be playing it when I feel the need for a good old tough testing encounter on the first morning of a test match with overcast conditions and a green bouncy pitch and of course with loads of time on my hands!
Waiting for your responses, hope this helped some people out there still confused on what to buy!
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