exprezzo
Club Cricketer
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2007
- Online Cricket Games Owned
-
It came as a pleasant surprise to all Cricket lovers across the world when Codemasters announced the release of a brand new cricket game; International Cricket 2010. Their previous release; Ashes Cricket 2009, was developed by Transmission Games and was well received by Cricket fans who thought that it was a step closer to a perfect animated Cricket game.
Many suggestions were passed on by the players to the developers and improvements in the game by releasing "patches" were promised but could not be implemented due to complicated publication licensing procedures. To make matters worse, Transmission Games closed down leaving us dejected and disappointed. We all wondered who will come up with the next Cricket game with the World Cup coming up in 2011 ? Just when the future seemed bleak, Transmission Games sprung back to life in a new avatar rechristened as Trickstar Games and produced International Cricket 2010 in association with Codemasters. This game released only on XBox 360 and PS3 consoles was tagged as the earlier promised, improved version of Ashes Cricket 2009. The developers too agreed that based on the successful model of Ashes Cricket 2009 they have enhanced the playing experience further, giving more attention to detail based on the player feedback received by them.
The main selling point of International Cricket 2010, according to Heath Smith, the game's designer is that this game provides the most authentic and intuitive gameplay yet. Several new innovations like the 'Action Cam', which provides a close third person view of the game and the 'Power Stick' which gives 360 degrees batting control are introduced along with a better Artificial Intelligence (AI) to play against in a single player mode. Officially licensed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket board) and Cricket Australia, International Cricket 2010 includes official players, stadia and kits which can be enjoyed in an improved range of game modes, including instant tournaments, 20 over matches and full test series. Fake Indian Premiere League Teams are also available for all the Cricket enthusiasts who want to get into the shoes of their favourite players in a quick fire Twenty-Twenty match.
The game has a set of tutorials introducing finer aspects of Batting, Bowling and Fielding, emphasising on the 'Action Cam' to make the players comfortable with the new viewing angle. Indeed, it feels great when you play and miss a ball and it whizzes past the bat and carries straight to the wicket keeper. Running between the wickets also becomes very interesting as you can toggle between watching the crease or your partner. You can even zoom into the field settings and take a look around before getting ready to face a delivery. Instead of blocking or hitting 'Power Stick' gives the player the choice to dull back the power and help the batsman to push the ball for a single. Bowling also becomes challenging with the aiming reticule undergoing transformation, and it takes a lot of skill to bowl a perfect delivery. The fielding still remains largely automated with the ability to select the throwing end. The catching mechanism is also similar with the timing meter in the form of a ring which changes colour from orange to green to red. You have to press the ‘catch’ button on the green to grab it perfectly or else you will miss the catch on the red ring. Pressing the 'catch' button on the orange ring will yield success depending on the fielding skill of the particular fielder.
Having gone through the basics I decided to venture into the actual gameplay experience. Problems which existed in the earlier releases like the AI running itself out unnecessarily (though they have become conservative in converting the one's to two's), bowling line and length, bounce on the ball etc., are all sorted out. The AI plays intelligently and gives a stiff competition. I started by playing four matches on the Hard Mode, and could not manage to win even one. I found bowling very challenging and in an effort to bowl fast and accurate I gave away too many no balls and got hammered all over the park. I noticed that the AI got out only on a good and accurate delivery which was extremely rewarding as a bowler. I got lots of LBWs and rattled the wickets by mixing up my deliveries. Fast yorkers and bouncers followed by a slower one right up to the stumps did the trick for me. The spin variations also came in very handy and it was a delight to deceive the batsman with a flighted ball to get him stumped. I really liked the new Bowling Head Up Display (HUD) which clearly marks the good length spots, bouncer and the yorker zones. While batting I realised that the fielders are more agile and threw the ball back quickly. Converting the two's to three's was not easy anymore. Batting involved choosing the right ball for the right shot, pushing the singles and rotating strike, getting in and then going for the big ones. The option of switching off the Batting and Bowling HUD partially or completely also gives an added challenge to the hardcore gamers. Online gameplay was very smooth and by introducing a player rating system the developers have helped to distinguish between serious players and online quitters. The player stats, hawk-eye, commentary etc. are all retained from the previous version, with the only change being the inclusion of David Lloyd to the earlier team of commentators ,i.e., Shane Warne, Jonathan Agnew and Ian Bishop.
Taking into consideration that the 'Action Cam' is not really a borrowed concept from EA Sports' Cricket 2007, one cannot deny the resemblance when it comes to the Batting and Bowling animations. In my opinion Trickstar should have improved on the existing Batting and Bowling animations featured in Ashes Cricket 2009 which was far superior than its rival counterpart. They should have revived shots like the reverse sweep which existed in Brian Lara Cricket 2007 along with adding other newer varieties. This EA Sports Cricket animation needs to be replaced as it is just not up to the mark and lacks finesse especially in the bowling department.The fast bowlers look like trolls running up to ball and it is very difficult to distinguish between an off spinner and leg spinner as their bowling actions are almost similar. The 'Action Cam' though an innovative approach still needs to be refined as its limited view makes running between wickets and judging runs tricky. While bowling with the broadcast camera you get a clear view of where you're aiming, but from the 'Action Cam' it simply doesn't feel as accurate. Though the fielding has improved, I still found several instances when the ball was hit towards the boundary and the fielder abruptly slowed down and let the ball pass through to the fence. The player and squad editor proved to be not so comprehensive once again with its character limitations while trying to edit player names and inability to change the squad names.
If the small glitches in International Cricket 2010 can be rectified by the release of patches or by implementing them in the next release before the ICC Cricket World Cup with licensed squads, kits and stadia then we might have a superior game in our hands.
WHAT I LIKE
Superior gameplay, competitive Artificial Intelligence
Action Cam and Power Stick
Online Player Rating System
WHAT I DISLIKE
Bowling animation
Fielding on the boundary line
Incomprehensive Player and Squad Editor
SUMMARY
Presentation : 8/10
Graphics : 7/10
Sound : 7/10
Gameplay : 8/10
Lasting Appeal : 8/10
--------------------------
Overall : 8/10
Many suggestions were passed on by the players to the developers and improvements in the game by releasing "patches" were promised but could not be implemented due to complicated publication licensing procedures. To make matters worse, Transmission Games closed down leaving us dejected and disappointed. We all wondered who will come up with the next Cricket game with the World Cup coming up in 2011 ? Just when the future seemed bleak, Transmission Games sprung back to life in a new avatar rechristened as Trickstar Games and produced International Cricket 2010 in association with Codemasters. This game released only on XBox 360 and PS3 consoles was tagged as the earlier promised, improved version of Ashes Cricket 2009. The developers too agreed that based on the successful model of Ashes Cricket 2009 they have enhanced the playing experience further, giving more attention to detail based on the player feedback received by them.
The main selling point of International Cricket 2010, according to Heath Smith, the game's designer is that this game provides the most authentic and intuitive gameplay yet. Several new innovations like the 'Action Cam', which provides a close third person view of the game and the 'Power Stick' which gives 360 degrees batting control are introduced along with a better Artificial Intelligence (AI) to play against in a single player mode. Officially licensed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket board) and Cricket Australia, International Cricket 2010 includes official players, stadia and kits which can be enjoyed in an improved range of game modes, including instant tournaments, 20 over matches and full test series. Fake Indian Premiere League Teams are also available for all the Cricket enthusiasts who want to get into the shoes of their favourite players in a quick fire Twenty-Twenty match.
The game has a set of tutorials introducing finer aspects of Batting, Bowling and Fielding, emphasising on the 'Action Cam' to make the players comfortable with the new viewing angle. Indeed, it feels great when you play and miss a ball and it whizzes past the bat and carries straight to the wicket keeper. Running between the wickets also becomes very interesting as you can toggle between watching the crease or your partner. You can even zoom into the field settings and take a look around before getting ready to face a delivery. Instead of blocking or hitting 'Power Stick' gives the player the choice to dull back the power and help the batsman to push the ball for a single. Bowling also becomes challenging with the aiming reticule undergoing transformation, and it takes a lot of skill to bowl a perfect delivery. The fielding still remains largely automated with the ability to select the throwing end. The catching mechanism is also similar with the timing meter in the form of a ring which changes colour from orange to green to red. You have to press the ‘catch’ button on the green to grab it perfectly or else you will miss the catch on the red ring. Pressing the 'catch' button on the orange ring will yield success depending on the fielding skill of the particular fielder.
Having gone through the basics I decided to venture into the actual gameplay experience. Problems which existed in the earlier releases like the AI running itself out unnecessarily (though they have become conservative in converting the one's to two's), bowling line and length, bounce on the ball etc., are all sorted out. The AI plays intelligently and gives a stiff competition. I started by playing four matches on the Hard Mode, and could not manage to win even one. I found bowling very challenging and in an effort to bowl fast and accurate I gave away too many no balls and got hammered all over the park. I noticed that the AI got out only on a good and accurate delivery which was extremely rewarding as a bowler. I got lots of LBWs and rattled the wickets by mixing up my deliveries. Fast yorkers and bouncers followed by a slower one right up to the stumps did the trick for me. The spin variations also came in very handy and it was a delight to deceive the batsman with a flighted ball to get him stumped. I really liked the new Bowling Head Up Display (HUD) which clearly marks the good length spots, bouncer and the yorker zones. While batting I realised that the fielders are more agile and threw the ball back quickly. Converting the two's to three's was not easy anymore. Batting involved choosing the right ball for the right shot, pushing the singles and rotating strike, getting in and then going for the big ones. The option of switching off the Batting and Bowling HUD partially or completely also gives an added challenge to the hardcore gamers. Online gameplay was very smooth and by introducing a player rating system the developers have helped to distinguish between serious players and online quitters. The player stats, hawk-eye, commentary etc. are all retained from the previous version, with the only change being the inclusion of David Lloyd to the earlier team of commentators ,i.e., Shane Warne, Jonathan Agnew and Ian Bishop.
Taking into consideration that the 'Action Cam' is not really a borrowed concept from EA Sports' Cricket 2007, one cannot deny the resemblance when it comes to the Batting and Bowling animations. In my opinion Trickstar should have improved on the existing Batting and Bowling animations featured in Ashes Cricket 2009 which was far superior than its rival counterpart. They should have revived shots like the reverse sweep which existed in Brian Lara Cricket 2007 along with adding other newer varieties. This EA Sports Cricket animation needs to be replaced as it is just not up to the mark and lacks finesse especially in the bowling department.The fast bowlers look like trolls running up to ball and it is very difficult to distinguish between an off spinner and leg spinner as their bowling actions are almost similar. The 'Action Cam' though an innovative approach still needs to be refined as its limited view makes running between wickets and judging runs tricky. While bowling with the broadcast camera you get a clear view of where you're aiming, but from the 'Action Cam' it simply doesn't feel as accurate. Though the fielding has improved, I still found several instances when the ball was hit towards the boundary and the fielder abruptly slowed down and let the ball pass through to the fence. The player and squad editor proved to be not so comprehensive once again with its character limitations while trying to edit player names and inability to change the squad names.
If the small glitches in International Cricket 2010 can be rectified by the release of patches or by implementing them in the next release before the ICC Cricket World Cup with licensed squads, kits and stadia then we might have a superior game in our hands.
WHAT I LIKE
Superior gameplay, competitive Artificial Intelligence
Action Cam and Power Stick
Online Player Rating System
WHAT I DISLIKE
Bowling animation
Fielding on the boundary line
Incomprehensive Player and Squad Editor
SUMMARY
Presentation : 8/10
Graphics : 7/10
Sound : 7/10
Gameplay : 8/10
Lasting Appeal : 8/10
--------------------------
Overall : 8/10
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