Got the game first thing this morning, and I have already played it enough for me to give some opinions and insight to anyone who hasn't got it yet, or is waiting for reviews before they buy the game. So here goes. I have broken this down into 4 sections: Batting, Bowling, Presentation and Options. The version I have is for Playstation 2. I did not play the demo.
Batting
I have only played against AI. The key problem is the difficulty. First ever innings on the highest difficulty, I scored nearly 140 in a 10 over game against Australia. Not good news then for Lara 05 veterans. You can basically hammer the ball around the park the same as 05. Running between the wickets is a little smoother, although the batsman sometimes get run out for forgetting to down their bat, which is highly annoying. The new shots look really good, and add a bit of extra fun. My only issue with them is the fact that I don't think you really get any advantage by playing them, over playing the standard shots. There are generally less 6s, but this doesn't necessarily mean its harder to score runs.
There are features to turn the bowling markers off. Turning both the markers off sounded like a good idea before I got the game, but in practice it actually makes the game a little dull. You just end up stepping away from the stumps, and playing an offside shot everytime, especially against pace bowlers. It works against spinners, when you can react, and get some satisfaction for playing the right shots. Turning the aimer off, but leaving the second marker on, makes batting a bit more difficult, and is worth a go (You might have to try the game to understand what I just said!). Overall, I would say the batting is an improvement over 05. But it's not going to blow anyone who had got tired of 05 away.
Bowling
Nearly identical to 05, so I won't dwell on it too much. One thing that does seem better is that spinners and medium pacers seem to be far more effective than they were on 05 (where in my opinion, the were just total cannon fodder in one player, and even more so in multiplayer).
The one area that deserves extra attention, and is probably the biggest change from 05, is the fielding. Good news and bad news. The good news is its a great idea, and it is quite fun. Make fielding more part of the game, with throws and catches now much harder. The bad news is the animations of the players, and what happens when you don't get it spot on. It trully is diabolical to watch. I can't wait to get my mates round and play this after a few beers. Slightly miss time a throw or catch, and watch your fielders behave like they have just drank 15 pints each. The overthrows thing is possibly the worst looking thing I have seen on a PS2 game, ever. The wicketkeepers act like Paul Nixon.... on crack. The stump and appeal for everything, even when the batsmen have been in their crease for 5 minutes. I really cannot stress how bad the fielding looks. Right now, I'm finding it funny. In a few days, I'll probably be pulling my hair out.
Presentation
The graphics are vastly improved. They actually look worthy of a PS2 game, which is something. It's not exactly Black, but I cannot complain. The sound though is awful. The commentators say the same things as last year. That I can tolerate. What I hate is the sound of the crowds. The chearing and screaming at innapropriate moments really grates on me. I have already resorted to turning it off.
Options
I find the fake names in the test teams annoying. It takes me a few minutes to work out who is who. The likes of Stuart Broad and Darren Gough have made the game, but you have to put them in custom teams. That is of course if you can work out who each fake player is supposed to be. Some of them are difficult to say the least. I haven't created a player yet.
I think where this game will really come alive is the multiplayer. The options with the bowling cuticles will make it even better. I suggest leaving the first marker on, but turning the second one off for multiplayer games.
Overall
Its probably a try-before-you-buy game really. Games against the AI don't seem very hard. But if you are going to play it in multiplayer, I think it will be a real winner.
Batting
I have only played against AI. The key problem is the difficulty. First ever innings on the highest difficulty, I scored nearly 140 in a 10 over game against Australia. Not good news then for Lara 05 veterans. You can basically hammer the ball around the park the same as 05. Running between the wickets is a little smoother, although the batsman sometimes get run out for forgetting to down their bat, which is highly annoying. The new shots look really good, and add a bit of extra fun. My only issue with them is the fact that I don't think you really get any advantage by playing them, over playing the standard shots. There are generally less 6s, but this doesn't necessarily mean its harder to score runs.
There are features to turn the bowling markers off. Turning both the markers off sounded like a good idea before I got the game, but in practice it actually makes the game a little dull. You just end up stepping away from the stumps, and playing an offside shot everytime, especially against pace bowlers. It works against spinners, when you can react, and get some satisfaction for playing the right shots. Turning the aimer off, but leaving the second marker on, makes batting a bit more difficult, and is worth a go (You might have to try the game to understand what I just said!). Overall, I would say the batting is an improvement over 05. But it's not going to blow anyone who had got tired of 05 away.
Bowling
Nearly identical to 05, so I won't dwell on it too much. One thing that does seem better is that spinners and medium pacers seem to be far more effective than they were on 05 (where in my opinion, the were just total cannon fodder in one player, and even more so in multiplayer).
The one area that deserves extra attention, and is probably the biggest change from 05, is the fielding. Good news and bad news. The good news is its a great idea, and it is quite fun. Make fielding more part of the game, with throws and catches now much harder. The bad news is the animations of the players, and what happens when you don't get it spot on. It trully is diabolical to watch. I can't wait to get my mates round and play this after a few beers. Slightly miss time a throw or catch, and watch your fielders behave like they have just drank 15 pints each. The overthrows thing is possibly the worst looking thing I have seen on a PS2 game, ever. The wicketkeepers act like Paul Nixon.... on crack. The stump and appeal for everything, even when the batsmen have been in their crease for 5 minutes. I really cannot stress how bad the fielding looks. Right now, I'm finding it funny. In a few days, I'll probably be pulling my hair out.
Presentation
The graphics are vastly improved. They actually look worthy of a PS2 game, which is something. It's not exactly Black, but I cannot complain. The sound though is awful. The commentators say the same things as last year. That I can tolerate. What I hate is the sound of the crowds. The chearing and screaming at innapropriate moments really grates on me. I have already resorted to turning it off.
Options
I find the fake names in the test teams annoying. It takes me a few minutes to work out who is who. The likes of Stuart Broad and Darren Gough have made the game, but you have to put them in custom teams. That is of course if you can work out who each fake player is supposed to be. Some of them are difficult to say the least. I haven't created a player yet.
I think where this game will really come alive is the multiplayer. The options with the bowling cuticles will make it even better. I suggest leaving the first marker on, but turning the second one off for multiplayer games.
Overall
Its probably a try-before-you-buy game really. Games against the AI don't seem very hard. But if you are going to play it in multiplayer, I think it will be a real winner.
