Cricket 2002
By Hafidh Jamal
Upon entering a CD shop, you were bound to find at least one person enquiring about the latest Cricket Game. To their disappointment 'Brian Lara Cricket' (BLC) and 'World Cup Cricket 99' (WCC) was all the shop had to offer. Things have finally changed; no more shall enthusiastic enquirers be let down and no longer will they be presented with these ancient games. Cricket 2002 has struck the market, and it's a real cracker!
Brian Lara makes its way back to the pavilion
Cricket 2002 (EA) has it all and is clearly the game for the new generation. Nowadays most games are initially released on Playstation 2 (PS2), and months later, are thrown down to us PC gamers. Cricket 2002, is no exception and has followed the tradition. However it is the PC gamer who has the last laugh this time, since the PC version pulled off better graphics and is pretty much bug free when compared with the PS2 version. With all due respect to WCC 99, BLC '99 was the only game to take cricket crazy fans by storm, and hence the only game worthy of comparison with Cricket 2002. The sound effects (on pitch) are better by far, while the music and commentary has moderate depth and is not as entertaining to hear. (Richie Benaud is a legend, but he's certainly not entertaining!).
Don't judge a game by its graphics
When Cricket 96 (EA), was released its graphics were compared to FIFA 96 (EA), and people had doubts that the former was even made by the same company. EA has never stood up to the graphical standard that people expect in their cricket games, and now five years later 'Cricket 2002' still has that very flaw, its graphics still don't manage to turn any heads, and if they do, it's out of utter disgust. The in-game graphics are acceptable, but the close-ups are nothing more than revolting (except for the batsmen, whose caricatures are impressively close to the real players). At first sight, a player would think this game belongs back in the mid 90s (by standards set by EA itself!), but the fact that the game has a fantastic strategy will keep them interested. The fielders are said to be realistically modelled, using motion capture technology, but for some reason their smooth, curvy and angular bodies don't live up to this claim (at least to me!). The stadiums are good, but the crowd is a little more than picture stamped blobs, which wobble and clap when cheering a run or boundary, even if the game was designed to run on a Pentium II machine.
The playing strategy of Cricket 2002, is nothing less than phenomenal. Batting and bowling have both been well-analysed, putting a long range of shots and deliveries on your list of available options.
At the crease
Unlike any other good PC cricket game, shot selection is fantastic and the control mechanism is simple. There is a key for front foot shots, a key for back foot shots and a key for the ever so daring down the track shots. Similar to BLC, there is a key for slogging. Each shot is made of the typical combo, a direction and the type of shot depending on the ball. Use these with the additional slog button and you may well smash the ball into the car park (Afridi style). The beauty of a shot is in its follow through, and EA Sports has managed to cover this, making each shot a real treat to watch while also giving it that touch of reality. Facing a delivery is similar to the real thing hence timing is essential. A little bad timing and the ball may edge in or even beat your bat before you even realise it. Try the pull shot on a slow disguised ball, or one which falls on the soft surface of the pitch and you are bound to be caught. On the other hand, a well timed late-cut could bring you a boundary worth viewing on the replay system. EA sports claims that as time passes the ball, as well as, the pitch, wear out, hence softening the ball and making it easier to hit. As far as I'm concerned, I noticed no such change.
Taking the field
It can be unanimously agreed that bowling is a complete wash-up, in every cricket simulation game to date. EA has however tried hard to change this perception, by adding some extra options. When bowling a delivery one must first position the target, which is a circle whose radius decreases according to the class of the bowler, hence increasing the accuracy. Next you must choose the type of delivery (using the designated key). A speed bar builds up, as the player reaches the crease. If the bar exceeds the maximum point, the bowler oversteps and it is a 'no ball'. Stop the target at the last second, with the right bowler, and you can ball similar to the 'Rawalpindi Express' (Shoaib Akhtar). A slower ball needs flight when spin bowling. You can change the lateral movement of the ball, by simply tapping on your directional keys, allowing you to spin or swing the ball to the extent desired.
Fielding, like in most games, can be done manually or in the auto mode. Taking the manual option is not recommended, as the fielders are difficult to handle and you may well end up making circles around the ball before you actually get to it. It is also impossible to make optimum use of the point fielder, or any other fielder in the circle since the ball travels fast, while the camera movement is slow. Take the auto-field and your fielders will go through a test - diving and chasing the ball, in a manner, even 'Jhonty Rodes' is incapable of. The field placement is completely customisable, and can be tinkered with, in both manual and auto mode; but if field placement just isn't your thing, then it's best to opt for auto mode.
Stadiums and Tournaments
Cricket 2002, offers approximately twenty stadiums (BLC had more), and six tournaments, including the World cup, a Test series and the great Sharjah Trophy (which is a first). Stadiums are accurately depicted and weather conditions are according to the place of play, which means that the English venues are still the deadliest around.
Extremely detailed, but too complex for its own good
The details are immense. 'EA Sports' has managed to include several details, which many cricket fans may like. These are mainly in the form of the reactions of players to key events. The bowler and the team will rise to the occasion at the dismissal of a player, the batsman will point to the crowd when he hits a high score, and the crowd will go wild when the ball is dispatched out of the ground. The real brilliance of detail lies in the follow through of the players. The way a batsman plays a shot, the bowler runs off the pitch and a fielder reacts to a delivery, makes the game come to life (no matter how disappointing their facial expressions are).
Matches watched on T.V, always include statistics to show how good or bad a player/ team is doing. Cricket 2002 has it all. Scoreboards, charts and graphs (worm graph included). There is also the option to compare both teams, so you know exactly where you stand. This is original and has not been included in any other cricket simulation, although it's something fans always wanted.
'EA sports' always aspires for detailed games, but sometimes things get too complicated. Each delivery is followed by scenes, where the batsman fiddles with his gear or checks out the field. Fun to watch at the beginning, but it eventually gets monotonous. Sure we all enjoy seeing the statistics similar to the television broadcasts and I agree these details are great, but tapping the button three to four times to proceed to the next ball is rather stupid, to say the least. It's even worse when you've got the ball in your hand, and your repeated tapping causes the target to get set in the totally wrong area (often way down the leg-side). The game offers the option of viewing videos of the players after each delivery, which is totally pointless.
Great sound effects, terrible music and boring commentary
There has been a great effort put into the sound effects, as every minute sound is covered well. Gamers can hear the batsmen calling for runs, the bowlers appealing, the fielders cheering, the umpires' calling and the crowd going crazy. The crisp sounds of the bat cracking on the ball and the player's footsteps as they run are also audible, and are a plus point of the game. However the commentary of Richie Benaud and a new chap introduced solely as Jim is repetitive, outright boring and at times makes no sense (for instance the comments on how fantastic a catch is, when in reality it was put down). Music (although not important in this game) has no effect on the player and the introductory score is outrightly awful.
Flawed indeed but still worthwhile
Like a disappointing innings by Imran Nazir, who has all the talent and aims for the right shots but yet tends to walk early, Cricket 2002 has some great elements which will please cricket fans. However, its far from perfect graphics will be a disappointment.players. But as for now, this is the best cricket simulation game in the stores, and until Brian Lara (CM) doesn't head out for his next innings, this is the cricket game to buy.
GAME'S WEB RATINGS
(10 Max)
Overall: 8
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 7
Sound: 8
Music: 4
Value: 8
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: 1hr
Stability: Good
Players: 1-2
Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: EA
Released: 2002
MINIMUM SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
Pentium II 300Mhz,
64 MB RAM,
4X CD-ROM,
3D Accelerator 8Mb,
Mouse,
Soundboard,
Windows 95/98/2000/XP
More info available at:
EASPORTS Cricket 2002 Website
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