| |
| |
 |
|
| Game: |
Brian Lara International Cricket |
| Genre: |
Sport |
| Developer: |
Codemasters Software/Swordfish Studios |
| Publisher: |
Codemasters Software |
|
| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
|
|
|
|
|
Hands On Preview:
Coinciding with the forthcoming Ashes tournament, Brian Lara returns to console gamers whilst also making its long awaited debut on the Xbox console with Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 (BLIC). Whether you love or hate cricket, Swordfish Studios have managed to take what could be one of the most boring sports in the world (in my opinion) into a fun, competitive and dare I say, an addictive game.
The first noticeable feature we initially noted was the ease of control with batting, bowling and fielding which developers Swordfish have managed to integrate well. Batting for example is simple yet effective with the use of only three buttons, X which offers a defensive shot, A for lofted shots and B for attacking shots along the ground, and Y is used to start the batsman running. This may seem to overly simplify the batting options yet it actually offers players excellent levels of control especially when used in conjunction with the left analogue stick which controls the direction you want to hit the ball.
Bowling and fielding is equally as simple and effective; bowling uses X to deliver a ball which moves left after bouncing, B to deliver a ball which moves right after bouncing, A is used to start your run to the crease and also for a normal delivery and Y delivers a straight ball. Bowling does offer further options such as the use of both triggers to add either swing or drift to the delivery and the black and white buttons being used for special deliveries which are only available if the player’s confidence meter is filled. Fielding is again very simple, with only the A button used to control your fielders who either throw the ball back to the wicket or perform a catch.
The confidence meter previously mentioned is used by both batsmen and bowlers alike; in the case of bowlers a full confidence meter not only allows the use of the special deliveries (white or black buttons) but also improves the players chance of delivering the ultimate ball to the batsman, in the case of the batsman the more confidence offers more potential for hitting that all important 4 or 6.
The game may sound a little on the simplistic side but so far but we have only scratched the surface with this early preview build of the game. The bowling goes way beyond just the simple clicking of a selected button. Each bowler has his own style for example some will be right arm fast or medium paced and another could be a left arm legspin which in turn allows players to perform more advance bowling techniques to the batsman such as legcutters, googly’s, topspinners or offspinners each depending on what type of bowler is in use.
BLIC boasts a very impressive variety of authentic game modes and features including Exhibition, Tournament, Challenge, Coaching, Career Player, Customise and The Pavilion which should offer more than enough cricket to fill the summer months and beyond for even the most hardened fans of the sport.
Multiplayer mode although not Xbox LIVE enabled is where we found BLC came to life even for non fans or followers of the sport. The abundance of teams and players and the ability to pick your own 11 players or use the best 11 selected by the CPU makes both player and team selection simple yet still offering great depth for those in the know and wanting to select specific players with specific abilities.
The general simplicity of both the game and the controls allows beginners and people such as myself who have no idea about the rules, regulations, teams and players of cricket the ability to almost immediately bat, bowl and field with limited confidence and makes the game nice and easy to simply pick up and play but still offers great depth for those who choose to learn and master the arts of batting, bowling and fielding.
|
|
