Amazon.co.uk Review
Cricket. Love it or hate it, there's no denying its appeal: sunshine, relaxation, tea breaks. It's all here in EA Sports' comprehensive new simulation,
Cricket 2004 (pretty much, anyway). Typically, EA's sporting simulations are detailed facsimiles of the real-life players and events they portray.
Cricket 2004 is no exception to this admirable rule. Some 61 cricket grounds from across the globe are accurately depicted here, along with 56 teams. Everything is bang up to date, of course, but the game's impressive Player Editor feature ensures that users can--if they wish to maintain realism--change information as time goes on.
Cricket has the uncanny ability of making time pass slowly. Here, for those who wish to re-invest that warped time wisely, EA bowls several cricket events: the World Cup appears alongside two domestic Australian cup competitions, numerous international tours, one-day tests, and the English County Championships. There's something for fans of every leaning. The action is delivered with aplomb. Sharp visuals, combined with TV-style camera angles and live commentary from Messrs Benaud and Maxwell (the modern-day voices of televised cricket), complete what is the definitive video game for cricket fans. --Jonti Davies
Manufacturer's Description
As well as all of the international teams and bonus squads, EA Sports'
Cricket 2004 includes domestic teams and competitions from England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Test matches as well as One-day Internationals are also included, and in addition to the tournaments that you have come to know and love from EA Sports'
Cricket, the Master League will also be a highlight of this game.
With new motion capture and a new development platform, not to mention the inclusion of form and injury, gameplay is more true to life than ever before. And for the cricketing buff there's no end to the detail. A large variety of statistical graphs will be available including run rate and wagon wheel graphs, as well as a huge amount of statistical data on every player that tracks over the course of a tournament. The game revolves around a full TV style presentation including a full action replay mode, third umpire, animated ducks, TV style overlays, field position editor and much more. The field position editor allows for auto or manual fielding.
Over 75 stadia are modeled from all over the world, including Lords in England, Calcutta, Melbourne, Auckland, Cape Town, Barbados and Lahore; the detail in the stadia is amazing. Lighting and shadows of the highest grade together with real time weather all add to the authenticity of the playing experience.
