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| EA GAMES - Cricket '07 |
| Monday, March 05, 2007 |
Cricket, cricket, and more cricket; we, as Indians, live for cricket. Our national passion and the driving force for most of our youth. I say most because there is a growing number of people who have developed this new cool attitude as "Cricket-Haters", which greatly displeases me, but let's not go there.
But what's even more irritating are games based on this popular sport. My favorite was Brian Lara's Cricket and EA Cricket 97. This time around EA has released Cricket 2007, a refined version apparently. So how is the game? Well, let's find out.
A Good Length Delivery
I will keep it simple and straight; Cricket games are awful, and I mean they are awful; they are full of bugs and glitches. The Batsmen all look the same; the only difference between a Sachin and a Harbhajan is a tiny moustache, and don't get me started on the skin tone, apparently all Indian players are shades of Balaji.
Agreed, Cricket is no football, the popularity difference is way too much. But in India itself you have 600 million teenagers, if you consider 1% of them having a gaming console or a PC, and another 0.5% into cricket; we still have 3 million cricket playing teenagers. So at the right price and availability, a cricket franchise can make a huge amount of money for those greedy suits in the Boardroom. Well, enough of my personal thought on the downgraded and low quality cricket games; let me discuss Cricket 2007.
The major difference this time around is the Century Stick, the analog Batting system. This new improvement has its pros and cons as well. Batting with an analog stick does give you 360 degrees freedom, but it can act otherwise as well. What I mean is that at times the game just can't understand your command and can lead to an early wicket. The game modes are all the same with a few good exceptions, you have licensed versions of Ashes and 20-20 mode.
But back to the century stick, which is one good innovation if you get used to it. All you have to do is to play your shot after reading the ball's pitch. Just point the analog stick in the direction and you have a beautiful cover drive for a boundary. But as I said it is a little buggy, with a little improvement, this can be a major sensation in the coming years.
Bad Deliveries
The graphics are good, pretty at times, but disappointing at some occasions. The sound is decent, especially a good blow from the willow to the leather. The AI can act quite dumb at times, especially in fielding, which can be controlled manually.
I wouldn't suggest manual fielding as it can be more of a hassle than anything else.
Extras
There is a new mode called Quick Play, here one can choose the game's pace and difficulty. The new 20-20 mode can be good fun as it gets over quickly and is a slogging paradise. You will also see a few new kit improvements in the Create a player setting. These are about it, nothing revolutionary.
I still believe there can be a major improvement in every aspect of the game. But this is the best cricket option out for this year, so go grab a copy.
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posted by Scorpio @ 3:07 AM  |
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| Civilizatization 4 |
| Monday, February 19, 2007 |
Visually, Civ 4 is quite impressive. While due attention has been paid to details such as waves, flowing water and swaying trees, these aren't as performance-hungry as one would fear. The interface is well laid out, and didn't pose too much of a task to understand. The sound is an impressive part of the game. The background score is full of African and Gregorian chants, and fall gently upon one's ears. The music changes according to what level you are zoomed into in your map—at full zoom, you hear civilisation-specific music for your cities (yes, sitars for India), and as you zoom out, the music changes to the Gregorian chants again.
What didn't go down too well with this reviewer was the fact that while inconsequential alerts keep popping up right in front of you, the ones that really matter—like when
your opponent kills your favourite archers—are put in the top-left corner of the screen, where you aren't really likely to be paying much attention.Labels: Fighting Games |
| posted by Ankur Lekhi @ 5:22 AM |
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| Conflict Storm- Reviews |
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Let’s face it—tactical first person shooters are a dime a dozen. In fact, they’re a dime a thousand, with each new game more stereotyped than the one before it. Ergo, there’s a very good reason that only a few of them are ever really successful. And
C:GSdoes notcome under that category. The idea is good enough (even if it’s a tad
unoriginal): you’re put in charge of a tactical squad of four called Red
Team, which consists of Sergeant Bradley, Corporal Jones, Corporal Connors, Corporal Foley, and later, Corporal Sherman as well. Naturally, you’re sent into a
number of hostile locations throughout the game— ranging from Russia to
Kashmir! The idea is straightforward— complete the mission by any means
necessary and get the hell outta there! Simple enough—or so you’d think. Unfortunately, the game is marred by a number of basic errors that ruin its playability. Take the AI for example. The user’s manual proudly claims
that AI has been significantly improved since the last instalment, which makes you wonder if anyone but the worst novice had trouble completing it. The fact is
that the AI is extremelydumb! Apparently, running straight into you from
all directions is the only way your opponents know how to kill. Sure, there is the odd exception, but that doesn’t matter because it upsets your “sit in a corner-
aim-shoot” tactic only for a little while.Labels: Fighting Games |
| posted by Ankur Lekhi @ 5:08 AM |
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| Tomb Raider Legend |
| Saturday, February 17, 2007 |
After the terrifying downturn that Lara Croft’s career took post Tomb Raider 3
A(some would even say 2), it hardly seemed likely that the lady would rise from the
grave that developer Core Studios had been so diligently digging for her. Now in the
seemingly able hands of new developers Crystal Dynamics (the guys behind the
Legacy of Kain series), the Tomb Raider fran- chise has been revamped and
reintroduced to the masses. To Thine Own Self Be True.
The heart of any Tomb Raider game lies in exploring large environments, solving puzzles, leaping wantonly from ledge to rope to who-knows-what and a little shooting up of the bad guys. And, of course, watching Lara Croft carry out aforemen-
tioned activities. Lara’s latest adventure will take her from the jungles of South America to the icy corners of the Himalayas and the streets of England, among
other locations, on a quest to find out the truth about King Arthur’s Excalibur, an ex-col- league who didn’t really die and what really caused her mother’s
death. She’s not alone, though, and will constantly find herself in the middle of skirmishes with the enemy.
The game’s environments open spaces and dungeons alike—are mind-bogglingly large
at times, and nearly always breathtaking. We often left Lara hanging on to a cliff while we took a look-see at the entire set before proceeding. You will also
encounter puzzles ranging in difficulty and complexity from the simple push-this-do-that type to the insanely elaborate ush-this-dull-that-shimmy-down-wall-
DON’T-DIE-shoot-this-and-then-s wiiiiing kind—you get the drift.
Throughout the game, you’ll also be treated to some interac- tive cutscenes—press the arrows that the game tells you to in time. |
| posted by Ankur Lekhi @ 10:45 PM |
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| Gear of War - PC Version |
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This dream is going to be true, as the epic game Gear of War is going to be on PC and one doesn’t have to buy the Xbox 360. In the starting itself developers were planning to develop the game for both xbox and PC, however the things were gone different. The date is not finalized however spokesperson for Microsoft clarified that the game is going to be on the PC version soon. Well I remember there are many crack software available in the market which are cheap and let u play the Xbox game on the PC, now please don’t ask me the names, Google is there and go and search it. Labels: Fighting Games, PC |
| posted by Ankur Lekhi @ 11:43 AM |
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