Ricky Ponting 2007: Pressure Play - 6/10
You'd think 8 years after Shane Warne Cricket '99, they'd let out a much better alternative.
Well, if you thought that, then you were wrong. Ricky Ponting 2007 Pressure Play brings all the frustrations of Shane Warne '99, though it does give a refreshing facelift to cricket games, it's still not incredibly special.
The game of Cricket is obviously an extremely difficult sport to adapt to a 12 button (+ Analog nub) video game controller. Many, many, shots may be played in the real game, with indecision and hesitancy often being the batsmens downfall. Ricky Ponting 2007 (RR07) gives this realism in an all to surreal fashion - a simple mistiming of a shot, the ball flails straight to a fielder in an all too unreal fashion, leading to a great partnership coming to its downfall in an excessively frustrating way. Just one of the many faults featured in RR07.
The game does come off as suitable for the 'pick-up-and-play' style each PSP user is craving, but it does have problems that may have been easily avoided. One being the fact that before each game you must go through a large array of loading screens (four, i think), including being shown the squad of the opposition team - and coincidently being able to edit their selections, captain and wicketkeeper. Another screen giving you the choice to select your country, though when you are playing a World Cup match, it is pointless because you can't change the sides, obviously.
Pressure Play is just a gimical feature that beholds no real point or reasoning. Poorly excecuted (in a production sense) and as each 'arcade' style mini-game goes on it increasingly provokes you to ask yourself the question "Why the hell am i bothering to do this?". I have so far completed Knowledge, Winners and part the way through Classics, with the Masters and Googly stages to go. Each contains 2 to 6 mini-challenges you must achieve to proceed to the next stage. These challenges may involve "play 6 aggresive offside shots in 2 overs" or playing games from history, such as the infamous underarm ball. This challenge brings a very desirable imagination to your head, you must hit this underarm ball for 6 to change the course of history. Seeing as there's the possibility of something different in the game, you'll ask yourself "How's this going to work? How can i hit a 6 of an underarmed ball?!". When in fact it loads up and all it is, is Australia and New Zealand wearing retro outfits, with the same current day players as featured in the rest of the game (this happened nearly 30 years ago) and you have to face a normal overarm ball and put it over the fence. Absolutely no comparison to the underarm. Incredibly dissapointed. Just to chuck in another comparison to Shane Warne '99 (SW99) - this Classic/History feature had already been done on SW99.
Graphics
Now this is one part of the game which is impressive. Well, at least close up. It's often you play a game and from a distance it's all blurry and not very good on the eyes, but with sport games (FIFA 08 and this) lately i've noticed that the close ups on players outshine the disance shots with flying colours.
After repeatedly playing the same shot or seeing the same catch you become accustomed to noticing the glitches and faults.
Gameplay
Simple, perfect for a cricket game. Some subsections:
- Difficulty
Difficulty is in my opinion one of the most important parts of a game, complaints will always run in if the game is that slight bit too hard or too easy. RP07 brings a level of difficulty that is easy enough to enjoy belting sixes over square leg, but then counteracts itself in a perculiar way that is just unnecessary, the very next ball after this magnificent six may just go whistling straight to a fieldsman. Though this does familiarise with cricket, it becomes a very hard thing to fend against, leaving you with a high fall of wickets.
- Controls and Movement
The controls are about as good as you can get for a cricket game - as i explained earlier. It does create very minute versatility, which is very constraining.
Batting you use the analog nub to select the shot (Cut, cover drive, off drive, straight drive*, on drive, mid-wicket smash*, pull, hook, leg glance). The games gives you four options with your type of hit: Triangle=Leave, Square=Block, Cross=Aggresive shot in safety, Circle=Slog.
[* - indicates use only with circle ]
Bowling is quite simple. Just aim and make sure you don't select while over power. Mix up the speed, line and length.
Fielding is dissapointing, you just use a power bar to catch (must get within the certain points etc.) and throw. I am still yet to run out my opponent, yet found myself having run outs as around 50% of the ways i went out, especially early on, which leads us to...
Camera Angles
The batsman is facing up, he plays the shot, there is a point where you have no idea 1)Where the ball went 2)Whether there is any fielder in that area 3)Whether it is safe to run. This took a long time to get used to, consequently leading to a LOT of run outs, it was simply to hard to judge. There is now a certain point where i wait until to run. It is these types of small faults that become very frustrating for the average player.
Replayability
I'm predicting every cricket loving PSP owner will be pulling this out each summer. A worth while past time.
I also found that catches were overly replayed, very dull and stupid. You'll get what i mean when you see them for the first time, it looks like they're trying to juggle, when they're actually meant to dive.
Sound
Boring. Too Simple. The music is one song over and over and over ... in game is the crowd, which is too temperamental. Very little noise, then as the ball crosses the rope for 4, there is a big roar, then down it goes to a little hush again. Not very atmospheric. Also there is no commentary - however that is better than bad commentary.
Highlight
Scoring my first 50 with Stuart Clark (yes, STUART Clark, not Michael) against the Poms.
Summary
A must have for anyone that knows the meaning of LBW, FOW, hit wicket and Silly Mid-on. Though it is just like a facelifted copy of Shane Warne '99.
More Ricky Ponting 2007 Pressure Play:
• www.mypsp.com.au/
• www.mypsp.com.au/
Note: I did some chopping and changing after writing it, if there's anything out of order, let me know.
Note2: Also lost some of this due to another IE error, so if anythings incomplete do tell, i can't be bothered proof reading.
Submitted by IAMColonel
16/12/2007
13
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