Stumped .... But given "Not Out"... (International Cricket Captain III (PC))

Member Name: Jingodan

Product:	International Cricket Captain III (PC)
Date:	14/07/08 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Slick detail, good strategy and challenging.

Disadvantages: Poor graphics and time consuming

The summer is here, its time to put down the Football management game for a while, crossover to cricket and concentrate on getting bat on ball, or ball on stumps for a game of International Cricket Captain III....

Having owned only one other previous version of this game (ICC 2005), i was wondering just how far this game had progressed and if indeed it would be rubbing shoulders now akin to a Football Manager or Championship Manager style of game....

So what does this installment bring?

International Cricket Captain, in essence is all about the challenge of Captaining your chosen County cricket side to domestic glory in all competitions, and earning the opportunity along the way to captain your chosen Country on the International stage.

Difficulty:

I for one, am no cricket expert. However if you understand the basics of the game of cricket, then its fairly easy to pick up and play. If your an avid cricket fan, i'm thinking you'll be in cricket heaven.... well almost:-)

The actual game iself has two difficulty levels, which are a choice of "Easy" or "Normal". Furthermore you only need a trusty mouse and perhaps the touch of a keyboard to play this game.

Game Modes:

There are five game modes in total the game player can choose to pick and play. Choose a combination of managing a County side and/or a International side. There are modes for a one off match series and a World Cup too. However the real mode this game will sell itself on, is the "full game" mode, where you begin with a County team and have to earn the right to captain your International side.

Additionally outside of these game modes is the option for an "Internet Game". Where you can pit your wits online against other players.

I have to say, the Internet game option is very much a hit and miss experience. Like with any online game play, you can have issues with servers/networks etc, and the reliability in this mode just isn't trustworthy in my experience. I've often had many error messages while playing or i've totally failed to get onto the network.

Gameplay:

The International Cricket Captain series has always been a strategy game based around a database of statistical detail, revolving around a 2D match engine that shows the progression of your game. However, take the 2D engine out of the game, and replace it with a 3D engine and in essence thats the only difference this version of Internationl Cricket Captain brings to the table.

When the games first begins, your given a list of your selected squad, and an opportunity straight away to decide who you wish to retain, and a list of players available to sign.

Your also given a squad budget too, this will define just which players you can bring in, and on what salary. The budget is a balancing act, because you have three areas to cater for, which include "Coaching", "Youth Team" and "Physio". How much investment you choose in these areas can have dramatic effect on your ability to sign players, plus the overall progression of your squad.

Equally before the season starts you can also choose what kind of home pitch you want create. This can maximse either the strengths of your bowlers or batsmen and help achieve results.

Prior to a match you can adjust the training of your team. This seems all very basic, when you consider just how much statistical depth there is to the game. Your left wondering, "if only" a more in depth training function could have been placed within the game. "Practice", "Technique" and "Physio" are the only training options.

Again the statistics of teams and players are excellent with all updates for 2007. Once again the lovely little touches like being able to see the impending weather forecasts and a continous update too of the pitch and field conditions keep that sense of realism in tact.

The game continues to offer a similar feel of control. You can only control a batsmans agression or option to keep strike, where as in bowling you seem to retain more control once again as to how you want your bowler to deliver the line and length.

Fielding is once again a joy, you can choose either the presets or set your own field. If your a novice at the game of cricket, it can be a steep learning curve to step outside of those presets, but equally an education too!

Now cricket by definition is for the part a slow game, so be perpared for a time consuming challenge. Playing one match on its own merit can take anything from 30 minutes to a few hours in International Cricket Captain. This all depends how in depth you want to play each game.

This is one element i like, because it offers a hardcore cricket fan all the depth he/she could ask for with each game. while someone with moderate interest who doesn't want to get too overpowering with batting or bowling tactics, can set it to highlights mode and breeze through the game at a slightly quicker pace.

You can choose to skip matches too, but i've found this part of the gameplay baffling. More often than not if you choose to "skip" playing any particular game, you will lose it, regardless of how good or bad the opposition is.

The biggest disappointment has to be the poor attempt at going from a 2D match engine to the new 3D one. In theory it sounds a great leap forward, but in practice it detracts from the game and is shocking.

At times its almost comical watching the bowler or batsmen in animated action. It gets to the point of being hilarious when you see the unbelievable body angles that the fielders take catches at after the batsmen has ballooned a shot into the air!

However there are somes positive to take from the 3D engine. There is a sense of tension when a bowler appeals for LBW and you have to sit tight and wait to see umpires decision. The sounds of bat on ball, player appeals and the crowd are decent. Although sometimes when your batsman reaches a milestone, its not always acknowledged. The commentary (Johnation Agnew) is a reasonable effort too, and goes together well with the action.

Graphics.

The game menus are tidy, well presented and very clear. But where the graphics really matter within the game engine are truely dreadful. You can forgive graphics in a game for being poor if you've not got a fantastic graphics card in your machine, but when you've got some graphical power beneath your computer tower, and those players look like a late 90's attempt at computer graphics, then its a big let down. However, the lack of graphics is compensated for decent gameplay, so all is not lost.

Addiction:

This game does leave you going back for more, despite its graphical game engine flaw, there is an element of wanting to go back and challenging yourself again and again. There is nothing better than turning a youth player into a star and creating a team of stars from shrewd acquisitions in the end of season market.

Overall Verdict:

International Cricket Captain as a series is standing pretty much alone on the field of play. While this game delivers exactly what you would expect from a management type simulation game. You are are left wondering just what more could have been achieved, with a little more creativity and perhaps some stern competition from another game developer.

Its fun, like most forms of cricket time consuming, but ultimately it is a challenge and will keep you occupied for hours. Here's hoping the next installment is a better step forward.......

Pc Format: Prices normally between £9.99 - £19.99

Summary: Decent attempt, but needs to work harder on its game engine.