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I don't think I've posted here before, but have seen a lot of very negative comments about this game. Sure, it is quite expensive, but I do feel that its about time someone said something in the game's defence!
I originally played this series many moons ago, before falling out of cricket because it was no longer on normal TV. The world cup last year brought me back in, and that re-stirred my interest in this game. Yes it has been very frustrating at times, but amazingly I have been playing since last summer and still enjoying it. One thing that newcomers may not appreciate is that the game is quite unforgiving, but also quite rewarding to using the correct tactics. For example, I regularly found myself being blasted for 400+ in the first day of a match, but then I realized I was using the default of bowling at middle stump. From what I've seen, bowlers in real life almost always aim for off-stump, especially in the longer form of the game - deliveries that end up on the batsman's legs are far too easy to get away for a boundary. When I changed that simple setting, my performance improved massively. I also have gotten more used to the effect the new ball has, and the lesser impact to expect when it is older. I have learned to have my openers see off the new ball, and then having set a platform, get my middle order to go more on the attack. Things like this have seen me do much better - in my first season I got Yorkshire relegated, but in my last I won the championship. In T20, which I used to just fail constantly, I got to the final.
The feeling of accomplishment when succeeding is remarkable in this game. I also love the satisfaction - even when losing a match - of seeing a player rack up a 5-for or a century or some other milestone. That is the essence of cricket - not constant winning, but taking pleasure in little successes.
So I want to tell the developers that they are doing a great job. Sure, the animations and commentary could do with an update, and it would be nice to be able to move around the world rather than being tied to one country. Also, it does seem a bit too easy to be dominated by the opposition - even with my improved understanding of the game those 400+ opening days still happen more than I'd like! But the depth of research and understanding of the game makes this head-and-shoulders above any other cricket game I've played. So thanks for your hard work!
I originally played this series many moons ago, before falling out of cricket because it was no longer on normal TV. The world cup last year brought me back in, and that re-stirred my interest in this game. Yes it has been very frustrating at times, but amazingly I have been playing since last summer and still enjoying it. One thing that newcomers may not appreciate is that the game is quite unforgiving, but also quite rewarding to using the correct tactics. For example, I regularly found myself being blasted for 400+ in the first day of a match, but then I realized I was using the default of bowling at middle stump. From what I've seen, bowlers in real life almost always aim for off-stump, especially in the longer form of the game - deliveries that end up on the batsman's legs are far too easy to get away for a boundary. When I changed that simple setting, my performance improved massively. I also have gotten more used to the effect the new ball has, and the lesser impact to expect when it is older. I have learned to have my openers see off the new ball, and then having set a platform, get my middle order to go more on the attack. Things like this have seen me do much better - in my first season I got Yorkshire relegated, but in my last I won the championship. In T20, which I used to just fail constantly, I got to the final.
The feeling of accomplishment when succeeding is remarkable in this game. I also love the satisfaction - even when losing a match - of seeing a player rack up a 5-for or a century or some other milestone. That is the essence of cricket - not constant winning, but taking pleasure in little successes.
So I want to tell the developers that they are doing a great job. Sure, the animations and commentary could do with an update, and it would be nice to be able to move around the world rather than being tied to one country. Also, it does seem a bit too easy to be dominated by the opposition - even with my improved understanding of the game those 400+ opening days still happen more than I'd like! But the depth of research and understanding of the game makes this head-and-shoulders above any other cricket game I've played. So thanks for your hard work!
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