EA Cricket 2007 is a cricket simulation computer game from EA Sports and developed by HB Studios. It is available for Windows and PlayStation 2. The game was released in the UK on 24 November 2006 and in Australia on 14 November 2006. The cover of Cricket 07 features England and Lancashire cricketer Andrew Flintoff, and the Australian release cover pictures the Ashes urn with the Australian and English flags behind it.
Key Features
Groundbreaking Control
Use the intuitive dual analog Century Stick batting system to select foot choice, shot direction, power and timing. With button controls to loft shots and advance down the track, you're free to crack a full array of shots all around the wicket. Success with the bat also relies upon your batsman's individual skills, allied with his confidence level. A confident batsman maximises his potential to time his shots sweetly - maintaining high confidence can make or break his ability to build a big innings.
New Cameras
Innovative views from behind the batsman offer a realistic batting perspective, and a reworked Broadcast camera gives you a wider view of the play for more authentic coverage.
Quick play Cricket
Play cricket your way by setting your own pace. Crank up the game speed, ease back the difficulty setting and revel in the razzmatazz of Limited Overs or fully-licensed Twenty20 extravaganzas by playing a fast-blast match of hard-hitting sixes - or slow the pace down, slide the difficulty up and steel yourself for a five day Test.
Greater Depth
A new picture-in-picture display with a shot timing gauge coupled with a running assistance indicator and radar help you make those snap decisions out there in the middle. On-the-fly Dynamic Field Positioning and Quickswitch bowling give you the ability to ratchet up the pressure on the batsmen by changing the field and the bowler's line of attack without a break in play.
Tournament Options
Lead this year's eagerly anticipated 3 mobile Ashes campaign Down Under, replay the legendary 2005 npower Test Series or unlock a stack of rewards by accomplishing Ashes challenges. Take part in the frenzy of the fully-loaded, fully-licensed English and Australian One Day blitz of extreme Twenty20 cricket, dive into a complete schedule of Australian State and English County tournaments, tour the world, win the World Championship or compete for glory in Test matches and One Day Series games with all the top cricketing nations of the world.
Authentic Content
For the first time in an EA SPORTS™ Cricket title, renowned bat manufacturers Gray-Nicolls, Puma, Slazenger, Kookaburra and Gunn & Moore bring their weight of authenticity to the day's play. Relish the big game atmosphere with new broadcast visuals, wicket textures and astute new commentary from the masterly broadcast team of Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud as you play out a nail-biter against the faithfully realised backdrop of a legendary international venue or a cherished domestic ground.
Windows 2000/Windows XP or higher,1 GHz CPU, 256MB RAM, Graphics card with 32MB RAM, 1.2GB Hard disk space.
Test System:
Windows XP SP2, 2.8GHz P4 CPU, 1GB DDR400 RAM, nVidia 6600GT AGP graphics card.
Football Manager 2012 Veterans know that the series is all about evolution, not revolution. It has been evolving steadily for almost two decades now to become so vast and complex that it's not really an entry level game anymore. Even experienced players who have missed a few iterations are likely to find the sheer depth and number of options daunting. Everything is in here from dealing with agents and mollycoddling egotistical star players to fending off scoop-hunting journalists--as you try to mold your team of virtual hit and hopers into a trophy harvesting machine. www.Mrqasimasharf.blogspot.com This year’s introduction of a much needed tutorial mode helps to steer newcomers through the labyrinthine options and is a great addition.
Learn what it's like to take on a press conference in Sir Alex Ferguson's shoes.
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One area of improvement has to do with the transfer market, with the contract system being tweaked to streamline the process. There are so many elements to consider duration of contract, win bonuses, appearance bonuses, goal bonuses, promotion bonuses, agent's fees, relegation release clauses, non-promotion release clauses, minimum fee release clauses, promotion bonuses, loyalty bonuses, sell-on fees, and a whole metric boatload of other stuff any or all of which might be demanded by the player. www.mrqasimashraf.blogspot.com When contracts are offered, players make various counterdemands, and with so many variables, negotiations can get rather convoluted. This year, a padlock symbol appears next to each clause for the first time. Clicking it sets that element as nonnegotiable, saving time and making it easier to keep a cap on your spending.
Team talks include a new level of depth, thanks to the addition of different tones of voice. When you address the lads before matches, at half time, and after the final whistle, you can be aggressive, passionate, calm, cautious, or reluctant in your manner, and each tone has its own associated set of comments. If you choose wisely, players will respond positively. If you choose poorly, they might lose motivation or maybe even go into a strop. The more you learn about your team, the more you come to understand how to coax a positive response from individual players. If that's too long winded for you, you can always let your assistant manager take the team talk, which gets you into the match far quicker.
This ability to delegate responsibility has become more and more important as the Football Manager series has evolved in its complexity. Almost every element can be left up to your backroom staff members to deal with, and they call regular meetings to keep you in the loop. What's more, they also make suggestions that you can quickly take action on with the click of a button. Of course, you can also micromanage every facet of the game to your heart's content if you want. You can interact with players, set training schedules, talk to the media, badger the board for extra funds, wheel and deal in the transfer market, hire and fire backroom staff, and issue individual instructions to each player on game day.
Use the tactics screen to customize formations and issue instructions to players.
One of the cumulative problems with layering on new features year after year is that squeezing more and more functionality into a creaking interface without having it break isn't easy. Football Manager's presentation underwent a major overhaul a couple of years back, but the problem of presenting so much information clearly without the need for dozens of screens remains. The Overview screen addressed this, and this year it’s been made more powerful for players running the game at higher screen resolutions. The higher the resolution, the more info boxes you can fit on the screen. www.Mrqasimashraf.blogspot.com As before, you can choose which boxes you want displayed, allowing the main screens to be customized with the information you want to see at a glance.
An interesting addition to the formula is the ability to turn leagues on and off at any time during the game, which is something that's been missing for years. Previously, you were stuck with the leagues you chose to activate when you started a new game. Now, if you fancy a season in Portugal, you can activate the Portuguese league as playable and look for a job there. Likewise, you can shut down any playable leagues you have sucking up processor power at any time. The more leagues you have running, the slower the game will run.
The 3D match engine has been improved with a couple of new views, more animations and more featured stadiums. It's still not great, though. Given the current benchmark of 3D football games, there's simply no place for such rudimentary and inexplicably processor hungry graphics. The classic 2D match display is still preferable for aesthetics and functionality, allowing you to cheer for those small, colored circles one moment and curse them as fatherless heathens the next; punch the air when they score and slump head in hands when those awful words "But it won't count" appear in the commentary bar. Raw emotion though is what football is all about, and Football Manager delivers it in spades.
Higher resolutions offer more screen real estate to display stats and messages.
It can be frustrating when things start to go wrong; you'll be tearing your hair out trying to understand how your side managed six wins in a row, yet all of a sudden, it can't find the net with the exact same tactics and starting lineup. There’s an occasional sensation that the game is playing you, that if you start doing too well the wheels will inevitably come off. Then, just as you’re on the brink of hitting reset it throws you a bone. To misquote the immortal words of Michael Corleone, "Just when you thought you were out, it pulls you back in."
There's a little bit more of just about every element compared to the 2011 version. There is better scouting and more interaction, as well as lots of tweaks and streamlines, but there's nothing monumental. It really depends on how important it is to you to start off the game with all of this year's transfers in place, bearing in mind that a season into the game, everything will change anyway. Football Manager remains the only football management sim you need; just don't expect an easy ride, especially if this is your first dalliance. If you stick with it, though, it could change your life.
PES 6- Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series has usually managed to outdo EA's FIFA series in the eyes of European critics, even if it rarely manages to generate the same level of sales. When Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (or Pro Evolution Soccer 6 in Europe) was announced for the Xbox 360, it seemed gamers could finally look forward to a game that combined superb playability with more impressive visuals and a compelling online offering.
We're pleased to report that the newest Pro Evolution Soccer continues the series' tradition of playing a great game of football. From the moment you kick off, either against a friend or the computer, Pro Evolution Soccer delivers a fantastic representation of the sport. Realistic body shapes, player momentum, and ball physics combine to provide the greatest result yet. Just like in real football, you have to work at creating build-up play and set pieces, but in return you'll get a deep level of satisfaction when you score a truly remarkable goal.
The game's visuals have received some Xbox 360 attention.
Konami has made this year's game tighter than ever before. For example, players need to be facing their intended targets to attain any sort of passing accuracy, and the game usually favours the defending player in one-on-one situations. Consequently, Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is a slower game than its predecessor and favours quick-passing play as opposed to selfish, solo runs. On the other hand, fouls are awarded much less frequently this time around, which prevents the stop-start routine that marred PES5. Although it takes a while to adjust to these changes, the new version of Pro Evolution Soccer is the best yet in terms of action, and it will reward dedicated players with a good degree of depth.
However, as a next-generation title, Pro Evolution on the Xbox 360 doesn't work quite as hard as it could. The lack of licensed team data has always been an issue for the series, but this version has even less functionality than last year's PlayStation 2 game. The German league has mysteriously disappeared, and while there are still a reasonable number of licensed teams, only four are represented from the entire British Isles. That's fine if you're a fan of Rangers, Celtic, Arsenal, or Manchester United, but everyone else will have to make do with a fictional team name that is based loosely on the real club's location. Spurs fans must put up with North East London, Reading fans with Berkshire Blues, and so on.
Even worse, Konami has now decided to omit the editing features that were available in previous Pro Evolution Soccer games. These options have been comprehensive in the past in order to make up for the lack of official licences in the game. In fact, while the full roster of team and player changes can still be made in the PlayStation 2 version of the game, in the Xbox 360 game you can only make alterations to players' names and statistics. Appearances, kits, and even fake team names can't be changed, which is something of a step backwards, although the proportion of accurate player names overall is higher this time around, and transfers are accurate to the end of the August 2006 transfer window. What's more, there's no option to save goal replays either, so the days of saving your most glorious strikes to show off to your mates are gone.
Also, the unlockable items that PES points previously allowed you to buy are gone, although national teams of classic players can be obtained by winning some of the cup competitions available. All of the usual national tournaments return in exactly the same format as before. The Asian Cup, which includes just five teams, provides a short-term challenge, and for something more comprehensive, you can play the European competition or set up your own club or national team tournaments if you so desire, playing as any team in the game.
The focus of the single-player game has always been the master league, and thankfully, it returns in this year's game. Because this is a long-term challenge in which you take a team of low-quality fictional players to the top, you'll need to win matches and accumulate in-game currency to buy decent players on the way. This year's version of the master league is exactly the same as in previous years, with one or two changes in presentation. For example, it's now possible to choose whether or not players age or improve. By switching this last option off, you can re-create the experience from past Pro Evo games and gradually build up a team of today's superstars, as opposed to a raft of regenerated youngsters with the exact same names as famous players now.
Licensed players look great, but there aren't enough of them.
Either way, there's nothing in this career mode that shows any particular ambition, and Konami has been content to simply serve up what we've seen in previous versions of the game. Therefore, if you've spent weeks working your way out of fake-player obscurity and into the world-class arena previously, you can now contemplate doing exactly the same thing over again, in exactly the same way.
As you'd expect from a game that is making its Xbox 360 debut, the biggest improvement to Pro Evolution Soccer is in the visuals. The high-definition overhaul means that you can really appreciate the player details, particularly in the way they move. The interaction between players and the ball has been key to Pro Evolution Soccer's success, and it's never looked as clear as on the Xbox 360. While it's not yet in the same league as the 2006 FIFA World Cup game in terms of detail and authenticity, there's still enough to please the eye. Player likenesses are reasonable enough so that you can tell who the players are for the most part, although the licensed players certainly seem to have had more attention paid to them. There are still entire club and national teams that feature players with incorrect names, and a few of them have hair colour or facial characteristics that will no doubt baffle some football fans.
Peter Brackley and Sir Trevor Brooking make a return in the commentary box, and while there seems to be less repetition in their remarks, there's nothing noticeably new in the stock phrases either. It's always been one of the Pro Evo series' weaknesses. Although they won't have you switching off the commentary after playing for a few days, it's nothing to write home about.
There has been a fair amount of anticipation about the online multiplayer capabilities of Pro Evolution Soccer 2007, as with many other Xbox 360 games. While playing against the computer is certainly compelling, competing against real people is far more exciting, and players can battle over an online leaderboard. Each person's Xbox Live profile will build up an online database, which keeps track of a variety of statistics, including your performance over time and even your favoured choice of team.
The online mode will sort you into several leagues, depending on your ranking. And you will move up and down based on how many times you win, lose, or draw. If you want to play practise matches or against friends, then you can play in unranked games. But the real challenge comes in playing online ranked matches that will contribute to your leaderboard position. The real disappointment is that you can't set up online tournaments with friends. So while the online multiplayer mode is incredibly fun and addictive, it's a decidedly last-generation experience.
Body shapes and player movement make the game feel realistic.
The performance of online play is fairly stable, although there are some issues that blight a game, which depend on quick reactions. Shots, crosses, free kicks, and corners are much trickier online because of a lag between the button press and the onscreen power bar. This means that you'll often hold the button down for longer than you need. And when the action is completed, you end up with way more power than you'd want. After a few games, you'll work out how to compensate, but it's still off-putting.
Achievements in the game are straightforward to win by playing through the preset tournaments and the master league competitions. It may sound as if a lot of time is required, but it's possible to unlock most achievements by setting the game to the easy mode and on the shortest match length to romp through them. Much harder to achieve are the online badges, which require you to play 100 online games and win 100 matches.
Overall, while the most important part of the game--the football--is of the usual high standard, there's a general lack of ambition in other areas of the game. But there's no doubt that for the foreseeable future this game will continue to play some of the greatest matches around, and the challenge to be one of the best players online will live on for a long time to come.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 brings Konami's football franchise back for another year.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is the latest version of Konami's popular soccer game for Windows. Although PES 2013 looks very similar to Pro Evoultion Soccer 2012, it includes some subtle changes designed to improved both gameplay and graphics.
The gameplay in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is more manual than the previous version, making it more like a proper soccer simulation, rather than the arcade-style action of PES 2012. Though some elements seem to be heavily inspired by FIFA 12, this is no bad thing.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 focuses on improving player likenesses so that players in the game behave like their real life counterparts - a system dubbed as 'PlayerID' by the developer. Famous players will run, turn, trap, move the ball and even celebrate like they do in real life.
In terms of player likenesses, PES 2013 is the closest to reality we've seen from a soccer game - better even than FIFA 12. The graphics as a whole in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 are fantastic, from the slick team entrances to the detail of the kits and footwear.
Unfortunately, player animation in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is patchy in places. The way players turn feels clunky and unrealistic and goalkeeper throw-outs are laughably exaggerated and jerky. In fact, the supposed improvements to the goalkeepers from the previous version seem to have not worked at all - actually goalies seem more calamitous than ever!
The Player Impact engine in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is quite impressive; you notice how players hang into each other and how that influences your (freedom of) movement. However, it still lags behind FIFA's engine in terms of the extent of the collision animations.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is a good quality soccer sim which looks great and now gives you more control than ever over the gameplay.
FIFA 2013 brings Konami's football franchise back for another year.
FIFA 2013 is the latest version of Konami's popular soccer game for Windows. Although FIFA 2013 looks very similar to FIFA 2012, it includes some subtle changes designed to improved both gameplay and graphics.
The gameplay in FIFA 2013 is more manual than the previous version, making it more like a proper soccer simulation, rather than the arcade-style action of FIFA 2012. Though some elements seem to be heavily inspired by PES 12, this is no bad thing.
FIFA 2013 focuses on improving player likenesses so that players in the game behave like their real life counterparts - a system dubbed as 'PlayerID' by the developer. Famous players will run, turn, trap, move the ball and even celebrate like they do in real life.
In terms of player likenesses, FIFA 2013 is the closest to reality we've seen from a soccer game - better even than
PES 12. The graphics as a whole in FIFA 2013 are fantastic, from the slick team entrances to the detail of the kits and footwear.
Unfortunately, player animation in FIFA 2013 is patchy in places. The way players turn feels clunky and unrealistic and goalkeeper throw-outs are laughably exaggerated and jerky. In fact, the supposed improvements to the goalkeepers from the previous version seem to have not worked at all - actually goalies seem more calamitous than ever!
The Player Impact engine in FIFA 2013 is quite impressive; you notice how players hang into each other and how that influences your (freedom of) movement. However, it still lags behind PES's engine in terms of the extent of the collision animations.
FIFA 2013 is a good quality soccer sim which looks great and now gives you more control than ever over the gameplay.
