Posts Tagged ‘EA Sports Games’
Top 3 Computer Cricket Games of All Time
In India, cricket is worshipped and is played in various ways to make do with the small spaces available. From the conventional game played on a cricket pitch to the very popular ‘underarm’ game played in a building compound – both forms are completely satisfying. So have video games done justice by providing a proper simulation of the game? Here’s listing of the top 3 cricket games ever made:
Cricket ’97
Cricket ’97 was the first game to feature in-game commentary by the greats Ritchie Benaud and Ian Botham. It was a welcome change from the DOS-based cricket games and had good looking graphics (for 1997). The game had a kick ass soundtrack too.
Also it was the first cricket game to have multiplayer, which was one of its best features. Two players could play on a single screen (using the keyboard and mouse) or over the network. Another fun feature of the game was the “Appeal system”, where the player had to appeal for his wicket, else the umpire would call it ‘not out’. It was an absolute fun package for cricket lovers.
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005/2007
I know it’s not fair to list four games in “the top 3 cricket games” list. But it was really difficult to choose one over the other, since both games revolutionized cricket simulation.
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 (BLIC 05) introduced us to a very realistic simulation of cricket. The New and improved batting, bowling and fielding mechanism made the game a must have for all cricket lovers.
The major reason for me to include BLIC 2005 in the list is for its challenge mode. What’s more fun than re-writing the history of cricket and having your favorite team win the event? Great game play and good looking graphics were its USP, but the game still had some bugs and issues.
BLIC 05 was followed up with Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 (BLIC 07). It was mostly a rehash of its predecessor, but with a few welcome changes.
It improved on its game play and a few bugs and issues, which made BLIC 05 infuriating. But BLIC 07 didn’t come with the challenge mode. Instead it came with one ultimate feature for any avid cricket fan — online play.
Ashes 2009
Codemasters finally nailed it with Ashes 2009. Along with the superior game play, the game also boasts good graphics and good audio. Intricate details given to batting and bowling make this game kick ass. The new batting system gives you a feel of how satisfying it would be to execute a shot in an actual game of cricket.
Bowling is just as good, though on higher difficulty levels it’s really difficult to get wickets, but it’s fun nonetheless. It has a mini challenge feature in the form of Legend Challenges. The customization mode gives the game longevity and the Confidence system contributes in making the game more lifelike and it also has online play. All in all, Ashes 2009 is a complete package.
Microsoft Says No Plans to Buy Electronic Arts – EA Sports
Microsoft Corp has no plans to acquire Electronic Arts, a Microsoft executive said, shooting down unsubstantiated talk of a potential bid that triggered a spike in the video game publisher’s shares.
“We have no plans to acquire EA,” Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. “They remain a very important partner to us. No acquisitions.” Spencer declined to comment on whether it had held talks with Electronics Arts on such a move. Shares of Electronics Arts jumped more than 8 percent on Wednesday on unsubstantiated talk that Microsoft may want to buy the video game publisher. Last year, Electronic Arts, the publisher of popular titles like “Madden” football, unsuccessfully pursued a buyout of rival video game company Take Two Interactive Software. The Redwood City, California-based company, which has a market value of $6.5 billion, is frequently named by traders as a target for Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc.
EA Eyes Facebook Sports Games, More Digital Buys
Electronic Arts, maker of the Madden NFL and FIFA soccer video games, is looking to build sports games for Facebook after buying social-games maker Playfish for $275 million, and may buy other similar companies.
The head of EA Sports, Peter Moore, said the company was learning from Playfish about building communities that could actively help it improve its games as it seeks to expand its online offerings amid a decline in packaged games for consoles. Venture capital-backed Playfish makes games for people to play for free on computers with friends, mainly on Facebook. Its hits include “Pet Society”, in which players create pets that interact with each other, and buy virtual goods for them. EA, which slashed its fiscal 2010 forecast this month, partly due to a steep fall in sales of packaged games in Europe, has been criticised by some investors for paying too much for Playfish. The acquisition was completed a few weeks ago. “We are learning an awful lot about a very different type of game experience than we are used to doing,” Moore told Reuters in an interview. “We use social networks primarily right now for building marketing tools,” he said. “We then look at how do we build games, and we will be doing that in conjunction with Playfish.”
EA Sports accounts for about 30 percent of the company’s overall revenue, which was $4.2 billion in the year to March 31. Moore said EA, which failed in a hostile bid for rival Take-Two in 2008, would likely look to buy more companies like Playfish. “You’re seeing a focus in our M&A activity being on companies that will enhance our digital strategy,” he said. Moore said online games were not only a way of compensating for lost revenue from packaged games but also potentially a source of new ideas and better games. “It allows you to go out and go get more friends, get more people involved. You’re building a labour force quite frankly that helps you build your game and be more powerful or more relevant in that game environment,” he said.