Update
"Just thought I'd give you a quick update you all on the game and a run-through I had with it this morning.
It's coming on leaps and bounds since the last time I had a full demo of it - I'm very impressed with the work Swordfish have put in over Christmas and New Year. Seems like they have very talented people there as the results are starting to appear in the game.
The front end is virtually done, nice 'cricket-ball red' interface, and the work now is on finishing the match engine and cut scenes, followed by the tweaking and testing to make sure it plays a good, well-balanced game.
In the front-end I was surprised by how much there is to unlock, do and play. Lots of game modes, competitions and tournaments to unlock and win – it'll take weeks and weeks to get through the single-playing mode if nothing else.
From our game designer's perspective, he's very confident about the game and you can see from the passion, and the fun he was having in showing the game off, that everything is starting to come together nicely.
For example - seeing something as simple as 'caught and bowled' was sweet. It ran fantastically and the animations were great, really well-timed and smooth. It looked like the real thing.
Also, I could see that the bowling and the fielding will NOT be a chore unlike some other games. Bowling is integral to the game and the gameplay on this aspect alone is top-drawer.
Being able to choose what ball to bowl up until the last second (rather than fixing the cursor before the run-up which means the opposition know pretty-much what you're going to do) is a great addition and adds so much to the gameplay.
The batsmen really have to react well to fend off the bowlers (as it should be). Some great 'special' deliveries in there as well … more detail to follow.
Again, with fielding throwing the ball is an art in itself and makes the game a lot more realistic, especially when it comes to the fielding aspect of the game. It's not the boring part of a Cricket game any longer.
From a graphical perspective, the crowds are in their seats, and the stadiums look remarkable - nigh-on perfect recreations (although I can't say which stadiums are in there just yet!).
Finally, sound: also heard some of the in-game commentary and Gower and Aggers sound really good, talking nonsense as usual More of the six commentators' lines are to be added soon so that'll be good to hear - along with the crowd shouts, the thwack of leather on wood, the 'Howzats' and more.
I'm not going to answer questions on it at the moment as there's obviously still more work to be done before everything is set in stone, but I'll certainly give you another update soon. The game is getting there and you'll be very happy with the end result. BLIC 2005 is shaping up to be a very realistic game you'll want to immerse yourself in this summer."
