Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7909 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Codemasters Limited
• Released on: 2005-07-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English

TotalGames
"Batting and bowling are both intuitive and subtle. Comfortably the best cricket game on PS2. 4/5"

Manufacturer's Description
The ball's hurtling towards you at 95mph, hit it for six and you're a hero, miss it and you're history... In Brian Lara International Cricket your every move is captured and analysed using innovative television presentation techniques.
A key innovation is the exclusive incorporation of Hawk-Eye, the cutting-edge sports tracking and analysis graphics system, as used by Channel 4 and Sky Sports in their televised cricket coverage. Brian Lara International Cricket will be the first video game to make use of Hawk-Eye, incorporated into the game under license from its creators, Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd.

Hawk-Eye uses sophisticated image technologies to aggregate, replay, and analyse ball and player movement to improve LBW decisions and compare bowlers' speed, swing, line and length.
Hawk-Eye monitors and analyses your bowling accuracy throughout an over, showing the path of each delivery, where it pitches, and, most controversially, is used to see whether the umpire's LBW decision was the right call.
Additionally Brian Lara International Cricket makes use of the Third Umpire decision aid. This comes into play when a line decision for run outs are too close to call by the umpire alone.
From the most modern technologies of Hawk-Eye, Brian Lara International Cricket takes players back in time to compete in Classic Matches from history, played out in black-and-white newsreel-style presentation.
The Classic Matches mode has you joining in a genuine historic match – such as the Test Match of 1882, which led to the creation of the Ashes – at a critical point. Can you pull off the same amazing cricketing feats as the greatest cricketers from times past, or even improve on their performance?
Back in the modern-day, the televisual presentation extends to a 'picture-in-picture' display. When you've timed the ball to perfection and sent it flying across the outfield, the main screen shows the fielders chasing after the ball, while the inset picture-in-picture shows the batsmen belting between the wickets, racking up the runs.
There are also glorious action replays of boundaries being hit, batting milestones being reached, aggression between batsman and bowler, wickets falling, even the stump-cam blacking out when ball hits the stumps! And it wouldn't be cricket without the ubiquitous animated ducks waddling on-screen when players have been dismissed without scoring.
And for the ultimate in TV presentation, Brian Lara International Cricket brings together the voices of cricket, including David Gower, Tony Greig, Jonathan Agnew, Ian Bishop, and Bill Lawry, to form the biggest commentary team ever featured in any cricket game.

Customer Reviews

Buy brian lara, not Cricket 2005
This is definatly the greatest cricket game on all consoles so far and maybe ever, it could even be one of the best sports games so far. I'm not the greatest of cricket fans, i don't even have a proper bat worth over £5.00, i don't particularly enjoy watching it but i think it's ok. However when i bought this game i thought wow! From the moment i went into the nets and started to defend my stumps i was amazed. In the first hour i thought i was doing fairly well until suddenly the bowler chucked in a cheeky full toss that uprooted my off stump. You see this game is easy enough to be enjoyable and to be able to hit a few boundaries but not so simple that you can slog 36 an over.

I went into my first game full of confindence as i was England playing the useless Dutch. I set out my side as i wanted them, picking the batting order which everyone knows England should use to beat the Aussies. So first few balls i defended just trying to keep my wickets and getting a few single. On my second over in there was a stray ball to the leg side so i delicatly touched it with my kookabura bat and sent it over the ropes for a four. The umpire signalled it and there was even a spectacular replay of my stunning shot. A couple of overs later i was 89-0 and cruising when there was an appeal for LBW against Trescothic. Up went the umpires finger and looking at hawk-eye, the new feature for this new version you could see that the ball was going for plum off-stump. By the end of the 30 overs i was 230 for 3 my other two batsmen being narrowly run out (where the third umpire was called into play) and caught, a great diving catch by the wicky. Bowling was excellent once you get the hang of the technique it is as easy as pie - and the new feilding side of the game makes what used to be the boring part of the game, as fun as the batting. As you now can affect weather or not the feilder catches it, and how well he throws the ball.

I have just begun my career mode and have created a player that looks surprisingly like me, even with a bat that looks a hundred times better han my cheap one. There is loads of stuff to do and the classic matches look excellent and quite fun too. There is so many tournaments to do and they all are so realistic. Every area of the game is fantastic a real must buy. So remember buy the game where you can actually hit the ball and actually bowl out people - buy Brian lara international cricket 2005, not cricket 2005 just because the name is easier to say!

Sensational game but with some potential for improvement
The first step when it comes to buying a cricket computer game is basically to choose between Brian Lara 2005 and EA Cricket 2005. I chose the first option on the strength of recommendations and I'm glad that I did because I don't think many cricket games will come much better than this.

Firstly the strengths of the game. It is very easy to get used to the controls and you can master both batting and bowling in almost no time at all. This helps you to get into the game really quickly and start perfecting your special deliveries! There is a huge amount of variation you can use during bowling - changes of speed, swing, bouncers, yorkers etc. The graphics are very good and you can't go around trying to hit every ball for six because you really will get out even on the easiest level. This makes you play some proper, realistic cricket. Also, just like the real game, the ball won't be going far unless you time it just right which can take a bit of practise. The hawkeye analysis is a superb feature; the makers have transferred all the aspects of it to this game and it really adds to the depth. Fielders are not superhuman obstacles that you cannot get the ball past - they will give up the chase for example if they can't stop a ball near the boundary. There are plenty of different combinations in which you can set your fielders - there are loads of preset attacking and defensive fields - or you can even do a custom field setting. Aside from just test matches and one-day internationals, you can play a World Cup or Champions Trophy and there are even "classic matches" from history where you take up the role of a team trying to achieve a certain goal from a specific match in history. You will either match what actually happened or set the record straight and change the history books!

However there are a few negatives to the game. The most obvious (and probably most annoying) is to do with the players' names. Since this is not an officially licensed product (EA hold the official rights) you will find that in normal games all of the players' names from every country will be slightly different e.g. Flantiff (Flintoff), Hermason (Harmison), Thrip (Thorpe) and so on. If you can live with this then that's fine but if you do want to change it, it will be quite a time-consuming process. Only in the World Cup and Champions Trophy tournaments will the names be correct right from the start. Most of the time they're not. Also, a few little things. I have played countless times on the game now and not once have I had a stumping. The computer batsmen are quite predictable with their shot selection and the rate at which they bat (during a One Day International). The computer players never take risky singles and as a result you will very rarely run them out. Oh and the tail-end batsmen for the computer really can't bat, I mean really. You will often find you can knock over the last five for ducks quite easily.

All in all a terrific game which I would definitely recommend to everyone, especially those who haven't played a cricket game before. Hours of enjoyment guaranteed and plenty of things to do, meaning that you won't have done everything in five minutes.

Must have.

Best cricket game ever !
Brian Lara International cricket 2005, the long awaited sequel to the best selling ps1 version, and this dosn't dissapoint. The batting is the best seen and the range of shots is brilliant they are cleverly recreated in every depatment and look fantastic. The batting is real pick up and play stuff and very easy to get the hang of. The bowling is very good aswell, the swing bowling is cleverly controlled with the shoulder buttons and the range of deliveries you can bowl is frightening !. slower balls, bouncers, yorkers, reverse swing, it's all here, and also the bowling actions of players are unigue such as Fidel Edwards slinging action, Flintoffs short run up or Vaughans high arm action. The fielding is good and catching is realistic aswell as the throwing actions, the fielders will now give up the chase to the boundary if the ball has got away from them and accept the 4 which further inhances the presentation of the gameplay. The range of teams is good with all main international teams included with full squad rosters and the range of game modes is good, slog mode, double wicket are new features aswell as the usual test and one day games. The stadiums are well created and look realistic and there are alot to choose from. One of the most relieving things is the complete overhaul in the commentary department with 5 different commentators present on the game and they don't just talk jibberish, they talk with sense at appropriate times and don't repeat themselves over and over as they do on the ea sports version cricket 2005. Don't buy this expecting realistic player likenesses or real player names (which can be edited) but there are fully licensed bats, arm guards and balls etc aswell as decent kit likenesses, you can also create your own player to take through the game and represent your country or you can compete in fully licensed tournaments including world cup etc aswell as league mode. This game really impressed me and is a must have for any cricket fan, buy this not the EA sports game, this is a different class.

Graphics 8/10
Gameplay 10/10
Sound 9/10
LIfespan 10/10

overall 9/10 BUY THIS GAME !!