BLIC Press Release, Video and Screenshots

[barmyarmy]

Direct from Codemasters:

"Get bowled over by Brian Lara International Cricket's state-of-the-art
television presentation techniques.

Thursday, May 12th (2pm UK time) - 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.

Coming this July to PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC, you can catch the action in
the first video now from www.codemasters.co.uk/brianlara (in Downloads)

A key innovation is the 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
(www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk)

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.

As the game that gives everyone the chance to be the best in international
cricket, Brian Lara International Cricket will hit you for six this July
when it's published by Codemasters for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. Prepare
to don your cricket whites with the new video now available online at
www.codemasters.com/brianlara"

Also released today are 27 new screenshots showing hawkeye, classic matches, menu screens, the field editor and the TV graphics. Three of the screenshots are shown below and you can view the rest of them in our Screenshots Gallery.


3 Versions of the video can be downloaded in the video section of the gallery, these are the original 7.5MB Mpg version and compressed 2.5MB Windows Media and Real Media versions. 28 stills from the video can also be viewed here

Discuss this news by going on this forum thread.

[alitans]

Nice screenshots but video looks a bit crapy
EA graphics r 100 times better than BLIC

[Wasim Akram]

Well, thats true and all but remember, EA has also produced the worst player animations in the history of all cricket games ever released.

[indiancricketer]

Its not it looks very good

[borncricketer]

the game looks excellent....i am getting it for sure now

[Wasim Akram]

Originally Posted by alitans

Nice screenshots but video looks a bit crapy
EA graphics r 100 times better than BLIC

Agreed fact about the video, when bowlers are going back to their runup, notice that there is no one on the pitch but the bowler himself, no batsman, no umpire and no fielders and no wicket keeper.

[gold639]

But in C2k5,the bowlers' follow through is horrible.

Atleast its not so bad here.

[Shailesh]

we have to remember that the game is still under development so let's wait till the demo comes out to see what's it really like.
On the other hand pleased to see the progress made from first set of screens to the current set and videos. Good to see small details and looks like they have already improved the confidence meter etc.

[gold639]

I must admit though,some of the faces in the game are shocking!

[Wasim Akram]

100% right, player detail is impressive.

[Dhoni]

I love those... looks awesome

[andysmith45]

Don't know about the AI or gameplay but the graphics look better in Cricket 2005 but it looks like BLIC commentary will be leagues ahead of cricket 2005.

[iaq]

I think blic will be a better product than cricket 2005.... we have to wait for demo than we can expect the level of blic..

[Wasim Akram]

So, when is the demo coming?

[stevie]

Originally Posted by Wasim Akram

So, when is the demo coming?

Somewhere near the release of the game.