Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play review

Is Lara's latest handheld update stumped for new ideas?

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Pressure Play mode = instant action

  • +

    Enjoyable game of Cricket

  • +

    Fully licensed teams

Cons

  • -

    Playing Cricket for hours... on a portable

  • -

    Rough animation

  • -

    Playing against non-humans

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Oct 23, 2007

We feel your pain. We know that if you're a cricket fan, until now you were stuck for any games to play on the move. First comes Pressure Play 2007 then next month International Cricket Captain hits the shelves. Should you hold out?

To counter the obvious problem of a sport that can potentially last days featuring on a handheld, the developers have included a handy Pressure Play mode, which basically acts as a Scenario mode - you're given a challenge like "win the match in the last over" or "bowl over a maiden" and you have to achieve it. This means you don't have to spend hours playing a full-length game and can enjoy quick bursts of action instead. Of course, if you fancy playing proper cricket, you can also take part in the ICC Cricket World Cup, with 16 fully licensed teams.

Graphically everything looks a little bit on the rough side: the animations are okay, but the textures are pretty low quality. It's not enough to affect the gameplay, however.

Our only major gripe is that it's all a little too easy - if you're familiar with the rules of cricket. Once you get the hang of the timing for bowling and batting you could be at it for ages without much hassle.

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionIf you're after a decent and enjoyable cricket game on the PSP then this does the job admirably.
Platform"PSP"
US censor rating"Rating Pending"
UK censor rating"3+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Chris Scullion
Chris Scullion is a Celtic supporter. As a Scottish football fan, he’s used to not spending fortunes on superstars. He wants the FIFA 17 Henrik Larsson legend player, but since Henrik’s 495,000 coins, he might have to settle for Danny Ings.