Cricket 07 this November

Electronic Arts has announced Cricket 07 for PS2 and PC will be released in November - and in the meantime it's keeping some dirt in its pocket to shine up a new shot system to allow for more versatile batting.

Called "Century Stick", the new control system involves using the left analogue stick to select a front of back-foot stroke, while the right stick allows you to line up shot timing and direction. Power is determined by how far the stick is moved, while the face-buttons you press determine the loft of a shot or whether you advance down the track and, obviously, the real-life batsman's inherent skill plays a part in whether he sees success with the shot.

Developer EA Canada is also opting for a new "more natural" behind-the-stumps camera, and is making big noises about authenticity in general. There'll be broadcast-style visuals, with commentary from Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, along with a full Ashes campaign in the "3-mobile Series Down Under", complete Australian State and English County tournament schedules, Limited Overs games and a fully-licensed Twenty20 option. You'll also find that you're wielding equipment from the likes of Gray-Nicolls, Puma, Slazenger, Kookaburra and Gun & Moore, etc.

Other new features include a picture-in-picture display with shot timing gauge, running assistance indicator and radar, and on-the-fly "Dynamic Field Positioning" and "Quickswitch" systems for adjusting the field and bowler's line of attack without a break in play. On top of that, a "Quickplay" cricket setting lets you alter the game's pace and difficulty, going for quick-and-simple Twenty20 or slow-and-difficult five-day tests.

You can see how the game's shaping up in the first screenshots of the PC version.