Brian Lara Cricket series
Encyclopedia
The Brian Lara Cricket series is a series of six cricket
video games that are endorsed by the West Indian cricketer Brian Lara
and published by Codemasters
.
. It was developed by Audiogenic
and published by Codemasters
in 1994 for DOS
and then a year later in 1995 for the Sega
Mega Drive and Commodore Amiga systems.
and was published by Codemasters
in 1996.
game in the series, developed and shipped by Codemasters
for the Sony PlayStation
and Windows
platforms with commentary provided by Geoffrey Boycott and Jonathan Agnew. This game was also branded as Shane Warne Cricket '99 in Australia and New Zealand.
for Codemasters
, Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 is a 6th generation
console game for the PlayStation 2
and Windows
. It was released to coincide with the 2005 Ashes series
. BLIC 2005 builds on the 3D
environment that was first introduced in Brian Lara Cricket '99 and enhances it with rendered
crowds and detailed stadia. It was released in Australia as Ricky Ponting International Cricket 2005
Off the success of BLIC2005, Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 was developed. Using the same release date tactics as the previous game, it was shipped during the 2007 Cricket World Cup
. The game was available for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox 360
consoles, as well as for Windows
. This version includes many graphical as well as gameplay improvements. The Xbox 360 version is the first console port in the series to be in high definition
widescreen
. Gameplay improvements include analogue direction control when batting, this allows the player to attempt to hit the ball in any direction. In India, it was released as Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007 . It was also the second game in the Ricky Ponting
international series.
-only version of the game, released in 2007. Like Brian Lara International Cricket 2007, it features an exclusive licence for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
. It is the first Brian Lara title to appear on a handheld console, and the graphics are accordingly less detailed than on the home console versions. It features "Pressure Play" challenge modes, where players complete cricketing challenges such as run chases, big hits, and holding out for a draw. It was released in Australia as Ricky Ponting Pressure Play.
, a subsidiary of Supersoft
wrote Graham Gooch's Test Cricket
for the C64
computer system. The game sold well and received high ratings, and so Audiogenic
followed it up with Graham Gooch's All Star Cricket
in 1987. The game that was to become Graham Gooch World Class Cricket
was scheduled to be released for the Amiga
and Atari ST
in 1991, but development was delayed to ensure quality. When it did eventually appear in 1993 it was a huge success, reaching No.1 in the Amiga
charts. A PC version followed a year later.
In 1994 Audiogenic identified an opportunity to capitalise on the success of Brian Lara
, who had broken two long-standing world records, and rebranded World Class Cricket game as Brian Lara Cricket
, initially for the DOS
but also later for the Amiga
. A year later Audiogenic licensed Brian Lara Cricket
for the Sega
Mega Drive to Codemasters
. It was successful and spent 10 weeks at No.1 in the UK video games chart during the summer of 1995. Brian Lara Cricket '96
was released the following year in 1996 also by Codemasters
, and it too got to No.1 in the charts. In late 1996 Codemasters
acquired the Audiogenic
development and Brian Lara Cricket '99
for the PlayStation
console was released in 1998.
In 2005 Codemasters released Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
for the PlayStation 2
console, it was released on 21 July to coincide with the start of the 2005 Ashes
series. The game received high ratings. Off the back of this success, Codemasters has developed Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
which was released in March, 2007, to coincide with the 2007 Cricket World Cup
. Brian Lara Pressure Play followed in August for the PSP
, reaching No.1 in its first week on release.
With Brian Lara's retirement from professional cricket in 2007 Codemasters moved away from using Lara in the title. The next cricket game released by the publisher was Ashes Cricket 2009
in August 2009, which continues with the same playing style as the Brian Lara series of cricket games. Codemasters
has released the latest International Cricket 2010
on June 18, 2010 as a sequel to the Ashes Cricket 2009
. The Cricket series is moving on after the Brian Lara's retirement and re-branding of the video games series.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
video games that are endorsed by the West Indian cricketer Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
and published by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
.
The Games
As of 2007, there are six games in the Brian Lara Cricket series on eight video game systems, spanning thirteen years.Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket is the first game in the series to be endorsed by Brian LaraBrian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
. It was developed by Audiogenic
Audiogenic
Audiogenic Software is one of the oldest United Kingdom video game developers. It was established in 1985 out of the ashes of an earlier Audiogenic company that had been founded in the late 1970s. It published its last new title in 1997, after the core of the development team were taken over by...
and published by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
in 1994 for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and then a year later in 1995 for the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Mega Drive and Commodore Amiga systems.
Brian Lara Cricket '96
Also known as Lara '96, this game is a new version of Brian Lara Cricket on the Mega Drive with updated player names and statistics. It is the final game in the series to be developed by AudiogenicAudiogenic
Audiogenic Software is one of the oldest United Kingdom video game developers. It was established in 1985 out of the ashes of an earlier Audiogenic company that had been founded in the late 1970s. It published its last new title in 1997, after the core of the development team were taken over by...
and was published by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
in 1996.
Brian Lara Cricket '99
Released in 1999, this was the first 3D accelerated game in the series. It was the first fifth generationHistory of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
game in the series, developed and shipped by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
for the Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platforms with commentary provided by Geoffrey Boycott and Jonathan Agnew. This game was also branded as Shane Warne Cricket '99 in Australia and New Zealand.
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
Developed by Swordfish StudiosSwordfish Studios
Swordfish Studios was a British software development company based in Birmingham founded by Rage executive director Trevor Williams and Joan Finnegan in September 2002....
for Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
, Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 is a 6th generation
History of video game consoles (sixth generation)
The sixth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. Platforms of the sixth generation include the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox...
console game for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was released to coincide with the 2005 Ashes series
2005 Ashes series
The 2005 Ashes series was that year's edition of the long-standing and storied cricket rivalry between England and Australia. Starting on 21 July 2005, England and Australia played five Tests, with the Ashes held by Australia as the most recent victors...
. BLIC 2005 builds on the 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
environment that was first introduced in Brian Lara Cricket '99 and enhances it with rendered
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
crowds and detailed stadia. It was released in Australia as Ricky Ponting International Cricket 2005
Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
Off the success of BLIC2005, Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 was developed. Using the same release date tactics as the previous game, it was shipped during the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. The game was available for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
consoles, as well as for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. This version includes many graphical as well as gameplay improvements. The Xbox 360 version is the first console port in the series to be in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
. Gameplay improvements include analogue direction control when batting, this allows the player to attempt to hit the ball in any direction. In India, it was released as Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007 . It was also the second game in the Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
international series.
Brian Lara Pressure Play
Brian Lara Pressure Play is a PSPPlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
-only version of the game, released in 2007. Like Brian Lara International Cricket 2007, it features an exclusive licence for the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. It is the first Brian Lara title to appear on a handheld console, and the graphics are accordingly less detailed than on the home console versions. It features "Pressure Play" challenge modes, where players complete cricketing challenges such as run chases, big hits, and holding out for a draw. It was released in Australia as Ricky Ponting Pressure Play.
History
In 1985, Michael McLean at AudiogenicAudiogenic
Audiogenic Software is one of the oldest United Kingdom video game developers. It was established in 1985 out of the ashes of an earlier Audiogenic company that had been founded in the late 1970s. It published its last new title in 1997, after the core of the development team were taken over by...
, a subsidiary of Supersoft
Supersoft
Supersoft is a software and computer game developer and publisher founded in England in 1978. It was founded by Peter Calver and Pearl Wellard to develop and publish software primarily for the Commodore PET.-Hardware:...
wrote Graham Gooch's Test Cricket
Graham Gooch's Test Cricket
Graham Gooch's Test Cricket is a 1985 cricket game released for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum by Audiogenic. It was later reissued by budget label Alternative Software as Graham Gooch's Match Cricket.-Gameplay:...
for the C64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer system. The game sold well and received high ratings, and so Audiogenic
Audiogenic
Audiogenic Software is one of the oldest United Kingdom video game developers. It was established in 1985 out of the ashes of an earlier Audiogenic company that had been founded in the late 1970s. It published its last new title in 1997, after the core of the development team were taken over by...
followed it up with Graham Gooch's All Star Cricket
Graham Gooch's All Star Cricket
Graham Gooch's All Star Cricket is a 1987 cricket game released for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 systems. It was the sequel to Graham Gooch's Test Cricket. The game has minor graphical improvements over its predecessor including action replays....
in 1987. The game that was to become Graham Gooch World Class Cricket
Graham Gooch World Class Cricket
Graham Gooch World Class Cricket is a cricket video game developed and published by Audiogenic in 1993. It is endorsed by former England cricketer Graham Gooch. It is available for the Amiga and PC computer systems.-Game play:...
was scheduled to be released for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
in 1991, but development was delayed to ensure quality. When it did eventually appear in 1993 it was a huge success, reaching No.1 in the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
charts. A PC version followed a year later.
In 1994 Audiogenic identified an opportunity to capitalise on the success of Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
, who had broken two long-standing world records, and rebranded World Class Cricket game as Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket is the first in a series of cricket games to be endorsed by Brian Lara. There have been more games in the series, Brian Lara Cricket '96, Brian Lara Cricket '99, Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 and Brian Lara International Cricket 2007. Brian Lara Cricket was released on...
, initially for the DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
but also later for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. A year later Audiogenic licensed Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket is the first in a series of cricket games to be endorsed by Brian Lara. There have been more games in the series, Brian Lara Cricket '96, Brian Lara Cricket '99, Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 and Brian Lara International Cricket 2007. Brian Lara Cricket was released on...
for the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Mega Drive to Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
. It was successful and spent 10 weeks at No.1 in the UK video games chart during the summer of 1995. Brian Lara Cricket '96
Brian Lara Cricket '96
Brian Lara Cricket '96 is a follow up to Brian Lara Cricket and the second game in the Brian Lara endorsed series of cricket video games...
was released the following year in 1996 also by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
, and it too got to No.1 in the charts. In late 1996 Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
acquired the Audiogenic
Audiogenic
Audiogenic Software is one of the oldest United Kingdom video game developers. It was established in 1985 out of the ashes of an earlier Audiogenic company that had been founded in the late 1970s. It published its last new title in 1997, after the core of the development team were taken over by...
development and Brian Lara Cricket '99
Brian Lara Cricket '99
Brian Lara Cricket'99 is a 1998 PlayStation and PC cricket game, personally endorsed by West Indian cricketer Brian Lara, produced by Codemasters, and a follow-up to the successful Brian Lara Cricket and Brian Lara Cricket '96.-Game features:BLC99 boasts intelligent computer...
for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
console was released in 1998.
In 2005 Codemasters released Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 is a cricket video game from Codemasters, available on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Windows PC platforms. released on 21 July 2005, which was the first day of the 2005 Ashes series...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
console, it was released on 21 July to coincide with the start of the 2005 Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series. The game received high ratings. Off the back of this success, Codemasters has developed Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 is a cricket computer game from Codemasters available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PC and Xbox 360 . It is endorsed by West Indian cricketer Brian Lara. It follows Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 released 2 years earlier...
which was released in March, 2007, to coincide with the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. Brian Lara Pressure Play followed in August for the PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, reaching No.1 in its first week on release.
With Brian Lara's retirement from professional cricket in 2007 Codemasters moved away from using Lara in the title. The next cricket game released by the publisher was Ashes Cricket 2009
Ashes Cricket 2009
Ashes Cricket 2009, is a cricket video game developed by Transmission Games and published by Codemasters in the UK and by Atari in Australia. It has been released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A Wii version, developed by Gusto Games, has also been released. The Wii version...
in August 2009, which continues with the same playing style as the Brian Lara series of cricket games. Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
has released the latest International Cricket 2010
International Cricket 2010
International Cricket 2010 is a cricket video game for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game was developed by Codemasters and Trickstar Games, and was released in the United Kingdom and India on 18 June 2010 and scheduled to be released in Australia on 21 October 2010...
on June 18, 2010 as a sequel to the Ashes Cricket 2009
Ashes Cricket 2009
Ashes Cricket 2009, is a cricket video game developed by Transmission Games and published by Codemasters in the UK and by Atari in Australia. It has been released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A Wii version, developed by Gusto Games, has also been released. The Wii version...
. The Cricket series is moving on after the Brian Lara's retirement and re-branding of the video games series.
See also
- International Cricket 2010International Cricket 2010International Cricket 2010 is a cricket video game for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game was developed by Codemasters and Trickstar Games, and was released in the United Kingdom and India on 18 June 2010 and scheduled to be released in Australia on 21 October 2010...
- Ashes Cricket 2009Ashes Cricket 2009Ashes Cricket 2009, is a cricket video game developed by Transmission Games and published by Codemasters in the UK and by Atari in Australia. It has been released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A Wii version, developed by Gusto Games, has also been released. The Wii version...
- Graham Gooch's Test CricketGraham Gooch's Test CricketGraham Gooch's Test Cricket is a 1985 cricket game released for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum by Audiogenic. It was later reissued by budget label Alternative Software as Graham Gooch's Match Cricket.-Gameplay:...
- Graham Gooch's All Star CricketGraham Gooch's All Star CricketGraham Gooch's All Star Cricket is a 1987 cricket game released for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 systems. It was the sequel to Graham Gooch's Test Cricket. The game has minor graphical improvements over its predecessor including action replays....
- Graham Gooch World Class CricketGraham Gooch World Class CricketGraham Gooch World Class Cricket is a cricket video game developed and published by Audiogenic in 1993. It is endorsed by former England cricketer Graham Gooch. It is available for the Amiga and PC computer systems.-Game play:...