Sounds like I am the first person to own both full PS2 versions of the game (if not I stand corrected) Anyway, here is what I think:
BATTING -
BLIC wins this hands down, you can actually craft a proper cricket innings by playing the ball ALL AROUND the Park not just to FINE leg!! ok so you have no front foot/back foot selection and it can be a bit of a **** but all in all doesnt detract too much. Ij just feels more like a proper cricket game.
BOWLING -
2 - 0 to Mr Lara, I found the bowling to be a pretty good craic on Lara, you can change the line and swing of the ball at the last minute (awesome on two player mode, foxing your mates!) The pace of the bowlers is laughable when did Freddy become Mark Ealham pace my record slow delevery so far is 23 MPH with a spinner, Im still waiting for it to land! But all in all it beats the EA attempt hands down. But 1 big big downer is no generated innings which I think is a right **** up!
FIELDING -
Hat-trick! 3-0 The fielders on EAS move at about 300mph it IMPOSSIBLE to run a 3 and nearly so to run a 2. On lara they have a neat little idea where ny you have to time a catch as you would time a shot for it to be taken. Another downer for lara is why does the bloody keeper always throw the stumps down even when you are home by a mile??
COMMENTARY -
See my EA review! No contest 4or so diffent blokes on Lara, ok so Gower occasionally forgets their is a game going on at the mo and asks Greiggy "who is the greatest fast bowler of all time?" or "Why is English county cricket such an appaling bag of dogshit?" or the like.
On EA you get Richie and that other **** as repeated from 2004.
GAME SET UP+STATISTICS etc -
For me this is where EA is MILES better than than LARA. Yes thats what I said! they have a players full career stats full and up-to-date squads, complete with REAL names. Also the full county season and all that on EA is good. That create-a-player crap is bollox on both for me! And why does everyone rave about this using the real bat **** on Lara? Can someone tell me when Tendulkar started using a GM bat cos I always thought he was a MRF man. Then next time I see him he has traded for a lovely new Gray Nics bat!
Not enough options and stats on Lara, It is a great game purely for GAMEPLAY which is what, first and foremost we are all after eh?
All in all I would gime LARA 7/10
and EA ...........is sitting in its box........right next to EA2002 and
EA rugby 2004. When will I ****ing learn!!!!!!
PS on the cricket theme, why is everyone getting on the back of Geraint Jones YET AGAIN give the bloke a ****in break, ok so he dropped a couple. Who helped KP dig us out of the **** in the 1st inns? Did anyone bother to watch his keeping in the first half of the game..... and any game since the end of the last English summer????
He HAS got the balls to take on the Aussies and compete, Chris Read has NOT!
Bet these are the same people who said KP's technique was suspect and we should not pick him??