ICC 2006 Press Release/Screenshots

[pinchy81]

Xplosiv announced today the signing of the English batsman Kevin Pietersen who will endorse the eagerly awaited International Cricket Captain 2006. Kevin Pietersen is an exceptionally talented young batsman who is one day expected to be the backbone of the English XI.

‘I am delighted to be working alongside Xplosiv and the International Cricket Captain series,’ said Pietersen. ‘The games are made by cricket fans, for cricket fans, they love the game and it shows.’

‘We are exceptionally happy to be working alongside Kevin with our ICC series. He will be joining the illustrious ranks of former cricket stars who have endorsed the product, including Andrew Strauss, Nassar Hussain and, Graham Thorpe. This series has gone from strength to strength and with Kevin on board it will continue to do so’ said Jo Fawell, Product Manager, Xplosiv.

International Cricket Captain Ashes Year 2005 stormed to the top of the charts last year and the series is hoping to do it all over again with the release of International Cricket Captain 2006. This latest version will once again give both cricket enthusiasts and (management) gaming fans the perfect cricket management experience and the chance to lead there own cricket team on the road to glory.

Reaching the number one spot in 2005 the International Cricket Captain series once again proved its reputation for outstanding game mechanics and statistical up-to-date cricket data with series sales of over 200’000 units, in the UK. Praised by fans, the International Cricket Captain series has also received critical endorsement from former England team members. Former England captain Nassar Hussain said, ‘Only guys who really love cricket could have produced a game like this.’ Praise echoed by England Ashes England cricket team member Andrew Strauss for International Cricket Captain Ashes Year 2005 who said of the game, ‘The amount of information in this game is terrific, it's a must for all cricket lovers'.

International Cricket Captain 2006 will also be sponsored by Woodworm, 'We are really excited to sponsor International Cricket Captain 2006, it is a perfect vehicle for the Woodworm brand, Xplosiv are dedicated cricket fans as are we' said Joe Sillett, CEO, Woodworm.

The world-class BBC reporter Jonathan Agnew will once again add realism and class to the in-game commentary that will accompany features such as:

• Player Database: comprehensive and up-to-date 2006 database featuring statistics for every first class cricketer in the test playing nations each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
• New world cup structure included for every four years, including West Indies 2007
• Online play included as standard
• New fixtures, including the six year test championships
• Powerplay included in One day Internationals
• The Match Screen: play and watch individual matches. Allows the player to change tactics on an over by over basis whilst selecting the highlight level for watching the action.
• Full English Domestic Season including: the twenty over cup, the county championship, the national league and one-day cups.
• Full international calendar of test matches and one-day internationals.
• The World Cup every four years including West Indies 2007.
• The Match Screen: Play and watch individual matches. Change tactics, select the highlight level for watching the action and view detailed stats and graphs of all the action.
• Transfers: Improve your squad by offering contracts to experience, youth or overseas players.
• Team Selection: Can you find the perfect team? Who's in form and who's out? Was that young fast bowler's 7 for 12 a flash in the pan or have you found gold?
• Groundsman: Instruct your groundsman to prepare a pitch tailor made for your attack.
• Playing Conditions: Bounce, wear, weather and light; vary from fixture to fixture, and change during individual matches.
• Coach and Physio: A key player injured or out of form? Book him in for a session with the Coach or Physio.
• Line and Length: Set a line and length for your bowlers. Select a full length or a bit of short-pitched stuff to get up the noses of the tail-enders. Find the right tactics to exploit the weaknesses of each batsman.
• Field placements: Study the batsman's shot graph and adjust the field to cut off their favourite stroke or catch those nicks.
• Aggression: Guide your batsman to build an innings and hit out to punish the tired attack.
• Two Player: Have you built an invincible county side? Play them against a friend's. Captain any of the Test playing nations and compete in a Test or one-day series.
• World Rating System: Rates every test bowler and batsman.
• Test match and One Day International championship tables: Take your team to the top of the world.

Release Date: June 2006
Price: £19.99
Format: PC

 

[darko21]

Okay, the only thing on there that is interesting is Powerplay. Not alot to bring me to buy it. But I hope they have seperated the Twenty20 matches statistics from the one day domestic.

 

[cpr]

The world-class BBC reporter Jonathan Agnew will once again add realism and class to the in-game commentary

You mean they are still using his 2002 commentary (if that was new, which i doubt, he probably did it in 2000

• New world cup structure included for every four years, including West Indies 2007
• The Match Screen: play and watch individual matches. Allows the player to change tactics on an over by over basis whilst selecting the highlight level for watching the action.
• The World Cup every four years including West Indies 2007.
• The Match Screen: Play and watch individual matches. Change tactics, select the highlight level for watching the action and view detailed stats and graphs of all the action.

So goo they quoted them twice!

 

[darko21]

I added Ian Chappell's commentary from ACC a while back. Helps add realism with TWO commentators (not to detract from Agnew). Maybe Richie could help. Even Michael Holding, Sunil Gavaskar, Keith Stackpole, Tony Greig, David Gower, anyone!

 

[surgeklick]

So £20 for Powerplays, online play and 20/20 stats? I won't be buying this.

 

[Haddin]

Don't think its anything new, because it's not. Just an updated Database. Empire are poor. They have lost me. Cricket Coach all the way.

 

[darko21]

ONe thing I would have liked to experience: Rain in a one day match!

 

[pinchy81]

ONe thing I would have liked to experience: Rain in a one day match!

yes i too would liike to experience and then they can include Duckworth/Lewis

 

[Phoenix]

I won't be buying this version, but I will be buying the third confirmed release, for the World Cup next year.

 

[KentLad]

Having viewed the "new" screenshots for ICC 2006, I would question if anything apart from the picture of the new box is actually new!

For starters, the England squad lists Mark Butcher, and more worryingly Graham Thorpe!!!

Also Nantie Hayward is at Middlesex! This was wrong in 2005!!!

 

[chooka_nick]

Having viewed the "new" screenshots for ICC 2006, I would question if anything apart from the picture of the new box is actually new!

For starters, the England squad lists Mark Butcher, and more worryingly Graham Thorpe!!!

Also Nantie Hayward is at Middlesex! This was wrong in 2005!!!

Dear God you're right

 

[squiz]

I won't be buying this version, but I will be buying the third confirmed release, for the World Cup next year.

I'll be buying the ashes version if it has Australian teams

 

[pinchy81]

I'll be buying the ashes version if it has Australian teams

same here

 

[superkingdave]

Lol it really wouldn't take much work, and would add a lot, if they just added a load of stats pages (like a history page for each player to show what they did each year) put England contracts in it.

It's just so frustrating that the things holding it back are not the stuff which are hard to do - unlike cricket coach which may have all the teams and stats in the world but the match engine is too poor to make it a good game - the engine here is fine and yes a few tweaks might make it better, but better stat tracking would be a much better improvement.

 

[darko21]

Stat tracking! But of course! That's what i've been doing. And if the game did it for me, it saves me time!

 

[Timewell]

It's just so frustrating that the things holding it back are not the stuff which are hard to do - unlike cricket coach which may have all the teams and stats in the world but the match engine is too poor to make it a good game - the engine here is fine and yes a few tweaks might make it better, but better stat tracking would be a much better improvement.

I'd say that Cricket Coach's match engine is constantly improving. ICC hardly has a perfect match engine and is quite unrealistic as well. But this is how the ICC series will stay because the developers cannot actually develop the game because it is owned by Empire so all they can release is a data update etc. Quite frankly, it's not worth the money.

 

[marc71178]

I'd say that Cricket Coach's match engine is constantly improving. ICC hardly has a perfect match engine and is quite unrealistic as well.

And of course there wouldn't be any bias at all in you saying such a thing would there...

 

[cpr]

Actually, to be fair, ICC's engine, long term, isnt that great. Look at the dominance of spinners (and the fact that no nation ever picks their spinner... i've gone till 2011 before Vettori got a NZ call up before), so he does have a valid (if a bit biased) point

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

But compared to Cricket Coach, its perfection. I also found that regardless of the match engine, I enjoyed the simplicity of ICC to the detal of CC. Football management games have a huge advantage in that most of the big preparation work is done pre-match, but with so many tactical options (fields, lines, lenghth, aggressions, variations) a cricket management title can become to slow and tedious.

 

[cpr]

Thats a more than fair comment, i've found the same, in ICC i'll alter the length, mebbie the line if i'm gunning for it, but havent played with field etc for years, it does slow the game down far too much (its a bit of a moot point when a footie match is 90 minutes, a cricket game is 4 days, but y'know, we'd like to get through a season once in a lifetime)