In terms of gameplay options, there isn't a whole lot on offer in Pressure Play. Players can select to play through an ICC World Cup tournament or the PSP exclusive pressure play option, which is basically a scenario mode where you'll need to fulfil certain objectives to pass a mission. As you complete these objectives, you'll unlock more scenarios. It's a good addition to the game, but a price has been paid as the training mode has been removed altogether which is surprising considering this is the first PSP Ricky Ponting game.
The graphics certainly aren't the greatest.
One of the main problems facing Pressure Play (and something that cannot really be helped by IR Gurus) is the fact that cricket is a long game, even 20/20 games take more than three hours, and speeding up the game for handheld play is tough. Unlike soccer or tennis, cricket isn't really suited to quick fire matches, a two over match would just be silly, so even at the lowest option (six overs) you're still looking at at least half an hour of cricket for one match.
In fact, the whole portability of Pressure Play is up for debate. If you are just keen for a quick game of cricket you'll need to fiddle around in the menus before enduring a thirty second load screen. Just when you think you're about to begin, you still need to try your luck with the coin toss and then endure yet another load screen. There really should have been a quick play option where you could jump into a game without worrying about team selection and the absence of one stands out severely. The pressure play mode simply does not make up for this omission.
Just keep pressing X, you'll eventually get to the game.
For the most part though, IR Gurus has done a good job with the gameplay and anyone who is familiar with the console versions should feel at home. When it comes to batting, players need to press the L and R buttons as the bowler moves closer to the wickets to move sidways across the crease and position themselves. The directional pad is once again used to direct where your shot goes and X, circle and square result in different shots. We found it a little harder to control the timing of our shots on the PSP, as the response time seems faster in this game. As you play a match your batsman and bowlers confidence will increase. For the batmen, this will mean a higher chance of hitting a six and for the bowlers, it will be easier to take wickets.
Bowling and fielding are a little bit different though. Each bowler has several different types of delivery available to them, with more available as the bowler's confidence builds up. You can choose to deliver a stock delivery, or swing the ball a little or even bowl a yorker if you so wish. A bowling cursor appears as the player runs toward the pitch and the idea is to stop the cursor high up enough for the ball to bowl fast, but not right to the top as that will result in a no ball. Fielding actually requires some work as well: when your player picks up the ball, you'll need to once again line up a cursor at the right time to either catch the ball or throw it back correctly. We admire the fact that you can't just sit back like a pedestrian when the ball is coming to the outfield anymore, but it does feel like the meter just appears far too late to throw the ball back or catch effectively.
Graphically, Pressure Play is easily one of the worst looking games on the PSP. The character models are blocky, the field is only two shades of green and the image of your players running is only slightly better than an image of two stick figures. The stadiums look okay, but when the camera zooms in on the players you feel like something has definitely gone wrong. The sound however is quite good, the crowd gets into the game when the action heats up.
In terms of lifespan, there isn't that much to keep the player entertained. The pressure play mode will last a few hours and you can always play through an ICC World Cup, but only hard-core cricket fans will want to do that. The game does actually include two player wireless support but both players will need to own a copy of the game, as the title doesn't support gameshare at all, which is disappointing. Overall, we just don't feel like Pressure Play is the type of game that players will turn on while waiting for a train to play for a quick ten minutes.
The fancy hawkeye is back.
Ricky Ponting 2007 Pressure Play is an okay game. The port has been handled moderately well, but cricket really isn't the type of game that's suited to a handheld. The new pressure play option tries to alleviate this problem but ultimately doesn't. The lengthy loading is also a cause for concern and the fast reaction of the batters will take a little getting used to. Cricket fans who feel they just have to take Ricky Ponting on the road with them will probably get enough enjoyment out of Pressure Play, but everyone else is best advised to stick to either the Xbox 360 version or pray there is a Wii version in development.
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