Ashes Cricket 2009 - A Codemasters game.

palindromic BOB Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:11 am

Ashes Cricket 2009 - A Codemasters Game

Before I begin I should declare that cricket is not exactly a sport I would have considered exciting. With the stereotypical image of lazy Sunday’s with tea and scones in my head I was determined to set this aside and approach Ashes Cricket 2009 with an open mind. I am so glad I did.

When you first fire up the game you are asked to choose a theme based on one of the 12 teams available. This does little more than change the colours of menu’s and give a little background to each team’s history but is a nice touch.

After this you go straight to the main menu. This is the usual fare of options including access to the game, training and online modes.

Having tried jumping straight into an ashes game on my first go I soon found myself up the proverbial creak and my boat was sinking. This game is not a simple pick up and play.

Jumping back to the menu I went to the coaching mode and was presented with the chance to learn how to play the aspects of the game. Here you are guided by two well known faces of the sport, England’s, Sir Ian Botham and Australia’s, Shane Warne, although you only get their voices. They guide you through the basics of the game play and there are also a few challenges to put you through your paces. This teaches you the fundamentals and is very well presented. The controls are simple yet very powerful with button combinations playing a large part in the control scheme.

After training it was time to play. Thankfully this game is more than just playing the Ashes, with one day internationals (ODI), Test Match Cricket and 20 Overs (20/20)play. These alternative game modes allow you to pick as lesser team to play against and are a god send.

When you have selected your game type you can then adjust some variables including the stadium, wind and pitch wear. These are meant to change some aspects of the how the ball bounces although to be honest I didn’t notice it much. After this you can mess around with your teams batting order. Although this isn't a feature I personally use they may be of more interest to a cricket fan. The One day international mode allows the quickest game play with a length choice of 5 – 50 overs and can be played with fielding restrictions (as can 20 Overs) to encourage big hitting. The team choice varies in skill and there are 12 countries and 4 fantasy XI teams. Only England and Australia are licensed so other teams have made up names and likenesses but this isn’t something most players are likely to care about. There is a basic player creator although it is highly limited and it’s hard to get a likeness as all the faces are pre-sets.

Graphically the game isn’t going to win any prizes despite this it’s still plagued by some frame rate issues. Player likenesses are pretty good for the licensed squads and they are recognisable as their real life counterparts in most cases. The crowd models are very poor and I even noticed a “cardboard cut out” steward in the stands. This doesn’t affect game play but does take away any polish and makes the frame rate problems even less forgiveable. The Hawkeye system is well integrated in the game and beautifully presented. Showing you the flight path of balls at the end of over or during a tight call that requires consultation with the third umpire. It is more than just a gimmick though and is handy for seeing where you should try bowling next.

The play begins with the obligatory coin toss and the winner selects batting or fielding.

Batting in the game relies on perfect timing. This can be quite difficult at times and you really need to watch the ball. Successful hits increase batter confidence and make things a little easier as confidence improves. Even against the weakest teams it is still a real challenge. 3 buttons select your shot type from defensive, attacking ground shot or all out smacking the leather of the ball and into the sky. To improve your shots you can chose your footwork using the left shoulder buttons although a wrong choice will leave you flapping at the air and can put you out. Leaving them alone lets the CPU select it for you but accuracy and strength is reduced. Getting a six or four is very satisfying. If however you fail to hit the boundary you need to make the batter run using the Y button. You can queue runs so they keep going and also dive to the crease or cancel the queue if you are at risk of being run out.

Bowling is the most challenging and in-depth aspect of the game. You must select your bowler between a choice of spinners or various pace bowlers. This then affects the bowling selection available to you. There is a large range of bowling options available to you and this varies according to the player stats. When you have chosen your bowl type it is necessary to select the area you want to bowl to and this can be changed until you release the ball to help confuse the batter. The bowling speed is decided by a meter system with poor, good, perfect, and no ball zones. A last minute change of buttons will change the bowling choice and can also help to upset batters. Your goal is to force the batter to make a mistake and be put out. Taking a batter out with a well placed ball is highly satisfying although I have to say that catching the inside edge of the bat and then hitting the “man zone” was even more satisfying if somewhat painful looking. If the batter hits the ball high or it strikes the edge of the bat and heads towards the wicket keeper then the fielding controls kick in.

Fielding is the poorest aspect of the game play although since the most active parts of the game are at the wickets this is not entirely unexpected. When bowling you have a little control of fielder positions using the left stick and you can use this to try and cover the areas you expect to the ball to go if there the batter makes contact. If the opportunity to catch presents itself then you need to have your wits about you. The game kicks into a slow mo camera angle with the ball surrounded by a coloured halo. A traffic light system dictates your catch potential. Red represents no chance of a catch, amber is a 50/50 and green is a sure thing. Just press A at the right time and you've commit to the catch. The speed at which the colours change is variable according to the flight of the ball and sometimes is so fast that you’ll be left wondering if it ever changed from red at all. Despite this it is enjoyable to make an acrobatic catch and be greeted with the shout of “How’s Zat!”.

The above areas of play are the same whatever game mode you choose. Playing the ashes, however, will test you to the limit. Even with difficulty set to easy this game is far from it. England and Australia are well matched on paper although no matter which side I chose to play I proved to be the weakness.

Multiplayer modes balance the weakness that the A.I. doesn’t seem to present. Strangely along with the head – head mode you can also play co-op. This is not the most rewarding mode for 2 players although it is good for 3-4 players to take part with 2 on each team. When batting in co-op mode each player must decide when to make a run, so co-ordination and team work is necessary. When bowling each player takes turns per over to bowl while the other is responsible for catching so they must remain alert just in case.

Head-head is the best way to take advantage of the multiplayer. Batting is challenging due to the fact the bowler can continuously move the cursor until they throw the ball but it is great fun.

Online multi-player is as you would expect, with player or ranked games. Any of the single player games modes can be played although, unless you are with a friend, I don’t think you’ll find many strangers willing to play a 50 over’s ODI, or the full ashes so keep this in mind when creating a match. Finding a game in quick search was a bit of an issue. Not many people seemed to be on. I did get into a 20/20 game though and I have to say it was a very relaxed and enjoyable time. The pace of the game allows you to chat with your opponent and there is a good chance you could make a few friends out of it. Cricket doesn’t exactly attract the usual gaggle of ADHD stricken 12 year olds that plague Halo 3 and COD making this an ideal game for the relaxed and more mature gamer.

Overall this is a very solid cricket game and is a lot more enjoyable than being a spectator. My past experience was a few games of Brian Lara and this is defiantly an improvement. It is hampered by frame rate issues and a seemingly unbalance and unpredictable A.I difficulty (even the easy teams can seem hard at times).There are also some annoying glitches such as the bowler failing to even attempt to catch a ball that goes straight past them or sometimes a jumpy cut after you've hit the ball. As annoying as these are they don't impact on the fun too much.

The coaching mode is a must if you want to learn the controls, jumping in will see you getting hammered. As with everything practice should make perfect and then you should find beating even the greatest teams. Multiplayer is a great experience and is well worth a look if you have friends with the game or a second controller. The lack of availability with online games is disappointing though. If you have the time and patience it is also a very achievable 1000/1000 as all achievements can be done offline Wink

.

Graphics : 7.5G
Frame rate issues, glitches and the PS1 style crowds hamper an otherwise great effort. Player models are decent and most licensed players have a good likeness.

Sound: 9G
Not many sounds to talk about but what there is can’t really be faulted. The commentary and vocal guidance from Beefy and Warnie are very good.

Gameplay: 8G
Hampered by unpredictable A.I difficulties. Provides a solid multiplayer mode and a good range of game options to suit a quick game for fun or a serious slog to win the ashes.

Overall: 7.5G (Not an average)
Provides a good solid cricket experience and a good training mode makes this game accessible to all. Not for everyone but a must for cricket and casual sports fans alike.

Guest Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:46 am

Well done Bob, as thorough and in depth as we all expected. Still not enough to convince this Irishman to have any more than a passing interest in that most complex of sports though. Very Happy

**KENT HAMMER** Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:52 am

One word - EPIC

palindromic BOB Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:37 pm

Kent Hammer wrote:One word - EPIC

I believe all games should be treated as major titles. Admittedly my outrun review may have been excessive but this one is just right! (in my eye anyway)

patchychris Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:41 pm

nice review

I was in too minds about playing this, however I may well now rent this sooner or later

Guest Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:26 pm

good write up sir

sounds like you really enjoyed it

JGS1530 Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:47 pm

Good write up.

May have to give this sports game a try. Not one really for sports games but may have to give this a go

palindromic BOB Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:54 am

Everton wrote:good write up sir

sounds like you really enjoyed it

Surprisingly I did. I am not a bug cricket fan but this game is good fun.

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