I have said it before, and I will say it again; cricket is generally not a sport that works very well in videogame format.
As a cricket fan I can easily list the things that I love about the sport. Memories of taking to the field on crisp summer mornings, the smell of oiled willow and the delicate sound of grass caving beneath my weight. The anticipation as the bowler runs in to deliver a ball, and the satisfaction of a well timed drive. Then there is the planning and patience involved in crafting out a delicate innings, as well as manipulating the seam of the ball and slowly coaxing the batsmen into making a mistake when bowling.
The list goes on, and the unfortunate reality is that these great experiences just do not translate very well when experienced by way of a control pad.
Having said all that, I was hopeful and excited upon receiving Ashes Cricket 2009. While I openly recognize the dichotomy that characterizes cricket in gaming, I also appreciate the fact that if done well it could still be fairly enjoyable despite lacking the ability to truly capture the essence of cricket.
Notwithstanding the inherent flaws that I have already listed, Ashes makes a number of its own mistakes that are likely to leave one feeling disappointed. However, it is not all bad, as the game does enough to make it at least as good as most cricket games out there.
Oversimplified controls which give the illusion of offering variety fail to provide a truly compelling experience, and at times players might find themselves wondering if they are actually having fun.
While players are certainly offered enough in the way of variety when it comes to bowling, it often feels like the choices are inconsequential. There are moments that offer a great feeling of reward. Just like in real cricket, bowling a few medium length straight balls with a quicker in-swinger can catch batsmen off-guard.
Likewise, throwing in an occasional slow ball can often yield a wicket or at the very least a mistimed shot. Bowling consistent line and length with subtle out swing may well lead to the batsmen finding the outside edge, and of course successfully executed bouncers knock their confidence making them more prone to mistakes.
Batting also has its rewards, if slightly more basic. When batting, players control shot selection and timing. The former is done firstly by choosing whether to play off the front foot or back foot, and secondly, by deciding in which direction to hit the ball. Once this is done, players simply wait for the correct moment and choose what type of shot to play, of which there are three; aggressive, defensive and lofted.
Players must play themselves in, and just like in real cricket, it pays to get your batsman’s eye in before opening up with the big strokes. Unfortunately, this element of the batting is rather shallow, and it only takes an over or two to get your batsmen fairly settled. In fairness, any longer would probably have made things boring, but the problem here is that there is no real sense of accomplishment to be had from crafting out a long patient innings. It never feels like a well settled batsman is of any real value.
The real problem however with both bowling and batting in Ashes is that, like in other cricket games that preceded it, players spend most of their time doing the same thing over and over again. This becomes boring and there is not enough substance to make it truly compelling. Some might argue that this is the nature of cricket, but it really isn’t. In cricket, every ball bowled, or shot played consists of hundreds of variables, all of which the player must manipulate successfully in order to do well. In Ashes, this complex weave of forces is simplified into basic timing and placement, ultimately not providing enough control and involvement to keep players entertained.
Added to this basic gameplay flaw are a number of technical deficiencies which further mar the experience.
Animations are stiff and mechanical and the visuals are not what many would expect from a game in 2009. Considering that there is relatively little going on, Codemasters really could have put far more effort into the rendering of textures and increased the level of detail. The field is average looking, players bear a strained resemblance to their real-world counterparts (in name and in shape), and the 2D crowds look like they were pulled straight out of Brian Lara Cricket 2005.
Speaking of Brian Lara Cricket, Playing the PS3 version of Ashes I could not help but think that the PC version of Brian Lara Cricket 2007 was a far more convincingly executed cricket game, and if players have that then I can’t see any reason to purchase Ashes.
As expected, thanks to various licensing limitations, players are forced to bear an embarrassingly poor resemblance in name to the people they are supposedly representing. I’m not sure what we are supposed to think when taking to the field and having SA’s beloved captain ‘Gary Smyth’ take the coin toss. It’s not a big deal, but it does make the whole thing seem a little silly.
To the game’s credit, it does have a comprehensive training program which gives a thorough understanding of all its ins and outs. Added to that is the multiplayer experience which can be fairly enjoyable – if short lived – both online and off.
These features are unfortunately not enough to create an enticing and enjoyable cricket experience. Perhaps the cricket genre needs a new developer with fresh ideas to have go at it. It would seem that EA in the past, and now Codemasters are all too happy to rehash tried and tested cricket game mechanics, most of which unfortunately do not make for a very enjoyable gaming experience.
If you are a cricket lover and have found previous similar cricket games unsatisfying, then Ashes Cricket 2009 will not change this. A superior alternative worth looking into if you are in such a position is Empire’s highly underrated International Cricket Captain series for PC.
Discuss Ashes Cricket 2009 in the forums
Loading ...
