Authentic representation of play..
Frag out!
These elements, carried over from Ashes 2009, provide a precise system that replicates the almost infinitesimal variations required to outfox batsmen.
A notable change from Ashes 2009 is the addition of an over-the-shoulder camera, set as the default view. By closing in on the action it offers a more authentic representation of play. But while it improves batting, bowling is made a lot tougher, as the aiming reticile is minuscule when viewed at the distance of your full run up. Fortunately, switching to the original broadcast-style view is a simple click of the right stick, so you can choose which camera best suits you.
International Cricket 2009 might play to perfection, but no sports game is complete without a decent array of modes and teams. Every format is present, whether in one player, versus or online, from One Day Internationals and full Tests, to Twenty20 World Cups. And it has all of the international teams, including some of the minor ones such as Canada.
But it's obvious Codemasters has a limited licence, with approximations used for both tournament and cricketer names. It's not so noticeable with tournaments, where, for example, the ICC World Twenty20 is renamed as the World Twenty Overs. But with only England and Australia fully licensed, true fans will be disappointed with having to bowl with Abuel Rezzak for Pakistan, or bat with Craig Goile for the Windies. Player names are modifiable, but with only six characters available for first names and twelve for surnames, it's impossible to accurately name every cricketer.
Over between them
Next page: Codemasters has a limited licence
COMMENTS
Not quite yet.
"These elements, carried over from Ashes 2009, provide a precise system that replicates the almost infinitesimal variations required to outfox batsmen."
No, they don't. It's a good game, but it still hasn't fixed the basic problem of Computer Cricket which is the player bowling to a computer batsman.
Even if it can provide such a system, and it's not far off, I agree, what is missing is the sequence of events AI between the bowler and batsman. Even with quick bowling it is not simply an issue of trying to bowl the best delivery possible ; it is the sequence that undoes the batsman - knowing when to bowl a googly because the batsman has been "trained" not to expect it, for example. Things like the sixth sense a spin bowler gets that a batsman is going to charge him are also missing. Is it the right time to bowl a slower ball or is he picking it ? All these kind of things without which it just doesn't work.
To be fair, these things are just about impossible to simulate. What cricket games do is work out an appropriate shot for the given delivery and scale the success of that delivery by the batsman's ability and confidence. That's why in some games the batsman can always be got out playing the same delivery to the same shot ; not only does the batsman never learn, but the rest of his team don't either, because they don't think.
What this means in practice in that bowling at a computer batsman is quite a dull experience. Ashes 2009 hasn't solved this and I doubt the 2010 version will either. No-one else has.
You can't beat Brian Lara...
Not the biggest fan of cricket, however now and again I'll dust down the original Brian Lara from my games collection. Not fussed about how realistic it is, as long as I can slog one of mates into the crowd is enough entertainment for me.
Nice review, despite the poor caption comments
Groan
Reg, can you *please* fire whoever wrote those captions? Or at least demote them to under-tea-monkey status? They were truly, truly horrible.
