Ashes Cricket 2009 Review

06 Aug 2009 at 13:04:06 by Andy Alderson
Systems used to review this title: (PS3, 360, PC)

For real cricket enthusiasts, the test match series lies at the heart of the sport. Despite the flashier, action-packed 20-20 model gaining momentum over the past few years, nothing quite captures the imagination like a series of five day tests. And, of course, since 2005 The Ashes series has taken on new significance thanks to England's famous victory against the Aussies (we'll ignore our subsequent drubbing). Codemasters' new game is a continuation of the Brian Lara franchise in all but name and allows fans to re-enact this year's event in a  fully-licensed Ashes mode. But has Aussie developer Transmission managed to craft a game which can hold the player's interest throughout such a long, gruelling competition? Well, the good news is that Ashes Cricket 2009 improves on the last Brian Lara game. However, some significant problems remain.

The basic structure of the game remains true to the Brian Lara model; fielding is pretty much phoned-in and the game concentrates on batting and fielding.  When batting, the player has the choice of three basic shots: defensive, attacking and lofted.  A handy indicator at the top right of the screen shows you which button to press for the shot you want. While it sounds simple enough, there's actually a fair bit of depth to the batting in Ashes and it all comes down to timing. As the ball is bowled to the batsman you'll need to time your shot and you'll be awarded with feedback from the shot quality meter. Your shot will be graded as an inside/outside edge, poor, good or perfect. Or, indeed, a miss if your timing's worse than a drummer with Tourette's. The speed and power of the shot is determined by the timing and a perfect shot will, more often than not, race into the outfield for four runs (or six if you've lofted it). However, good or poor deliveries are much more unpredictable and while they may sometimes make it to the boundary, you're also much more likely to be caught.

Alongside the timing, you'll also need to place your shots with the left stick and a conical indicator on the minimap shows where your shot will go, assuming it's timed correctly. You can also narrow this cone by selecting a front or back foot shot, although choosing the wrong footwork can result in a catastrophic miss. This combination of timing, placement and footwork is crucial to successful batting in Ashes, but you'll also have to take into account the confidence of your batsmen. The clever confidence system at work in the game means that the psychological state of your batsmen will have an influence over the quality of their shots. Repeatedly edge or miss the ball and your confidence will decrease rapidly, making you more susceptible to error. Scoring runs is the antidote and should you increase your batsman's confidence to “Fearless” you'll be more likely to succeed with spectacular boundaries.

This confidence system applies to bowling too. Keep the run rate down by bowling dot balls (no runs scored) and you'll increase your own confidence while depleting the batsman's. Different types of balls are assigned to the face buttons you'll need to get the hang of moving the ball in the air (swing bowling) and off the pitch (spin bowling/cutters). With most balls you can vary the amount of movement with the trigger buttons and you'll also need to be aware of when the ball is swinging too much. Bowling basically involves choosing your line and length and then using the bowling quality meter to time your ball in the light green “perfect” zone. Consistency in line and length is important in preventing the batsmen from scoring although you'll have to be willing to surprise the batsmen too. This is when the Ashes really starts to capture the tension of a test match and it's genuinely satisfying to have a batsman on the ropes and send a bouncer straight down his throat. All that's missing is the Flintoff glare afterwards. However, despite the clever use of confidence in the game, one major problem still remains: Transmission hasn't managed to make the bowling as fun as the batting and that's largely down to the difficulty.

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