Ashes Cricket 2009 Review
BY Mufaddal Fakhruddin | POSTED: 23 August 2009
Codemasters foray into nex-gen Cricket game is a fumbling run out.
As I write, England has the Aussies by the throat with a massive total after packing them for a meager 160 runs in the first innings in the final ongoing Ashes Test between the arch rivals. I have my money on the pommies for taking home the Ashes once again, even with the Australians still remaining a formidable treat. But here is something you should not have your money on: Ashes Cricket 2009, Codemasters’ next-gen video game equivalent of the gentlemen’s bat and ball pastime.
Codemasters were always the better developers of Cricket games, with their above average Brian Lara titles rescuing us away from the horrendous clutches of Electronic Art’s pathetic portrayal of the sport. They always commanded that respect among Cricket lovers, and so it was disappointing to see them stoop to their competitor’s craptastic level with what is just a cash-in on the heated series.
Ashes Cricket 2009 falters on every aspect except the somewhat decent controls. The mechanics have gone through a better overhaul, making them easier to pickup and play, yet leaving a lot on the wood to master. The difficulty is just right, giving the controls a more spread out, fleshed out feel. Batting is particularly good as it does away with any of those timing meters, making players rely on their instincts to time the ball perfectly. It’s not easy to master, as the timing is dependent on the kind of delivery being bowled. Picking out those slower deliveries and extra flighted ones will require astute concentration and quick hand-eye coordination to successfully get past the supermen guarding the field that clips through if the computer decides that you are out.
We have no other explanation for it other than that there is a pre-determined script that decides if you are out or not depending on the ball delivered and the field placement regardless of the shot being played or timing of the shot. Because that could only explain the countless times our perfectly timed shots (and it is not us who determine this, the computer tells us so) going for a catch to a fielder that was out of our shot direction range, causing us much frustration and despair that cannot be put into words. We understand that this could be a real life scenario. But this is a video game; it should not penalize us doing something right. It is bemusing to see our ground shots that the computers tells us we timed so perfectly stay in the air for such a long time, some times as long as it crosses the inner circle. That’s a pretty low standard for a well timed shot, we must say.
And this is just one of the many glitches or shall we say scripted events, that will leave you pulling hair out of parts of your body you didn’t know had hair as you watch the computer swat your batsmen straight, hook and cover. The run out glitch is the most prevalent one were your batsman takes off even after you have commanded them to get back or are being given out even though you know you have covered the ground. But this is not to say the batting is difficult. It becomes relatively easy once you enter the matrix and know what ticks the counter.
Bowling, however, is not so easy. Surely, of course, the computer cheats here too making it nigh impossible to get an LBW or a bowled. Testament to the incredible difficulty in getting a batsman out are the numerous forum threads solely based on posting videos of that rare LBW that the players has managed to trap and the goofy amazement shown by the users at the marvelous feat. It’s a shame because Bowling is pretty interesting and could have been great fun had it not been for this. You get better control over your deliveries as you choose the type of ball you want to bowl and the angle at which you want it to turn if it’s a swinger or a breaker. You are even able to reserve swing depending on the condition of the ball. The most effective deliveries are when the marker is a lighter shade of green and you match it up on the speed gauge that comes on as the bowler run his length. Even though it is tough to get a batsman out, there are few tricks to slow them down or glitch them for a run out. It’s relatively simple and it requires you to bowl a combination of deliveries that causes the script to crash resulting in the batsman calculating it all wrong.
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