games

'International Cricket 2010' fails to hit a six

Sports titles like the 'FIFA' franchise, the 'NHL' and 'Madden NFL' series, and even some racing titles are hugely successful because people understand the game. Granted, NFL isn't the easiest sport to master, but in terms of gameplay it's as simple as running and passing, without any real complications.

Cricket? Not so much.

Anybody who has ever put bat on ball knows that the actual game of cricket is rather complex. This is made worse when one has to consider the limited actions that can be recreated on a gaming controller.

With that in mind, Codemasters have tried to develop a game that would be simple to play and control, while still maintaining a level of authenticity. Well, the game is simple enough, but the authenticity has been thrown right out the window.

For starters, the game is only endorsed by the cricket boards of England and Australia so, while those countries have the correct player names and spelling, the "new" South African team features players like Gavin Smythe, AB Devollear, and Freddy da Dry. Freddy took some head-scratching, but in a face-palm moment it turned out to be Friedel De Wet.

And it's not just South Africa. Players can select "new" versions of India, Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan and even Bermuda. Needless to say, the team logos are equally messed up, with SA having a springbok that more closely resembles the John Deer Tractor logo.

Luckily there is an option to change all the names manually - and painstakingly - but that is, if you can figure them out.

The gameplay isn't much better, but at least it's functional. You're advised to play through a rather lengthy tutorial although, after completion, it turns out to be entirely unnecessary.

But having learned the basics of batting, bowling, and field-work, it's time to step onto the crease and score some runs. Depending on your team and the opposition, the game is incredible easy.

The direction and strength of your shots are determined with the left analogue stick, and the type of shot (defensive, aggressive, or loft) can be chosen from three different buttons on the controller. That's it.

Bowling is equally easy: you select the type of ball you want to bowl (i.e. cut, swing, or reverse), find the sweet-spot on the pitch, and wait until the strength meter is in the green to let the ball fly.

Fielding is semi-automated - you're only involved in catching opportunities and deciding to which end of the pitch the fielder will throw. The catching system is rather flawed, as the player needs to wait until a green ring appears around the ball before pressing the button. But the problem is that the ring's timing is very unpredictable, resulting in multiple dropped catches.

The graphics are fairly standard, but one of the title's few redeeming factors is its generous use of real cricket statistics, replays, simulated shot coverage, and the Hawk Eye system.  

That's not enough though. The flawed 'International Cricket 2010' should only be approached by true cricket fans.