Ashes Cricket 2009 (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

There are many sports which go unrepresented in the games industry, for various reasons. Cricket isn't really one of those as it has had games made based on it in the past. However, it has been a considerable amount of time since the last one, which came courtesy of Electronic Arts, and cricket fans the world over wondered whether they'd ever get to see another made. Luckily for them, cricket has grown in popularity over the last few years and with this year's Ashes series taking place in the UK, Codemasters have teamed up with developer Gusto Games along with the English Cricket Board and Cricket Australia to bring gamers an authentic take on this year's series so they can recreate and create their own moments.

Gameplay

Ashes Cricket 2009 is heavily focused on the Ashes series and on recreating the current one which has just taken place but the gameplay doesn't limit itself to said series as there are other modes to partake in. Clearly, it is the main focus and takes up a large chunk of what is available on the disc. It is, after all, a game designed to endorse the Ashes so it should take centre stage. As a result, you'll have to opportunity to play through the entire series, 5 tests in all recreated at each of the 5 cricket grounds around the country where they took place, these grounds of course consisting of the likes of Edgebaston, Lord's and the Brit Oval. It's the most extensive of the modes on offer and fans picking up the game will no doubt look to recreate England's win of the series by playing here.

Outside of this mode, there are a few others for you to play through. There is of course an equivalent to the Play Now mode where you can play as one of 8 available teams, including the likes of Pakistan and India as well as the already obvious inclusions of England and Australia, in a range of settings based on a number of overs or you can make it a test match, and this mode supports up to 4 player play although it's the only mode where you can play multiplayer. There are also three difficulty settings so newcomers won't be alienated by playing on villagers setting, while those who are perhaps more experience with the sport can move to county difficulty or even international difficulty. The game itself is pretty easy on the villager setting and even when you move up to the international one, it doesn't prove too much of a challenge so long as you keep an eye on the outfield chart to see where the other players are standing. As a result, you'll be hitting lots of fours and sixes to the boundaries with the AI doing little in the way to stop this unless the ball comes anywhere close to them.

The game's only other mode, other than the tutorial one, is a Scenario mode where, for the 8 teams available to play as on the disc, you'll be able to play through various scenarios and games from each of these teams' pasts. It's certainly the most interesting mode, allowing you to relive moments of cricket history and has a substantial amount of scenarios to play through. Unfortunately, once these are out of the way, there is little reason to come back to them. With such a small amount of content on the disc, it's clear the game has been rushed along to get it on store shelves to coincide with the test series. The main problem that cricket has going for it though, other than the lack of content, is that unless you're a fan of the sport, there's really nothing here to make you one. The game does allow you to both bowl and bat but it's so shallow in its depth that it feels as far from being the realistic recreation people had hoped for.

Controls

Cricket fans hoping that the developers would make full use of the Wii-mote's motion capabilities will be disappointed. Neither the batting nor bowling make great use of the controls available; with the bowling having you merely swing the Wii-mote when the ball is close enough. The latter of those requires you to merely throw over head or underarm as the bowler reaches the crease. You can change things up with either a press of the A or B button but it all feels very lacklustre and nowhere near as realistic and authentic as the developers would have you believe.

Graphics

The interface for the menus is clean and easily accessible, make for seamless progression through the options available. They're all coloured in a hue of green, which you'll either like or hate but you'll spend very little time here in comparison to the rest of the game. During the actual sport itself, all character models have been designed and created to a high standard, replicating the likenesses of the players and their kit almost perfectly. The stadia on offer are done to an equally high standard, with the 10 on offer looking exactly as they should do, with every little detail taken into account. Unfortunately, an excess of bloom lighting has been used in the stadia, presumably to cover up the cardboard crowds filling the stands and it just makes everything feel that little bit less realistic.

Sound

Gusto Games have gone to great lengths to provide authentic commentary to accompany the gameplay. As a result, anyone who has watched the sport on TV will no doubt recognise some of the voices giving their opinions on the action taking place, with the likes of Jonathan Agnew, Sir Ian Botham and even cricketer Shane Warne having provided their voices. This is perhaps the most authentic and realistic thing about the game as the commentary flows well, although it does repeat itself at points.

Final comments

Ashes Cricket 2009 is described as being the game to provide the most authentic and realistic take on the sport yet. However, the end result couldn't be farther from the truth. While the game provides enough in the way of cricket, the game fails to make use of the controls available to make it feel anywhere near realistic and this is further pushed by the in game graphics, which give everything a glistening sheen that nails home the truth that this isn't the experience many thought they'd be getting. Also suffering from a lack of content, it's clear this has been rushed out onto store shelves and as a result, the game suffers. It's another shameful attempt to capitalise on an ongoing sporting event and will no doubt work dividends for Codemasters. Some refinement of what is on offer and a significant boost in content would have made this much better than it actually is.

Pro: Scenario mode provides the best of the gameplay, graphics are good if a little over worked, realistic flowing commentary
Con: Makes little use of the controls on offer, very little in the way of content, little replayability
Final score: 5.6

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