International Cricket 2010 is Codemasters’ latest cricket simulation video game for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It follows Codemasters’ Ashes Cricket 2009 released in August last year and packs in a few twists to the “oh-so dull” game of cricket. This time around it’s Trickstar Games brought on board for the project, and the developer does not disappoint. The game is available in the UK but is yet to hit Australian retail stores, and is expected to do so later in the year.
International Cricket 2010 features a whole bunch of stuff including unlockable extras and 16 international teams, although we’ll dabble on their hilarity a little later. The game also has the official teams of England and Australia, and a total of 21 stadiums, with the Dhaka, Grenada and Port Elizabeth stadiums unlocked upon completion of the batting, bowling and fielding lessons respectively.
Like in any cricket game, you must master the three factions, batting, bowling, and fielding. The main part of fielding the game focuses on is catching, and becoming excellent at fielding means you have to get it spot on when a catch is coming your way. A reticule appears around the ball and cycles in colour. You must press to catch when it turns green for a sure wicket. Apart from this, fielding is rather bland. When playing single player the computer rarely opens up a chance for you to pick up a wicket by means of run out.
You can practice your skills via the game’s extensive tutorials for basic and advanced batting, bowling and fielding, but you needn’t if you’ve already picked up the essentials playing numerous other cricket titles. Just knowing the basics won’t be enough though. And in a match you won’t be able to smash every ball to the boundary or bowl the same delivery to a batsman every time. You must also master the art of sending a player’s confidence levels sky-rocketing if you want to intimidate opponents and really take control of a cricket match. Variation is the name of the game here. And you have to keep your opponents always guessing.
The over-the-shoulder camera angle is an interesting new feature, but you can easily switch it out for the broadcast-style view if you want. With the action cam though, bowling becomes a little tricky and it is difficult to judge where exactly the ball will end up. An on-screen gauge appears as you run up determining how well a ball is bowled. There’s nothing more frustrating than low confidence levels of a bowler. And it becomes really difficult to get out of a slump and take a wicket in such a case. Needless to say, cleverly switching around bowling strategy is crucial.
While batting you have several options. You can either play off the front foot or the back foot to counter tricky bowlers, cutting the ball into space for a quick single or smashing one home to the boundary. You can even get a player to advance towards the bowler hammering a delivery all the way into the stands. Timing is crucial in any type of shot you play, and with wrong timing and wrong footwork comes the hugely increased possibility of getting caught or bowled out.
Here’s what’s comical about International Cricket 2010. The game is officially licensed by the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia, and so features official players from the English and Australian teams. But players from other countries are almost hilariously represented. The Indian team for example includes the players Sumit Tenhukkar, Virani Sehvak, Gauran Gamir, Ishwar Sinhar, and Mahata Dhabi. But aside from the discrepancy in name and appearance of most of the players in the game, International Cricket 2010 does provide a rather enthusiastic cricketing experience.
What’s great about International Cricket 2010 is that you can save your game at any time. This is a good feature especially when you choose to play a long, arduous Test match. In the game several types of cricket matches are available to choose from including ODIs, twenty over matches, test matches and tournaments. If a “quick” game of cricket is all you desire, then the ODIs and twenty over matches should do. You can even choose much shorter five-over matches. But if you are an ardent fan of all things cricket and all things old, then you can choose to play lengthy test matches. What the game lacks is a good stat system. And it is very hard to fully keep track of the goings on in a match. Sometimes the umpires make horrendous calls on LBWs when the Hawk-Eye reveals the obvious fate of the ball. And we’ve been on the short end of that sticky wicket many a time.
The Final Word: International Cricket 2010 is a nice game, and is definitely well worth it for anyone who loves cricket video games. The game introduces a few niceties and makes for a very engaging experience, especially when playing along with a friend. Solo gameplay can get dull. And the game leaves you asking for many obvious options. Considering all the additions though, International Cricket 2010 should make a good pick-up for any ardent fan of the sport, if the largely unlicensed material can be overlooked. The game of cricket just got a tad bit more interesting chaps. Tea anyone?
Gameplay: 7.8/10.
Sound: 6.0/10.
Graphics: 8.5/10.
Overall (not an average): 7.5/10.