CODEMASTERS’ previous cricket efforts have proved a massive disappointment, similar to the Ashes thrashing England suffered in 2006/07 (although definitely without the residual mental scars that come with having your ass repeatedly kicked across Australia in front of the baying masses).
Like England when they embarked on that ill-fated tour Codemasters have a lot to live up to. Brian Lara Cricket on the original Playstation had proved a massive commercial success and quite simply the follow ups failed to build on that despite the increased processing power available on the consoles that followed.
In fact if anything the games actually got worse as they went on, although last year’s Ashes game righted some of those wrongs it was still essentially a Playstation One game released ten years too late.
Finally with International Cricket 2010 Codemasters have gotten to grips with some of the more problematic issues of its predecessors.
Number one on the list of improvements are the new camera angles available for batting and bowling. Now these are vital because they serve to make the game feel infinitely more realistic and get you involved in the action.
When taking strike, you can now use a view point from directly behind the batsman which allows you to survey the gaps in the field and pick your shots as appropriate.
For me this is a vast improvement, giving you a sense of feeling stranded alone in the middle, particularly when the spinners are on and the field comes in.
The view point also serves to exaggerate the differences between bowlers.
Facing express pace you genuinely feel hurried while with the spinners you feel you have all day to pick your shot only for the ball to spit out of the rough and peg back your off stump. Bowling also benefits from a new camera angle as you start directly behind the bowler and follow him in on his run up to delivery.
Although you would think that could cause problems with aiming your delivery it actually works better than the previous title and makes for a more immersive experience. One problem that remains from previous games is the fielding which has not changed in any way shape or form, with the player granted no control of his field except to choose which end to throw the ball to or to attempt a catch.
Thankfully Codemasters have also secured full licensing for the England and Australia teams so no more ridiculous titles like Flantiff or Vorner. Unfortunately they are the only teams with full licensing but it’s progress at least.
One other disappointment is that the England squad is not as up to date as it should be - Denly opening the batting in T20s?
However, that’s not terminal and the edit function means that those who are particularly bothered can make the necessary changes.
The game itself is still great fun for cricket fans, and the best on this current generation of consoles by a country mile.
RATING: 4/5