During the first few hours of my game, where my performances went as smoothly as Dhoni’s tenure as India captain, I was able to juggle between the various game modes on offer. There is the full game mode, where one can choose to play the First-Class, List A, and Twenty 20 competitions of seven Test-playing nations- India, Australia, England, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand, (The Bangladesh career offers only Twenty20 competitions, no first-class team at present) along with the option of leading their favourite national teams. There is an international career where players can focus solely on leading the twelve Test-playing nations.

Then there are custom series where players can rack up any number of fantasy contests, the all-time great series, the World Cup, Champions Cup, Twenty20 World Cup, and classic Test series featuring retro Test series such as India tour of England 2007 (India’s last Test series win in England) and New Zealand tour of England 1983 (The first time New Zealand won a Test in England, courtesy Lance Cairns).

The gam??ep??lay, and the same holds for the last few iterations, is a fun affair. The continued presence of the newest format of the game, The Hundred (introduced in Cricket Captain 2020 before the competition was even played in real life), would surely interest several newer fans to the game.

One of the positives is that the game mirrored the real-life form of certain players. So, Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t at his best during the Test Championship final against New Zealand, while Rishabh Pant continued his exceptional form during the England Test series.

The E. RPO depends on the batsman’s aggressive intent (so someone like Andre Russell will automatically have a higher E. RPO as compared to say a Virat Kohli, even if they are at the same aggression bar while batting), the opposition bowlers, the state of play and how settled the batsman is into his innings. This helps in making the batting an interesting affair in the game.
Another good point while playing the game was the fact that teams like Ireland, Afghanistan etc. have a prope??r schedule.?? This development would surely delight the fans of these sides.

But discussing only the positive of the game would be giving half the account. Like when I had stated earlier that my gaming performance with Cricket Captain 2021 went as smoothly as Dhoni’s tenure, I forgot to mention that I was comparing my performances in away Tests with his captaincy in whites away from home, particularly during India’s tour of England and Australia in 2011.

Similarly, the Cricket Captain has don?e a fine job in certain departments, ??however, is lacking in some places.

To begin with, fans would expect an? evolution in terms of gameplay, structure, and content over some time, but the Cricket Captain series seems to be doing?? the same at a slow rate. So, while each year there are minor changes such as the introduction of a new league, DLS or Super over, the product, by and large, remains the same.

An instance of the same is the coaching department. There are 8 batting/bowling sessions available in addition to 2 fielding sessions and 2 physio sessions. In earlier versions, there was the provision of only 8 practice sessions (batting/bowling) and no practice was available for other players. The modern version seems to continue with the scheme of things but gives a facelift to the entire operation by turning ‘No practice’ into ‘Standard Practice’ in the modern game and ‘Extra batting/bowling sessions’ in place of ‘Batting/bowling sessions’ which were present in the older versions.

This means that at the base, there has been ??little change in terms of how a player goes about readying his side for an encounter for the last few years.

The ‘innovations’ present in the game aren’t something new or innovative, for e.g., the Super over is introduced in the game a whole 13 years after it was first used on a cricketing field.

Another glaring issue is the omission of the women’s game, which has become the talking point of the sport in the last few years, especially with the success of the World Twenty20 last year and the introduction of The Hundred. Its inclusion surely wouldn’t hurt the franchise.

The point remains that these ‘newer’ changes shouldn’t be that tough to implement. Some of the other cricket management games back in the day allowed players to coach one of the many international sides, including non-Test playing nations, and switch between sides long before Cricket Captain did the job.

No one expec??ts a cricket management sim to provide graphics similar to even the E??A Cricket/Codemasters era games, but the players do take exception to the lack of novelty in the Cricket Captain series. This can easily be gauged through the fan reactions on web forums and websites like Steam.

The game does a fine job in helping the armchair cricket fanatics to lead their favourite teams to glory and live out their cricket fantasies. B?ut the trouble is that other than some minor changes, it plays in the same fashion to earlier iterations of the game.

Cricket Captain is the most complete cricket management sim today, but a big reason behind that is that it is also the only cricket management sim out in the market today. One could discuss ??several changes/improvements to the game (such as introduction of DRS, inculcation of more classic matches, greater interaction between the game interface and fans etc.), however, the fact remains that it is hard to see any major improvements unless there is a change in market conditions.

By change in market conditions, I refer to change in consumer preferences (a greater number of people start buying the games and start demanding for changes in subsequent editions) or rise of a competitor who can produce a similar (cricket management title) yet differentiated product, which can tussl??e it out with Cricket Captain series for the top spot. Or maybe the New Zealand parliament can vote to divert significant resources of the island nation towards creation of the perfect cricket management franchise. Of course, minus any Super Overs.

Please don’t go looking for the actual scorecard from the Wisden Trophy 2000. This imaginary news report was an important moment from my playthrough of the ‘Classic Test Series�?from Cricket Captain 2020, the latest in yearly offerings of the Cricket Captain series from Childish Things.

The cricket management game, which boasts of updated stats and a robust database of over 7000 p??layers, helps arm-chair cricket experts to lead their favourite side to glory. Given the way this year has gone, cricket fans would be thrilled to look at Cricket Captain’s ‘intact�?schedule featuring premier domestic and international series, which in real life had to be shelved, cut down or rescheduled.

This year’s selection boasts of newer elements such as DLS method for the first time, improved weather simulation including extra time to recover lost overs, the new Hundred ball competition from England which has brand new rules, and an ability to switc?h domestic teams between countries.

To add to this, recent additions from previous editions such as T. RPO. (The Targeted runs per over with respect to each batsman, if you change the batt??ing aggression meter his T. RPO would sh??ow on the screen) and World XIs in All time Great series (which can help you match up all time greats against each other) add to the fun.

There are the usual modes, which allow one to play as any of the twelve test playing nations, along with domestic and T20 leagues from eight Test playing countries. There is also the custom series between any of the nations (featuring twenty international teams plus two World XIs – you can have a five match Test series between Scotland and Oman if you like it), ‘All Time Great�?series feature (Featured teams- same as above), the ever-present classic Test series and stand-alone World Cups (T20 and ODI) and Champions Trophy modes.

The game dives into strategizing a team’s? fortunes while they go about?? their season. It involves team and captain selection, practice sessions before the series. You can choose to simulate a match either ball-by-ball or over-by-over. While fielding one works out field setting, bowler selection and aggression levels depending on who is batting. A fresh batsman/tailender can be attacked more as compared to someone well-settled, and similarly you can attack more at the beginning of a session or a new day. Line and length can also be varied.

With respect to batting, one wo??rks out the batting order as well as the batting meter which allows one to play a batsman ??in defensive or aggressive mode, depending on the match type and situation.

While trying out various modes for this review, the game was an extremely satisfying experience for the cricket nerd in me. I started with a close loss in an exciting encounter between? an all-star 90s ODI team versus an all-star 2010s ODI team.

Then I decided to create a fictional encounter (set in 1998 – in my head at least) featuring an Indian tour of Pakistan. I tried to emulate the squads as closely as I could remember from the era and found some success on slightly flatter wickets in Pakistan, with India-98 defeating Pakistan-98 2-1.

The Hundred was an interesting revelation, while the scoring rates closely mirrored the T20s, I could figure out ways in which the ten-ball spells could be used strategically to stem the flow of runs. I used an in-form Ravi Rampaul and Mitchell Starc to good effect in this game.
Test Matches continue to provide some exciting contests and Cricket Captain 2020 would appease any fans of the longest format. A player can lead their team in Tes??ts and also play some classic encounters featuring Pakistan and West Indies such as the 1991, 1996 and 2000 tours.

The format I dreaded most were the Twenty20 leagues, given how I had some bad memories with a previous iteration of the game, where I couldn’t do pretty much anything in terms of enhancing my team’s performances irrespective of changes in the playing XI, levels of ag??gression, bowling tactics etc.

The entire Twenty20 interface was way smoother this time and made for some exciting cricket. I got off to a blast in the League, only to lose some important players to injury (lack of rotation didn’t help) and be left for a close fight to remain in contention for the eliminators. I did qualify (due to some strategic changes such as getting more out of Stoinis as an all-rounder, bowling Lamichhane at strategic points and varying the aggression meters of Pant and Iyer to get the best out of them in the middle overs) but then Andre R?ussell’s 8-14 crushed my hopes of winning the league.

The Int??ernational calendar is packed with tours being as close to the real-life schedule as possible. Thus, you could find yourself engaged in a limited-overs only series before engaging in some test match action.

Thus, one can say that Cricket Captain 2020 provides for an excellent cricket management gaming experience. The AI can be slightly off at times, but then it has the ability to spring a surprise, such as introducing Jofra Archer for the thirteenth over instead of opening the bowling.
There are also odd issues with description (leg byes used to describe a delivery which hits the batsman on his legs and no run is taken off them) but by and large the game modes and quality of the game are go??od enough to keep a cricket fan engaged for hours.

The main grouse that the fans have had with the series is that each year an edition is presented with onl?y minor changes from the previous iteration. Also, the changes are introduced all too late as compared to where the game has been for years, an example being the slow left arm wrist spinner, only introduced in the 2019 edition.

While the Hundred’s inclusion is a genuine attempt at novelty, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method has been introduced all too late (having been a part of the game for more than two decades now). The T20 Leagues all over have the same player contract system in place, where ?you try to sign domestic/international players before the season based on the funds you have (this means no auctions or its variants which exist across T20 leagues around the world)

The DRS system is still absent from the game as is the women’s game, both?? of which have gained prominence over the last few years. From a player’s point of view, it will only widen the appeal of the game if the company can innovate and add newer aspects. One hopes that th??ese can be addressed.

Going ahead the Cricket Captain series has a lot to look forward to, given how some exciting changes have been introduced over the last few years. If I could suggest, the classic series could be expanded to showcase the increasing global footprint of the game. Rather than focussing only on the classic series featuring teams which are touring England, it could feature such series based in New Zealand, India, Australia, Bangladesh etc (some of the older International Cricket Captain games had historical scenarios featuring English tours to Sri Lanka/Australia or a West Indies-Austr?alia encounter from 1975). Imagine a retro England tour of India from 2002 or the inaugural T20 ??season from 2003 featuring Wasim Akram to celebrate the introduction of The Hundred.

The Custom/All Time Greats section has great variety already but could be expanded to include league/triangular formats in Tests, ODIs or T20s. This would help players recreate some memories from a tri-series down under in the late 90s, or have an all-time Test World Cup in place.
Another refreshing aspect could be greater interactivity – whether in form of mock news reports or in-game interactions with players.

All in all, for me Cricket Captain 2020 was akin to the three-wicket win I achieved over England in the game I discussed above. The team wasn’t at its best and some of the players were scratchy but even then they did the small things right for me to win the game. The game has certain flaws and needs to introduce newer aspects so as to keep it relevant to this age but it keeps the formula working and thus, is able to please its core fan-base. To put it in simple words, Cricket Captain 2020 is the most complete c??ricket management experience to date.

I’ve been using Cricket Captain since 2001, when I was six years old. The 2001 Ashes Edition was a source of great joy to me throughout my childhood, as I led Australia and a variety of English county teams to a wide range of successful and failed outcomes. The last version of the game I purchased was International Cricket Captain 2010 on the iPhone, and after reviewing ICC 2012 I still continued to primarily use the previous edition. Cricket Captain 2014 has changed that.

I will be honest here, I don’t like the graphical updates in the slightest. I feel the menu designs are over-the-top and make the game window look far too busy; part of the success of similar sports management games is, in my opinion, related to the minimalistic and functional design. In short, ICC is not a game you purchase for the graphics. It’s primary assets are its engine and its database. At the risk of sounding like a pedant, admittedly in a review for a game appealing most strongly to statistical pedants, the display of batting averages to only one decimal point is a source of great frustration. Given the size of the margins on either side of the window, I find it hard to imagine that the designers couldn’t find the handful of pixels to continue to display averages to the second decimal point.

Similarly, there are a handful of functional concerns arising from the complete redesign – the inability to use the scroll wheel (or, in my case, trackpad) within selection screens makes finding the player you want somewhat tedious, while the removal of hovering over a batsman’s name in-game to see his batting preferences adds extra time when it comes to designing tactics to counter him. In positive news, however, the ability to take over teams in only one form of the game at County level is a very nice touch; if you hate T20, you can focus exclusively on the side’s four day campaign or vice versa.

However, the tweaks to the First Class engine have massively improved playability and realism, at least in my experiences. There’s a far larger emphasis on building an innings, with more batsmen willing to play themselves in slowly and accelerate as the innings progresses, rather than the far more linear aggression I’d seen in previous versions. Sometimes this can result in players batting too defensively – I’ve had more half-centuries scored at a strike rate in the 30s than ever before – but generally speaking the rebalancing of aggression has worked nicely.

It has resulted in a game that feels more bat-centric than the past, a change which was long overdue. Bowlers – especially subcontinental spinners – were a recurring, dominant feature of previous versions of ICC, with far too many averaging around the 22 mark in FC cricket, 18 in List A, and down around the 10 runs per wicket in T20 cricket. Meanwhile, having a batsman average above 45 was a remarkable achievement. Has the shift gone too far the other way? Perhaps, but how much of that is the engine, and how much is the incompetence of the man changing the bowlers is hard to distinguish.

The T20 engine is still imperfect, however, throwing up some very strange and often unrealistic examples of cricket. For example, in one English County game Jade Dernbach took 6/6 – a thoroughly unrealistic occurrence indeed – meanwhile, during a season playing as the Rajasthan Royals (or should I say, simulating said season), Shane Watson took 7/18 from his 4 overs. Moreover, in that very IPL season, despite playing only two matches myself (which were both summarily lost by large margins), the Royals took out the IPL title. I’m unsure whether this is a flaw in the engine or a reward for my stunningly good selection policies, but it was unexpected all the same.

Meanwhile, throughout a T20 season with Surrey, using similar tactics throughout proved somewhat successful – similar bowling plans with specific death bowlers, similar batting line-ups to structure chases, similar failures from horrendously out-of-form overseas batsmen (screw you, Messrs Smith and Dilshan). However, in a case of the game reflecting the realities of County Cricket, the occasional game would result in a collapse of epic proportions, or the well-drilled bowling attack conceding 200+ out of nowhere. It’s frustrating to play, no doubt, as one does not want to spend their time and energy designing tactics and plans only for their side to be utterly destroyed, but the game is far better for it.

The AI’s choice of bowlers can, on occasion, be questionable; in an ATG T20 in which I pitted my all-rounder heavy Australian side against a South African side with 7 genuine bowling options, the Proteas opted against utilising either the talents of Clive Rice or Vintcent van de Bijl, leaving the latter a specialist fieldsman and a wasted spot in the XI. While obviously teams should use their best bowlers, when one concedes over 50 from 4 overs and another is also the opening batsman, one would think the AI would be able to select bowlers in a slightly more detailed way than allocating 4 overs each to the best 5 bowlers irrespective of their actual performance. Any captain who refused to bowl van de Bijl or Rice as the others conceded upwards of 200 would rightly be criticised.

Contracting remains relatively similar to the past, though the values of players seem to be somewhat more intelligent than in previous editions (fringe all-rounders remain suspiciously overpriced, however). The addition of an Offers tab to track who you’re in negotiations with is nice, especially when you want to contract more players than are allowed in any given round, however moving forward a Football Manager-style option to manually type in offers, rather than endlessly clicking arrows, would be a lovely addition.

Finally, the game has crashed on me on a couple of occasions, seemingly at random. While my laptop is admittedly overworked and understrength as well as ageing, that doesn’t completely absolve the game from its stability issues. I do believe, however, that a patch addressing these issues has been released after I began this review, so Childish Things is obviously on the ball here. 8th Nov 2014 – since this review has been published, Childish Things have released a patch addressing the stability issues

All of this leaves me with the conclusion that the positives of ICC 2014 far outweigh any drawbacks. The updates and reworkings of match engines refresh the game significantly, better reflecting the realities of the modern era of cricket and increasing playability. The statistical database still remains the game’s focal point, providing all the information you could possibly want within a handful of clicks. As ever with simulation games, there are flaws, but all in all this year’s version of the successful Cricket Captain franchise is a worthwhile purchase.

Now this was not a game from the English t20 competition, where South African and New Zealand cricketers were coincidentally free from international commitments. No, the overcast skies of the shires have been replaced as ICC’s premier Twenty/20 tournament in the 2012 edition. Enter the Indian League.

This shows a shift in the thinking of Chris Child and his team; for years the T20 engine has been, at least in this reviewer’s opinion, somewhat random and not reflective of skill. It feels like the match engine has been tweaked for the new release, but I am not certain it has improved the gameplay in the shortest format significantly. Scores, on the whole, appear to be lower – very few games I saw went past 150. Well, that is, apart from the games I played with Kolkata. Being carted for 200 when you’ve picked a competitive attack and then failing to reach 135 is rather demoralising, although it obviously does happen at times, although the real concern was Shaun Tait failing to concede an extra. The addition of the Indian League (and the Australian T20 League) is a nice touch, almost bordering on overdue.

Frustrated by Kolkata’s direness and inability to follow my instructions, I flicked over to a county game to try and weave some magic. One thing that immediately struck me was the variety of overseas players on offer – instead of being lumped with Test XI players who are never available, more fringe players than ever are on the market. Faf du Plessis, Derek de Boorder, Harry Boam, Obus Pienaar and Keegan Meth were all available to sign, and although values still seem somewhat inflated for all rounders, the contracts system remains one of the strongest points of the game (although the ability to sign from interstate in the Australian competition is sorely needed).

An extra little addition I picked up on is the provision for format-specific openers. Kevin Pietersen is labeled an opener in List A and 20 Over cricket, as is Nick Compton. Chris Gayle and Shane Watson are now also shown as openers and all rounders – a combination impossible until this version of the game. It gives the game a nice, realistic touch in terms of computer selection – Watson is now selected to open the batting for Australia and Chris Gayle bowls more, bringing the game in line with reality. Plus it means Durham don’t pick Phil Mustard at the top of the order in First Class games.

One thing that still bugs me slightly, and it is only minor, is the way in which youngsters are treated by the simulation. Established, experienced players with good First Class records tend to perform wonderfully, however those in a learning curve, such as the young pace ??bowlers at Somerset, often refuse to develop into the serviceable players they are in real life.

On the statistical level, ICC places every possible number or detail you coul?d want into the palm of your hand, from season-by-season stats for the previous 3 years to all-time county records. Weather and pitch conditions remain important (and realistic; rarely does a pitch spring up turning square from ball one), and the ability to coerce your groundsmen more successfully than a particular Indian skipper allows you to tilt the odds ever so slightly in your favour for home matches.

The statistics from ICC do not match those of the Cricket Coach series, however the match engine is hugely superior and four-day cricket proves a real test of skill. Formulating plans to batsmen based on strengths, weaknesses and recent results pays dividends, although I’m still unsure as to whether setting custom fields actually helps.

The interface looks cleaner and more professional than ever, obviously making use of the Retina displays available on newer models, while still giving the user all the on-screen options they need. Things do become cluttered at times, but given the comparative screen size of ICC’s native platform, this is expected. This, alongside the 3D highlights, however, does have a detrimental effect on battery life.

All in all, International Cricket Captain 2012 is another solid offering in the series, and once again the development team has come up with just enough improvements to make the purchase of the latest version worthwhile ? it isn’t just a statistical update. There are no huge upgrades, however there is very little Childish Things can conceivably do with the formula that has served them so well since 1998.

Pros:

Addition of the Indian League and Australian T20 Franchises.
Updated user interface.
Format-specific openers and opening all-rounders.
Great statistical depth.
Smoother, updated highlights.
Fantastic English contracting system.

Cons:

Limited overs match engine still needs tweaks.
Career progression seems harsh on youngsters with 5-10 games under their belts.
No interstate trades in Australian domestic competitions.
Can drain battery quickly.

The most prominent new feature is the addition of both Indian and Australian twenty over competitions, which adds both depth and a feeling authenticity. Not only this, but the database of player records is fully up to date to the start of the current season and is more comprehensive than ever. Though it still lacks the depth of the enormous database of the Cricket Coach series, you can see that efforts have? been ??made by the ICC developers to narrow the gap between the two; the fact that it is now possible to keep full records for retired players, as well as full records of all the runs scored, wickets taken, strike rates, averages, catches and so on from any international series played are particular examples of this.

Another welcome addition is the inclusion of new player types, such as batsman that are designated as openers for particular forms of the game (e.g. Ian Bell will be listed as an opener when selecting a team for a 50 over match, but not when sel?ecting a test match or T20 squad). Similarly, bowlers who have impressive economy rates will be valued far more highly at T20 auctions than a player who is perhaps a better bowler but? is more likely to be hit around the park every now and again. The AI has been improved, along with the match engine, and this can be seen to make a real difference in your playing experience. Computer captains will now choose to take powerplays in ODIs when a batsman lacking in form comes to the crease, for example, or when a key partnership is broken and they can smell victory.

All the above is very positive, and there is no denying that the game is a lot of fun. However, to fans of immense statistical detail, who enjoy pulling up extensive records of a particular player with minimum fuss and designing intricate bowling plans and other tactics down to ??the closest detail, it is hard to see how the most recent edition of ICC is likely to persuade such folk to take an interest, rather than sticking to other sims which boast these features, such as the Cricket Coach series. Whilst the database of this version of ICC is more detailed than ever, it still falls some way behind the scale and level of detail that is present in those of its competitors. As such, it may be that this is a title that would be better suited to a casual fan rather than someone who enjoys agonizing over small details.

However, what ICC 2012 lacks in depth, it arguably more than makes up for in terms of its atmosphere and sense of enjoyment. For me, the true test of any computer game is whether it can create an atmosphere that absorbs you and really makes you feel a part of the experience. ICC 2012 does not disappoint in this regard. Unlike when playing other titles, I felt myself feeling the pressure in an intense game, feeling the crunch as my last senior batsman was trapped lbw with 80 left to chase and an uncapped 20 year old coming in next, hoping – rather than expecting – that my tired senior bowler could find it in him to get an extra wicket or be resigned to facing an excruciating defeat. Put simply, Cricket Captain 2012 has an atmosphere, a personality, whatever you want to call it, that makes you care and want to be involved. It makes you feel like you are involved in making decisions in a miniature cricketing world, and never like you’re adjusting figures in a database. It provides a sense of fun and enjoyment that other titles with more depth or greater scale titles never seem to be able to match up to.

All of the additions and new features add up to make a gameplay experience which is both enjoyable and challenging, and despite the fact that Cricket Captain 2012 is not a huge advance or improvement on pre??vious editions, it should still offer enough depth and variety to keep even seasoned players of the series interested. One feels, however, that if the fans of the series are to be kept interested for much longer, an update similar to that seen between ICC 2005 and ICC III will be needed in the near future.

7/10

Cricket Coach is renowned for its enormous depth and wealth of statistics, and once again does not disappoint in this regard. The game boasts accurate statistics for over 4,900 players which are correct up to the beginning of the 2012 season, a more thorough and detailed database than is offered by any other cricket sim currently available on PC or console. This alone is likely to greatly appeal to cricket fans who take a keen interest in the statistical side of the game, but the addition of the new Almanac feature will amount to many a statistician’s dream. At the click of a button, it is now possible to instantly compile a 5000+ page HTML almanac, which will detail the results and performances from one season’s worth of domestic competitions, test series, ODIs, international T20s and other international competitions, all of which will be based on the occurrences which take place in your saved game. For any player of the game who wishes to truly immerse themselves in a Cricket Coach world of their own creation, the addition of this feature is surely a landmark moment in the series’ history.

Not only is the size of the database itself, yet again, very impressive, but there is now more ways for someone playing the game to put to use the huge amount of player profiles and records which are at their finger tips. For example, new to Cricket Coach 2012 is the ability to fully manage U19 and 2nd XI squads. Though this task can be designated to your assistant coach, for those who are so inclined it is now possible to manually manage a reserve team through a full season of fixtures, and run a youth team with a view to selecting which of the best youngsters of each year are deserving of a full contract and a chance in the first team. Other notable new features include the way international T20 tours are now separated from ODIs – with the ability to appoint a specific T20 captain, the addition of the Australian T20 franchise league – complete with player auction, and staged player retirements – which allows for players to retire from one format of the game before hanging up their bat entirely. These are all welcome additions and greatly improve the game’s authenticity and sense of realism. The game’s interface itself, whilst visually no great advance on previous editions, is once again easy to operate, and the addition of a live games widget – which allows for easy access to matches which are currently ongoing, as well as a new quick search function and a revamped search screen makes the game more easily accessible and easier to navigate than ever before.

However, whilst the extensive database and wealth of new features are undoubtedly impressive, their overall value would be considerably lessened if the most vital aspect of the game – that is to say, the gameplay itself – was not up to scratch. It was glitches with the match engine and general gameplay issues that proved to be the undoing of Cricket Coach 2011, with freak occurrences, frequent incredulous results and performances, and the ease with which one could pick up a victory undermining what was otherwise an extremely polished and impressive product. When starting up Cricket Coach 2012 to play test it for this review I was worried that I would be in for more of the same. Having now played the game extensively over the last two days or so, I’m thrilled to say that my fears were for the most part misplaced. On the whole, the match engine now plays a lot more smoothly and realistically and the type of annoying freak occurrence that plagued the previous version appears to have all but been eliminated. I have not, for example, witnessed a batsman cutting the ball away through gully for the ball to swirl around in the air and for him to then be caught around mid off, as was known to happen on the 2011 version, nor can spin bowlers be relied upon to dismiss a team for next to no runs with the new ball. Similarly, the way in which you could blitz through games with minimal input and still pick up victories has been curbed, and it seems that it is no longer possible to do this. Rather than coasting through matches hardly paying attention, you’re now forced to pay heed to what’s going on – the confidence and skill of the batsman, the fatigue of the bowlers, the change in the condition of the pitch or the weather – and adjust your approach accordingly, merely clicking on ‘bowl’ repeatedly and changing your bowlers once in a while against a good side is likely to see you come away on the wrong end of a hiding. The ability to design bespoke bowling plans for opposition batsmen is nothing new to the Cricket Coach series, but it now finally feels as if the time you spend painstakingly outlining what you expect from each delivery is actually making a real difference, and the payoff is often immensely satisfying. Essentially, the match engine is much improved and delivers far more realistic results, whilst also being far more responsive to the inputs of whoever is playing the game.

Once again the Cricket Coach series continues to offer an experience of unique scope and depth. The possibility to customise and update the already extensive database allows for unrivalled longevity and replay value for all cricket fans, ranging from hardcore tacticians to more casual observers. This time around, however, the database is supplemented by a greatly improved match engine, and as such this 2012 edition is truly a cut above those that came before it. It delivers an immersive, detailed and realistic cricket simming experience, and is worthy of a place in any fan’s collection.

8/10

What is immediately impressive about Cricket Coach 2011 is its obvious statistical depth. With over 3000 players and teams from all of the Test and ODI playing nations (and more) around the world, a vast variety is on offer. When coupled with the additional “historic” database scenario and the database editing features, these possibilities become even more expansive. For those who really enjoy analysing statistics and fine details of the events on the cricket field, then there is no finer simulation on the market in this regard.

Another detail which is less important, though very welcome nonethe??less is the clean and tidy presentation of the menus. They are crisp, clear and easy to navigate. Given the amount of statistics and information available to browse it would be unfair not to give the layout the credit it deserves. Whilst the graphics and sound are nothing to shout about, it would be foolis?h to condemn the game on this basis as neither are these things are in anyway integral to the experience it promises to deliver. Both sounds and graphics are neat and tidy and do the job asked of them to a necessary standard.

The big issue, however, is the match engine. Throughout my experiences with it I developed a strong love/hate relationship with it. We’ll start with the good points. Firstly, for the most part it delivers an experience which gives the atmosphere of a real match.. The top down view whilst leaving a lot to the imagination serves its purpose well, insofar that if gives you the impression of complete control and oversight, you are given a very clear and precise view of how your bowling plan/field setting/batsman are performing, would the experience be enhanced by virtue of better visuals? For my money, no.

The in match options given are again impressive. The ability to fine tune each of your bowler’s plan of attack down to the nature of each individual delivery further emphasises the attention to detail and customisation at your disposal. However, whilst this may be appealing to some, it may prove to be daunting to a more casual fan.

Similarly, the engi?ne delivers results in a manner and pace that one would expect to find in a real match, with the AI adjusted well for different forms of the game, a concept that in my experience ICC to this day co??ntinues to struggle with.

However, there are a couple of deep seated problems with the match engine which are impossible to overlook. Most obviously the top down engine can often be seen to throw up very curious animations such as a batsman crashing the ball away towards the covers only for it to swirl around in the air and end up being caught at mid-off. Similarly, on occasion you see fielders charge in from square leg to take a sharp catch at silly mid-on, covering the ground on the field between these two positions in the space of about half a second. These sorts of incidents are rare enough to ensure that the overall experience of the game isn’t ruined, but they can be frustrating when you end up on the wrong end of them. Worse, however, is the frequency at which the match engine throws up results that defy belief. Freak results stemming from a team’s terrible first innings collapse only for them to be made to follow on, score 600+ and then bowl the other team out for under 150 and suchlike happen just slightly more often than such things ought to. This is a problem further exacerbated by the apparent ease by which one can pick up victories, for all its diverse customisable features, it seems that even with minimal input from the player winning matches is not a difficult feat. For example, whilst playing as England I was able to win the Ashes series in Australia 4-0 (with 2 innings victories), the following one day series 6-1, and then the World Cup (without losing a match), throughout all of which the only adjustments I made were to batsman/bowler temperament. Sadly, this makes the game feel both somewhat unrealistic and that it only gives the illusion of providing the player to make any discernable impact through their own decisions and so on.

Despite the problems with the match engine, as a cricket fan it is hard not think very favourably of Cricket Coach 2011. The experience offered here is unique in terms of the amount of depth and scope laid at the player’s finger tips. Whilst the heavy stat based and detail intensive style is perhaps best suited to the more hardcore fan, there is enough enjoyment here to satisfy the more casual player. As previously mentioned, the potential for customisation and sheer scope of the in game options and environments mean that this is a cricket title with unrivalled longevity and replay value, and for this it must be given the recognition it is duly deserved. The match engine issues, however, cannot be overlooked, and it must be said they are what is stopping this title from being something truly special, but if these issues can be addressed in future versions, it’s hard to see how Cricket Coach could be improved much further.

7/10

Last year’s review finished amidst a slew of criticism as paragraph after paragraph detailed the flaws that made it virtually unplayable. Looking back at my cross words now, it seems as if Codemasters have read along, put their hands up, and gone along point-by-point to put things right.

The commentary has had a facelift, with David “Bumble” Lloyd joining the ever-present Jonathan Agnew in the box, and whilst I haven’t heard “start the car” yet, the presentation – if a little 2006 – gets the job done without fuss. Integrated into these menus (albeit in the rather confusing location of the squad editing screen) comes – at long last – full statistical tracking. Starting with their current career records, all of your in-game achievements are recorded on top of this beginning: and whilst classic matches are still absent, with a little bit of creativity you can create your own stat-based targets. Whether or not it will prove possible to get Jimmy Anderson’s bowling average below 30 remains to be seen: but as he, like everyone else, now bowls at the proper speed, it will at least be achievable. It’s a shame you can’t rename the extra squads, which in their initial form are imitation IPL franchises, but you can’t have everything.

The player creation gives you enough scope to put together new faces on the international stage, or your own Saturday 3rd XI, with a vast array of kit to unlock into the bargain. Whilst I haven’t had the chance to play for long enough to truly experiment with the “skill points” that can be earned for good performance, there is certainly the potential for extra longevity here. The long game, indeed, is the game that will have to be played if you want to achieve any success at the top level on International Cricket 2010.

The new camera angles – “third person”, according to the game, sit you just behind batsman or bowler, and in line with the ball as it heads down towards the target. This has the immediate effect of bringing you closer to the action than the traditional TV broadcast, and batting in particular feels far more lifelike than it has ever done before. Twenty20 and ODI cricket progress as you would expect, complete with optional powerplays – and the biggest problem I have encountered with the longer form of the game is that it might end up being too realistic for its own good.

Innings building becomes the challenge of self-denial, blocking and leaving until the loose delivery comes along to be punished. Now, it’s one thing dead-batting on a Saturday afternoon with league points in mind, or the first morning of a test match with 25,000 looking on – but with a PS3 controller in hand, it’s a different proposition.

This isn’t a criticism of the game at all: capturing the essence of sport, the thin line between glory and ignominy; the triumphant appeal after the batsman has overbalanced beyond his crease and you’ve whipped the bails off, or the compulsion to kick your batting gloves over the scorebox after you’ve chipping tamely to cover. The Champ Manager/Football Manager series is the only bit of software that’s ever taken me to quite the same extremes as real life – I can still remember the name of the player who scored a play-off winner on a game played ten years ago, and the hard drive crash caused by Burton Albion scoring a late winner. IC 2010 doesn’t quite take you to the same edge of sanity (perhaps a good thing with a 42″ TV opposite), but the rushes of emotion are certainly in evidence: particularly with the ball. There is nothing worse than persevering outside off stump for ten overs before shelling the ball at second slip.

The confidence meters now matter for your batsmen: do the hard work settling in, and it becomes easier to time the ball: until you switch off, have a drive at a ball that isn’t there to drive, and nick to second slip – another thing that’s liable to make you extremely angry. The AI has stopped running itself out every ten minutes: it’s perhaps now a little over-cautious, but that’s infinitely preferable to gung-ho sacrifice. Technically, the only flaw seems to be that length balls, and even full balls, can be picked up off the back foot and disposed off without any prior warning (the Jayasuriya-style uppercut over third can pay great dividend when you’re set).

Still, given the litany of frustration that was last year’s effort, IC 2010 is a great step forward: perhaps it is no coincidence that there is no licence with which to tie in, nor the start of a series ahead of which to rush the release. We have, after so many years of waiting, got ourselves a game that manages a perfectly decent imitation of stepping out onto the field yourself. Now, I’m finding myself asking a different question – whatever made me think I really wanted to spend all day playing a simulated Test anyway?

79.68% – Twice as good as last year’s offering: and as close as you’ll get to cricket without picking up a bat or a ball yourself.

I compared Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 to an offering of sweet potato – initially satisfying, but liable to cause retching in any quantities. Ashes Cricket 2009, which is effectively the offspring of BLIC, is rather more like school mashed potato: either lacking in any consistency whatsoever, or just full of lumps.

It has proven a trial to motivate myself to turn on the PlayStation and subject this latest offering to sufficient play-testing for a thorough review. The word I want to use is “endure”… there always seems something more worthwhile that would be a better use of my time – Fallout 3, for instance – or eighteen-month-old repeats of Mock the Week on Dave. I’ve even contemplated constructing model answers to the pile of specimen scholarship papers from Eton College that currently inhabit one side of my desk, or completing the outstanding set of County Youth Cricket accounts on the other side.

I’m going to start with the good parts. The game can at least claim a smattering of reality: there are enough subtle touches in the modelling of the licenced players for the devoted fan to notice care and attention – Stuart Broad’s high, flamboyant backlift and punchy cover drive, Matt Prior’s extravagant offside play and Paul Collingwood’s god-knows-what shovel over mid on, for instance. It is just a shame that the game still looks and sounds like a PS2 – or even PSone – effort, down to the cardboard cut-outs in the crowd, and some of the exact same commentary that I swear has been dragging its heels since “it’s in the air… and safe… and out”.

Hawkeye provides an air of authenticity to the presentation, with an array of in-game statistics, and the wide variety of stadia have all been modelled faithfully – right down to the varying straight and square boundaries we find across the globe. Unfortunately, statistics – something that 99.94% of cricket nuts, the game’s target market, adore – are otherwise conspicuous only by their absence (yes, of course that was intentional, and yes, of course you spotted it). This is not a remotely hard bit of code. Even as a back-bedroom programmer, I’ve managed to shoehorn thorough statistical and record tracking into my freeware efforts without too much difficulty – so I refuse to believe that it is beyond a group of professionals. The web community has gone on about these – and classic matches, and classic players – for years on end, and we still have nothing to show for it.

So what is new, then? Well, there’s the licence, but it appears that the biggest side effect of being “official” is that you cannot edit any of the English or Australian squads. If they were even moderately researched, this wouldn’t be a problem. However, Shane Watson James Anderson and Ben Hilfenhaus trundle in at 72mph, the sort of speeds that the quicker members of any self respecting school staff side can muster… and Paul Collingwood is even more sedentary, tripping the light fantastic at a rollicking 57mph. I can bowl at that speed, and I’m a wicketkeeper whose last wicket was an off-break that bowled the batsman via his inside edge, arse, pads and heel. The fact that nonsense like this can get through play-testing defies commentary – and Monty Panesar also bats better than Stuart Broad.

Another knock-on of this data is that it renders the bowlers so poor that they actually become difficult to play against. Batting looks and feels exactly the same as it did two years ago – except there are now “back foot” and “front foot” buttons, and you can’t choose the sweep shot any more. This means, in theory, that you have more control of the development of your innings, and where you put the ball. In practice, however, pressing “front foot” doesn’t always do what it should do, and you find yourself screaming at the screen because Andrew Strauss has just been dismissed LBW trying to hook a leg stump half volley. Additionally, I’m fairly sure that Monty will never sweep Brett Lee for anything, let alone a boundary.

Of course, I may just be getting my judgement of line and length wrong – it certainly happens in reality often enough – but the game’s display barely helps matters. For some reason a ball that appears to all intents and purposes to be a half volley is treated as “good” by the roving cursor, and a length ball is meat and drink to a test batsman. The result of your strokeplay is clearly intended to be a combination of the shot selection versus the line and length of the delivery, and the timing of your button bashing. The idea is that the correct footwork and shot gives you a bigger timing window. The reality is that the window bears next to no correlation to the shot/delivery combination you’ve just witnessed. Leg stump half volleys should go through square leg. Half trackers outside off should go through point. Full bungers should go anywhere you want them to.

Not here. Everything needs to go straight, or else you’re likely to mistime the thing and get caught (unless the computer chooses to deviate from its standard approach of the ring field during any over of any game). If you play through the V unremittingly and automatically, you can rack up runs on the hardest level: until you get bored rigid, try and play a different shot, then get caught, and collapse because you just don’t care enough to get your new batsman’s confidence up. These confidence meters would be a wonderful addition to a firm foundation of gameplay: as it stands, they’re little more than an irritant likely to cause the more inept bowlers to bowl nowhere near where they’re aiming and therefore get you out. This exacerbates the fact that the AI wicketkeepers will catch 90% of balls that go near them, even if you have swept the leather off them, or slashed them head height towards where second slip should be: keeps will just stick out a glove in the sort of time that it takes a mortal to blink an eyelid, and cling on.

The title “Ashes Cricket” promises something of a reasonable simulation of Test cricket. Things aren’t looking great so far with the bat, but the bounds of believability are stretched even further when you bowl. The computer will generally scratch around, blocking and leaving, for a good deal of time – and then, with no word or warning, decide to hit virtually everything. Fifty-ball fifteens turn into fifteen-ball fifties, and what little sense you clung on to of the first morning at Lord’s swiftly dissipates. There are some nice ideas: such as wearing old balls beginning to reverse beyond a certain point, but one fairy light does not illuminate a Christmas tree. Perhaps the AI simply gets just as bored as you have done: it does at least give a chance to display the new “traffic light” catching system, which is a massive improvement on two years ago.

Then there’s the no-balls and the run outs. The AI bowlers’ front feet are worse than Amjad Khan on a bad day: it seems like 10% of deliveries end up overstepping: fifty or so in a day’s cricket. The computer also enters stages of perfect idiocy between the wickets, deciding to start running and turn back just as a throw whizzes in from the outfield… or somehow guiding both batsmen to the same end. There is also the curious phenomenon of right-handers being repeatedly stumped if an off spinner bowls half-track filth to them: trying to swat/hoick it in the general direction of cow, they miss, and end up with the back foot out of the ground. I’d imagine this would happen if a slow left armer bowled at a leftie, too, but I don’t have any inclination to investigate.

I’m sure it’s probably perfectly decent as a multiplayer thrash against your mates, but that was the case ten years ago, and has been so for every subsequent incarnation – and I don’t really feel that it’s too much to ask for progress in the space of a decade. Wouldn’t it be worth a shot with a new batting camera angle, for instance, instead of watching from fifteen feet above the umpire’s head as always? Or, at the very least, a single player game that feels like cricket.

I didn’t think it were possible, but the process of writing this review has rendered me even more ill-disposed towards the game than I was at its beginning. I mentioned two years ago that BLIC 2007 could only have been released in its condition due to the concurrent World Cup: and two years on, it feels as if the pressure of the Ashes summer truncated the development of this latest title. If any parents out there are considering this as a purchase for their offspring, then do the next generation a favour. Get them a real set of stumps, a bat and a ball instead.

39.84% – This is Ian Bell’s test average, and this is an Ian Bell kind of game: I’m sure some people will find something in it, but I sure as heck don’t.

The cricket coaching genre has been dominated by the International Cricket Captain series of games and with good reason; Empire Games has produced the definitive coaching simulators of the past 10 years, remaining virtually unchallenged during that time. The fortunes of the series have dipped a little recently, however, as ICC 3 was released with much fanfare and an enhanced 3D match highlights engine but complaints have emanated from users regarding the clunkiness of the match interface, stability of the software, features missing from the latest version that were present in previous games and, more importantly, the realism of the matches. It’s also felt that the 3D graphics did little to enhance the game play at all being little more than a gimmick, especially since they weren’t that great anyway. The release of ICC 2009 has done much to address the realism of the matches but it’s still generally felt that the franchise’s hold on ‘best cricket sim’ has slipped a little.

Enter Rockingham software and their game Cricket Coach 2007. The original game’s interface was reminiscent of the earlier versions of ICC series and included all of the detail and control a cricket coaching simulator should. Many options to control the bowling and batting exist which drill down to controlling exactly how your batsmen will play against specific bowlers and vice versa, control over the field, etc. Outside of match play, you as coach were able to manage team selection, finances, squads, transfer, etc. The largest missing piece of the game was a player editor which was later released as a 3rd party add-on. Aside from that, for all its great options, the game generally lacked polish, the interface slow and the game somewhat unstable depending upon the platform. Worth buying but clearly inferior to the vastly more developed ICC line of games.

Well, all the above has changed. Whilst keeping all of its great management options and the general feel of the game alive, Rockingham have loosed upon the Earth a game which competes now very strongly with the ICC series. Eschewing unnecessary bells and whistles, the interface is more professional than the 2007 game, far faster, rock-solid and still cute enough to raise a giggle occasionally. The representation of the game as its being played is good enough and comes across as zany on occasions; it was a nice touch when a wicket fell and the ball didn’t end until each of the fielders ran towards the catcher to congratulate him. Button touches are quick and responsive without the freezing evident in the 2007 version of the game. The look of the interface is far more polished and it just looks more like a game you’d be happy to shell out cash for. It’s still not quite as flashy as the ICC series but that’s not really the point.

All domestic teams are included in this game so you can captain anyone and be subject to (and annoyed by) the whims of the national selectors as they pilfer your team just when you need a win. You have full options over managing your finances/imports/young players but, most importantly, there is a player editor. Pitting your mates XI vs international teams is great fun. Player lists are complete right down to fringe domestic players and the data-driven nature of this game means that player ratings are updated regularly as their careers progress, providing a real-time career progression for all players.. This is one area where Cricket Coach has it over the rest of the pack and should continue to focus on this as the series’ point of difference.

The point of a game like this is that it’s for the nerds. There really is a ridiculous number of options for control over a season/match/innings/over and they all have consequences, desirable or not depending on your team’s fortunes. From this perspective, Cricket Coach’s stripped-down approach achieves exactly what it set out to achieve without, I believe, the ‘wow’ factor being present. It still has the feel of a game developed by hobbiests but once you get past that, it’s clear this is a game for the cricket tragic and genuine strategists/statisticians amongst the cricketing population.

Special mention has to go to the Cricket Coach online forum where fans of the series have direct access to the game developers. All bugs are reported here and acknowledged if not dir??ectly acted upon by developers who cl??early take pride in the realism of their product. This community interaction is unique to Rockingham software and shows off their end-user focus.

As for the gameplay, the representation of the match is fairly basic with the sounds more for effect than for a truly immersive experience. You can watch and control every ball or speed up play and interject at key moments. This feature a vast improvement on the 2007 game where sometimes, it would race along at break-neck speed and before you knew it, you were all out and 15 overs into your opponent’s innings.

The realism of the simulation seemed reasonable enough but I think there’s too much of an advantage in the ‘all-out attack’ option for the pace bowlers as wickets do tend to tumble too easily. The bowlers don’t tire too quickly in this mode too so Shoaib Akhtar can bowl full out for a 12 -over spell which doesn’t, obviously, reflect reality! In the matches I simmed, there also seemed to be a few too many dodgy LBW decisions where the ball had been edged. All that said, the quirks didn’t inspire the same incredulity at rather inconvenient collapses/ridiculously high scores as the ICC3/2009 did so the simulation engine, whilst not without quirks, appears about right and will hopefully keep getting better as the model is refined.

The overall presentation of the game, to be brutally honest, is still is one?? of a smaller software ??outfit. The Web 2.0 look of the buttons is a vast improvement on the 2007 incarnation but still gives the appearance of a web-based game, especially with the oh-so-2002-Flash animations of the umpires and in-game graphics. Only when you start to tinker with the options do you uncover the stunning wealth of gameplay on offer here.

This game as a pure cricket simulation is outstanding. Purchases of the ICC series of games were driven by squad/statistic updates (the interface barely changed until ICC 3) whereas that won’t be a factor with this game. Short of physically controlling throw-downs at a struggling player at a training session, one wonders how they could possibly improve on the gameplay or make the experience more detailed to drive purchases of future versions, especially as stability problems have been all but eliminated. For mine, Rockingham have made a rod for their own back because the game as it stands in conjunction with its player editor and regular player updates means that they don’t have too much further to go to make the perfect cricket simulation. This will make future versions a tough sell to already very pleased customers.

That said, cricket simulations in general have suffered from a lack of immersion in the total coaching experience and Cricket Coach 2009 is no different. Football managers in other games have to ??deal with media interactions, off-field antics, etc. This is a massive opportunity for Rockingham to take the tired cricket sim model to the next level as ICC missed out with their latest version and with Empire Interactive relinquishing control of the game to Childish Things, the lag in development time for the next version has crea??????????????????????????ted a huge gap for Rockingham to fill.

So, a game for the nerds it is and on that basis, it should be a roaring success amongst that demographic. But, although it does look and play better than the 2007 version, there’s less to attract the more casual cricket simmer. If that’s the aim then fair play to Rockingham and at around the AUS $35 mark, it’s a cheap buy. That said, it’s the same price as ICC 2009 and to the casual gamer, it may not appear to be as well-developed as ICC’s fully 3D product and very slick interface. ICC’s foray into the mobile game market with its PSP version appears to have been a rank failure so for Rockingham to attract persons outside the obvious demographic, it’ll need to enhance the immersion factor. ICC sacrificed some substance for some style and in later incarnations of the game, I expect Cricket Coach to do the same. Hopefully it’ll maintain its inner geek because the depth of the game really is stunning once you get past it’s initial presentation.

Presentation: Web 2.0 look abounds with associated minimal Flash-style animations but the interface is fast, neat and does the job. Vast improvement? on the 2007 vers??ion. 6/10

Graphics: Minimal, no 3D. Resembles a web-based game????. 4/10

Sound: For effect only, no in-game music to speak of.?? More cute than anything. ??3/10

Gameplay: From t??he perspective of a pure cricket simulation, the sheer depth is amazing. The player editor is outstanding. For overall immersion as an actual cricket coach/manager, much work is needed. 10/10 for the sim aspect alone.

Lasting ap??peal: By nerds, for nerds who will play it to death. For the regular punter, not much appeals. In future versions, wider success?? depends on whether the development team wants to appeal to a broader market or remain within their niche. 7/10

Overall: I loved it, will buy a copy and be a devoted fan forever. But I’m a nerd. Would love to see the next game take the genre where it seems others didn’t have the resources to go 7/10.