Ashes Cricket 2009

It's one of the biggest rivalries in cricket. And while the two teams might not often be equally matched (you know, because the English are so good), it's still a gripping feud filled with bitterness, hard fought battles, and...well, ritualistic burning of cricket stumps. Even being on the other side of the world, we can respect a good rivalry when we see one.

So can Codemasters, who are bringing Ashes Cricket 09 to the major platforms soon. The game features the licensed Australian and English cricket teams, along with unlicensed versions of the major cricket-playing nations. While it might be a bit disappointing to be playing as D. Vetorree, at least New Zealand will be in there in some form. A detailed team editor has also been promised, so with a bit of work you can get our boys looking almost right. And then lose against most of the other nations!

An array of stadiums and weather/pitch conditions will be in the game, with all the effects on the ball performs as you might expect. Pitch options are actually based on the locale you're in - so if you choose to play somewhere dry, expect a cracked playing surface.

Game modes include the Ashes test series (of course), one-day internationals, and - in an interesting move - Twenty20 games. Considering the cricket games I've played in the past have already been shortened affairs, it'll be interesting to see what they do to make this mode stand out. Of course, match lengths can be set before you kick off a game - so if you have a few days to kill, by all means go nuts! You can also play with up to three other friends offline, or go head to head with another person over the internet.

Encouragingly, the engine for Ashes 09 has been built from scratch, and is looking pretty nice on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Of course, cricket doesn't generally look all that dynamic, but it's still nice when sports games - especially ones with niche appeal like cricket - actually take advantage of the platform they're on. Now they just need to make an updated, slick-looking rugby game, eh?

Commentary will come from the likes of Shane Warne (!), Ian Botham, and Tony Grieg. No Ritchie, alas, but I guess the man needs to step back from these things sometime.

It's hard to get a good grip on the actual gameplay at this stage, which is a shame, because cricket games in the past have been a bit hit or miss in this regard. Features like a more forgiving quick time event for catching will hopefully make the many disparate parts of cricket feel more fun on a ball-by-ball basis, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Ashes Cricket 2009 is scheduled to hit these shores at the end of August or start of September, and is coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Here's hoping it's a satisfying experience!