The last Ashes cricket series that took place on English soil was one of the greatest in the event’s long history.
It was a closely fought affair, with England beating Australia 2-1, which marked the first time England had won the series since 1987.
It sparked renewed interest in the game in the UK, and made a hero of England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who took home the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award few months later.
Since then England has endured several ups and down, including a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Australia when the Ashes returned Down Under. But there’s already renewed optimism for this year’s series, which kicked off last month when Pietersen, Ponting and Flintoff returned to the crease. And publisher Codemasters is equally as excited to release its official event tie-in.
“It’s a dream,” enthuses Ashes Cricket 2009 producer Jamie Firth.
“I’m really enthusiastic about what we and our partners have done with the game – it’s great fun, but also informative and hopefully will win a lot of new fans as Ashes fever continues to sweep the nation.
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“The sport itself is full of great people and it’s genuinely been a pleasure working with them, from the ECB, the MCC and Cricket Australia, to manufacturers, Hawkeye Innovations, our community and our commentators.
“My enthusiasm for the sport grows every day, seeing how passionate people are about it, and it goes without saying that I’m looking forwards to a great summer. It promises to be a fantastic Ashes on the pitches and consoles alike.”
HOWZAT!
Ashes Cricket 2009 boasts everything a cricket fan could want from a video game. The Ashes mode features every authentically-recreated venue (from Lords to the Brit Oval) for all five tests, complete with licensed kits, equipment and players.
But there are more than just the Ashes for gamers to take part in. The game is packed to the brim with extra teams and modes, including traditional test matches, the popular One Day Internationals, 20/20 and a series of challenge modes. And that’s not to mention the wealth of multiplayer modes on offer.
All of this is presented in the typical high-definition flair on next generation systems, while Wii gamers can get closer to the action by using the Wii Remote to drive, cut and slog their way to victory.
And the game of course comes direct from Codemasters, the same guys that developed the popular Brian Lara series of cricket games. Yet this time the studio is eager to address the over-complication of recent cricketing sims.
“As consoles have developed, there’s been a move towards increased buttons, seeing more control over what you want to do,” continues Firth.
“I think Super International Cricket on the Super Nintendo was the first to do this, and that approach carried right through to both the Brian Lara Cricket and EA games.
“In the last couple of years, even more control has been added. The analogue sticks have enabled even more control over both batting and bowling. However, I think in doing this, casual cricket game fans may have found it a bit too much, which is what we’re trying to address with the controls in Ashes Cricket 2009.
“There are default controls for the more casual players, and more depth on toggles available to advanced players.
“The Wii version too is seeing a completely new control system for the first time, which is really exciting. Looking forward, all of the platform holder’s new hardware systems could build on this even further.”
FAMOUS FACES
One of the key selling points of the new Ashes is the cricketing stars backing it. Sir Ian Botham and Shane Warne have given their voices to the game, providing hints and tips as well as commentary, while England batsman Kevin Pietersen adorns the game’s box in the UK (with Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting being used Down Under).
Former Australian bowler Shane Warne concludes: “Recording commentary for Ashes Cricket 2009 was a lot of fun and I am really pleased with the result.
“It’s always good to have some banter with Beefy. I played in eight Ashes series and it’s an amazing feeling to represent your country on the biggest stage. Hopefully Ashes Cricket 2009 will allow cricket fans a taste of what that feels like.”
