International Cricket

"One of the most competitive games on the system, and a great first effort by Beam"

Cricket fans finally had a game to play their beloved sport on. Only released in PAL regions, due to the fact they are the only regions interested in cricket, this game sold by the bucket load, despite the launch of the SNES at the same time (in Australia anyway). This was the first console cricket game (honors of the first cricket game go to Allan Border/Ian Botham Cricket on PC). Although many cricket games have come and gone, and improved the genre a heck of a lot, this game is still good to play, for the sole reason that it was really fun. One problem of my experience was that once people grasped the basic concepts of the game, they cheated like all buggery.

Graphics: 6

Pretty cheesy. Nothing compared to other NES games of the time. Seems to lack any type of colour co-ordination, but not enough to deter anyone from playing the game. Graphics don’t mean much when all you are there for is a good time. The ball is easy to see on the pitch, which is great. A few minor faults in the collision detection, which can be fatal for LBW appeals.

Sound: 6

Another game which suffers the curse of constantly looped music. Although bearable compared to other efforts, looped music just gets on my nerves. I was able to put my gripes with the music behind me once I was into the game though. Sounds are what you’d expect from a cricket game, some are quite accurate, such as ball hitting the pad, and the ball just being slightly edged.

Gameplay: 9

Hours of fun. I think we played this game constantly for about a year. It never seemed to get old. Rivalries seemed to be built and settled on this game. The game has 4 basic modes, Fast match, One or Two players in which everything is randomized and you’re a put in the thick of the action, One Day match also One or Two players, in which you determine the teams and who bats first, World Series, One to Four players, in which four teams are chosen and the winner of each match goes through to a final in which an ultimate winner is decided, and Practice, which is pretty self explanatory. Options are pretty simplified too. The only thing that still annoys me is how easy people find it to cheat in this game. The field settings can be unfairly placed, so tight infact that it is possible to lose all 10 wickets without scoring a run.

Lastability: 7

While it is okay on your own, this game really shines with 2 or more people. All games to get old eventually, and this is no exception. You’ll find that once you get into it, everything is pretty straighforward, and you’ll be scoring centuries in no time. Single player is a bit short, with no major goal to chase, in addition to the fairly basic AI.

Overall: 8

Buy it if you have the option, you wont regret it. Good for fans and non-fans of the sport, due to its addictive and highly competitive nature. Some minor quibbles in the graphics and sound hold it back, as well as the fact that it is easy to cheat on.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/01, Updated 02/25/01