Been a while since we had a good, new cricket title. That may hopefully change later this year when Codemasters releases Ashes Cricket 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Wii.
Beating EA's Cricket 09 to the punch, and with new developers at the helm (Australia's Transmission Games), the game is being released to cash in on the hype surrounding this years Ashes series of matches between Australia and England, one of the world's oldest sporting contests (the first series was in 1882!).
It's fully-licensed by the International Cricket Board, so every major international team will be represented, along with 18 of the world's most notable stadiums. Players will be able to play Twenty20 games, one-dayers and test matches, while for newcomers to the sport - ie, you Americans reading this - there's an extensive tutorial mode.
Two players can fight it out online, while offline contests can accommodate up to four. All of which sounds good, but as an Australian, I'm saddened by the fact that while the game includes real commentary from real commentators (Shane Warne, Tony Greig, etc), there's no room for the great Richie Benaud.
The game will be out on 360, PS3 and PC in the summer, while the long-awaited Wii debut of the sport will be out later in the year.
Codies pads up for Ashes clash this summer [GameSpot]