International Cricket Captain 2

For the right person, International Cricket Captain 2 is a nostalgic throwback that will fill their heart with nostalgia. I grew up in the UK so cricket here is a pretty big deal. While I am somewhere in the middle with my enjoyment of the sport, I have found many people either think it is the most exciting thing in the world or it is the most boring sport in the world! Today I am checking out this cricket game that was released all the way back in 2000 for PC, it is part of a series that is still running to this day!

Hitting For Six

Look, before we get into this, I have to bring attention to the style of this game. What we have here is a sports game from 2000 and not only the visuals, but the overall presentation ranging from the menus to the soundtrack greatly reflect this. International Cricket Captain 2 is not a pretty to look at game. If you are expecting full 3D models and highly detailed cricket grounds you will be disappointed. In playing this recently for the review, I get more of a Super Nintendo feeling from the visuals than a Nintendo Game Cube one.

I Am The Champion!

While visually this game may be lacking, International Cricket Captain 2 is incredibly in-depth. The game has three modes of play for you to get into. You can try and become the England captain as you play a full game of cricket. You can try and win the World Cup and there is even a very in-depth management style game which I am sure most people who are cricket fans will jump into.

Come On Ref! That Was A 6!

The management aspect of International Cricket Captain 2 is not for the faint of heart. You pretty much have full control over your club. The most basics of this are organizing your team. You can select what line up you want, batting order and of course deal with transferring players in and out of your team. This is just the tip of the iceberg as you have coaches, staff and about a million other things to keep an eye on and tend to as well. A cricket fan is going to love what they have done here as it really does feel like you are in charge of the team.

Where Is My Bat?

The actual gameplay when it comes to playing cricket is very easy to get to grips with. I found batting to be far more fun than bowling, but to be fair this is probably because I was horrible at bowling.

Again, I must say this is a game from 2000 and the controls greatly reflect that and you do not have as much control or options as you would find in the most recent game in this series.

Pros:

• I like how in-depth the management aspect is
• County and international sides to play as
• I am sure a cricket fan will eat this up!
• Plenty of teams
• For a cricket fan, it is probably very addictive

Cons:

• Overall, I found the game to be boring
• The actual cricket matches you play are not much fun

Empire's reluctance to speed us a copy of International Cricket Captain 2 was understandable, given our robust treatment of the prequel, International Cricket Captain. However, as flawed as the original was, the fact that cricket management simulations are as rare as England victories ensured its commercial success. Now, with the recent World Cup farce just a fading memory, Empire have struck back with a sequel that deserves first class honours - combining EA presentation and style with Championship Manager tactics and strategy.

Fans of the original will be delighted to hear that Empire have addressed its two main flaws: they've added a thoroughly entertaining two-player mode and modified the AI so that your managerial decisions now have a defining impact at the crease. The graphics have had a facelift, too. The in-game action is now depicted admirably, and the commentary - provided by Jonathan Agnew - is crisp and instructive, and has no trouble keeping up with the action. Novices may feel slightly overwhelmed - a situation that's not helped by the brevity of the manual - but the 'quick start' option means that batting, bowling and other match variables can be ignored in favour of diving straight into the action.

During play, there's a near-infinite variety of strategic options on offer, and it's supremely gratifying to snatch victory from defeat with a well-timed change of bowler, tactic or field setting. The addition of the 1999 National League (complete with pyjama-clad players) and the host of new cups and internationals on offer complement the day-to-day wheeler-dealing typical of most football management games to produce a well-balanced blend of on-field action and 'behind-the-scenes' strategy. Despite the game's alarming propensity for crashing and some intermittently dodgy presentation (both matters are being addressed with a patch), this is a supremely comprehensive and engaging package that knocks the competition - and the original - for six.