subject: Cricket Games On The Nintendo Wii [print this page] Ever since the Nintendo Wii first came out there has always been huge demand for Wii cricket games. And you can easily see why, the whole idea makes a lot of sense. The Nintendo Wii motion control can easily double up as a cricket bat just as easily as it doubles up as a tennis racket, ping pong bat, golf club and baseball bat.
Cricket games have been slowly arriving on the Wii since the beginning but nothing to really shout about. Firstly we had Big Beach Sports which featured Beach Cricket. This was the first cricket based game on the Wii. Unfortunately with it being a group of games it was never really going to be that in depth and for any die hard cricket fan it is seriously lacking. However it did prove the concept on the Wii and show that with a little more time and effort the Wii could once again produce another cracking sports games.
The second cricket based game was included in World Sports Party. This offered a similar beach cricket style game as Big Beach Sports which again helped to show what could be done without going into too much detail. Whereas these games are fun for a short while they cannot double up for a real dedicated cricket game. Perhaps a similar comparison is Wii Sport's tennis game compared to EA's Grand Slam Tennis. Both are great games but Grand Slam Tennis is far more realistic and much more suited to dedicated players looking to be able to hone their skills.
Future developments followed in the Wii cricket games with two potential offerings. Firstly Cricket 09 appearing on a release schedule but this sadly never materialised and then Cricket (Wii) which appeared on Amazon but again has never come to anything.
Finally a cricket game did appear on the Wii and what a great game it was. Ashes Cricket 09, released by Codemasters, provided the first real cricket game on the Wii. Offering in depth games, full matches, twenty 20 games. Enough entertainment for any cricket fan with a Wii. The game uses the motion controller to great effect giving the user the impression of holding a proper bat and slogging the ball for a six. It does seem that cricket fans have finally got a game that they can really get their teeth into.
So where does this leave cricket games on the Wii. Well we finally have a proper game, but like all games, this is only the first of its kind and further developments will certainly enhance this. Perhaps bring out one which supports the Wii Motion Plus device for extra control and precision. Sadly there no longer seems to be any further Wii cricket games in development. The sequel to Ashes Cricket 2009, International Cricket 2010, did not make it the Wii which considering the success of the Ashes Cricket 09 is a real shame. However there is another Ashes tour lined up this winter so we can always be hopeful of a sequel.
