Cricket Captain 2015 Review

If you're a cricket fan, this is absolute perfect timing. We're in the midst of the Ashes again as England does battle with Australia for cricket supremacy. Coming out at the same time to capitalise on the cricket-mania that's bound to ensue is Cricket Captain 2015, a management sim from Childish Things that looks to be cricket's answer to Championship Manager.

Now, admittedly, I don't know cricket very well. I could name you about two players, past and present, and my interest wanes and booms with the arrival and departure of the Ashes. However, what I do know is management games, and whether it's taking Woking from the Conference to the Champions League in six seasons (stuff like that doesn't go unnoticed, Neil) or beating WWF in the Monday Night Wars, I've never shied away from a challenge. So, I loaded up the Wikipedia page for cricket, cracked open The Telegraph's guide to the game, and got to work.

The first thing that gamers will be blown away with is Cricket Captain 2015's slavishness to detail. There are no half-measures here with inclusions of teams and leagues – everything is present and accounted for, be it the top flight of the English, Indian, or Australian leagues, or the international circuit, everything is here, so you won't ever be starved for choice. This also means a broad array of teams to play as, including many real-world players – one problem with games like these is that the devs can't secure licensing, meaning that the experience is dampened by players with off names like “Andy Flinton” or “Shain Warned” - but, here, that's not a problem, as Cricket Captain 2015 is as authentic as you'd hope.

Cricket Captain 2015's main bulk comes in its career mode which is surprisingly engrossing. You'll be put at the helm of a cricket team of your choice, be put in charge of signing players (this appears to come at the start of the season, so don't expect any last minute Football Manager-style miracle transfers), choosing lineups and, of course, leading your team to a hard-earned victory. Players might find the options available disappointing in comparison to other sports management games, but this makes the game more streamlined as a result – no extraneous nonsense gets in the way, making the game much easier to get into. However, it must be said that for a management game, it does feel light on actual management. Still, what choice there is in the game counts as a satisfying experience.

The main meat of the game comes in the matches, which are really well done, both in terms of fun factor and presentation. You're first given the choice of heads or tails in a coin toss – winning will let you choose whether your team bats or bowls. Then, you'll command your players, be it in the quest for scoring runs or trying to put the other team all out. You can choose how aggressive your players should be, how they should play the next over, even managing the positioning of your team on the field when batsmen or bowlers get tired. Being the captain of the proverbial ship is immensely satisfying, and you'll find yourself inching towards the edge of your seat as the scores get closer and you need your team to achieve results as soon as possible. I'll admit, before this game, I didn't care about cricket, but Cricket Captain 2015 had me so sucked into the action that I lost track of the hours quickly.

However, as cricket is a very long game (the Ashes consists of several Tests, and Test matches continue for several days) you can expect the average match to be a real slog as well. This makes Cricket Captain 2015 a real Marmite game – a normal game lasts about 20 minutes, which would make a season a marathon. Some may like it, some won't; the pace of the game can be adjusted freely, but still don't expect a season that can be blasted through in an afternoon.

What makes the game length more bearable is the high quality of the highlights system. After a significant event (say, if you score a run or a player gets put out), you'll get treated to seeing it play out in full beautiful 3D animation, the pitch being brought to life in glorious visuals where you can see your players run about and conquer the other team, all while being commentated on by a plummy Englishman. These highlights tie the game together perfectly and add extra stylistic sheen to an already polished game.

One detriment that you could levy against this game, and it's very, very miniscule, but might stand to bother some, is the ugly and outdated-looking menus. These look as bland and uninspired as a corporate PowerPoint presentation, and about half as colourful. Again, it's a tiny, tiny gripe, but the unattractive design scheme can make the game hard to look at.

Players might be disappointed in the lack of variety in options that the game boasts. For a sim, Cricket Captain 2015 is light on some of the more in-depth gameplay elements that some would expect. However, managing a game of cricket in this game is way more fun than it deserves to be, and will undoubtedly be a slow burner for those who give it a chance. I really hope there's a Cricket Captain 2016 so they can build on this strong foundation – that would be truly wicket.