While Cricket games themselves are few and far between these days, it seems we’ve got an edgy spin-off nonetheless. Street Cricket Champions pushes the gentlemanly sport into the alley ways, harbours and beaches of primary cricket locales around the world for an unhinged experience. But don’t expect fouls and a ‘no rules’ version of the sport – it’s basically glorified garden cricket, which is awesome anyway.
The gameplay is actually pretty fluid in Street Cricket Champions as both bowling and batting are handled rather well, despite being very simplistic. Batting allows players to execute lofted, ground or defensive shots while timing the strikes accordingly. On the other hand, bowling is all about placement as players can use a variety of different spin and pace techniques in order to try position their deliveries to beat the batsmen. And then there’s fielding, which requires players to time button commands in order to make catches, and react quickly by returning the ball to the keeper or bowler before the batsman completes a run. The gameplay is pretty derivative, but gamers and non-gamers will appreciate the easy-to-use controls and responsiveness.

Adding a bit of a twist to the street-like nature of the game, players can also perform trick-shots such as directing shots over the keepers head and hitting specific objects in the environment for point bonuses. But just like garden cricket in our younger days, you’ll find objects such as windows and cars that will cause you to go out if you hit them. These elements in the game do add a welcomed ‘grassroots’ feel to the game which does make it unique in certain departments.
The problem with Street Cricket Champions is in its presentation. Although it’s a PS2 game, the graphics are unpolished, losing some clarity in the models and environments. There are also some awkward animations, such as fielders getting momentarily stuck on the wickets and objects in the levels. To commend it on what it does right, the locations in the game are varied and interesting; even Cape Town’s harbour is there, with a blurred but visible backdrop of Table Mountain.

Street Cricket Champions is an interesting take on the popular sport and the ideas available more than warrant such a concept. There are just a fair amount of flaws and shortcomings which keep the game from achieving evident potential. If you’re a huge fan and can’t resist, check it out, but don’t expect the world.