Big Cup Cricket

Platform:  iPhone
Developer:  Beautiful Game Studios
Publisher:  Denki

For some reason, despite being a pretty keen gamer and owning an iPhone, I don’t actually do a whole lot of gaming on the iPhone.  I don’t really know why.  I guess when I’m at work or commuting and I want to use my phone recreationally, I mostly use Twitter or browse messageboards.  So it’ll usually take some positive word of mouth or a recommendation from a friend to make me check out an iPhone game.

I came across Big Cup Cricket when it was reviewed on Eurogamer and was awarded their iPhone Game of the Week.  The review was pretty spot on.  This is a game thats really easy to play and offers a decent arcade interpretation of cricket.  You play ten over games playing as unlicensed versions of every major cricketing country in the world.  You get to control both batting and bowling by making simple swiping gestures across the screen to direct the bat or the trajectory of the ball.

Once you grasp the basics (the tutorial is worthwhile), the game gets better as you start to appreciate the nuances of how to pitch an outswinging ball or time a cover drive where you’ve spotted a gap between fielders.  The game makes a wise choice to automate the running between the wickets so that you can focus on the batting, bowling and fielding instead.  There is actually a surprising level of depth to this game.

This is a fun game that costs a whopping $1.19 and is a whole lot of fun for anyone who owns an iPhone and has even a passing interest in cricket.  I believe its available on Android also.