Kiko_97
User Title Purchaser
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2007
- Profile Flag
- England
Right, time for a quick review before the patch comes out, then i'll update this in about a week or two (once i've had enough time with the patch). So here's a first impressions/review type of thing. Focusing on three main elements.
Batting
Batting, the one thing no game has ever really got right, I would say this is an exception, but that's partly down to me being a class A moron. The new batting system takes the old, slightly dated system of EA's Cricket 07 and improved on it through a basis of foot selection, allow a range of strokes and has a sense of flow. The range of shots advances on the limited range from the likes of AC09/IC10, BLIC and C07. The "unorthadox" shot button is finally a welcome addition, I spend too much time trying to scoop the ball off a good length Ishant Sharma ball, but the game allows me to do that. The one drawback with batting is that of the lazy batting AI, the "superhuman" fielders who catch anything within a 30 yard radius, and if not knock middle stump out of the ground from a yard away from the rope. These make batting a pain in the arse, along with me being terrible, but that's my fault. A few AI tweaks in the patch and several hours in match practice (which is wonderful, shame there's no way to create scenarios in game, using CricHQ and random.org is a pain - make it happen @BigAntStudios). But I feel we actually have a game where batting feels natural and realistic.
Bowling/Fielding
On the other side of the coin we have bowling and fielding. Bowling has been the biggest change we've seen from any cricket game we've seen before. It takes the line and length idea from
and brings the unique feature of dare I say it... NO PITCH MARKER. THEY GOT RID OF IT OMGZZZ. This is a gutsy call from Big Ant, as it was something unconventional and it worked. I'm still using the bowling meter, as i'm still on pro, and it still allows for some good scores from the AI. The method of stick down, stick up feels natural and something i've been doing for years. Spin is quite niggly and something i'll pick up properly in practice mode for sure. But it's a system that works well and with future iterations i'm sure we can see additions that will only make things better (e.g reverse swing, carromballs, more bowling actions). Fielding is a fairly immersive feature, i've only used semi assisted and I would like to see some changes with it. I'd like to use the sprint feature to actually feel like I can try and chase the ball. It's a small grievance. Of course we have the AI fielding which is shabby but soon to be fixed. Overall this side of the game is brilliant enough for me to have actually lasted in ODI and test matches bowling.
Points I'd Like to Make
Now that the gameplay's been covered, time to use section 3 as my general ramblings and bitching. Firstly the features are nothing i've seen in a cricket game before, the game feels massive thanks to the game modes that are there and the scope to create so much more in the Cricket Academy (scenario creator and season mode plz Big Ant) The game feels like one I can play for years to come and not get bored. The Cricket Academy is the best creation i've seen from a sports game, having taken the awful concept of "Creation Centre" from FIFA and makes it actually work. A game that ships with nearly 80 teams full of unlicensed players that can be replaced within 5 minutes of the game being started is a brilliant thing, i've also expanded to the SA and NZ domestic leagues and the Caribbean PL. Leagues i'd never thought i'd see in a cricket game. The fact they can be imported to career mode too is a nice touch (let me edit competition names BA, cheers) means you aren't restricted to England and Aus (provided your system is an 18 or a 6 team system, fix it BA #DBC15 ) and gives you a chance to play as teams unconsidered by many developers in many games beforehand. The other game modes I haven't tried enough of to actually form an opinion of. (Because i'm awful at certain aspects and I hate losing). But Big Ant have done a good job of making the game feel huge for a relatively small sport for gaming. Graphics are my next port of call with a lack of licensed teams and kits, what Big Ant have done is pretty good, some sponsors look ugly but that's the least of my concern, the texture use is fairly good and the equipment is brilliant. All Big Ant need to fix graphically are the clipping errors that are easily noticable when you view a slo-mo replay and perfect the jumpy animations (mainly as you release the ball, watch it in the interactive replay, seriously). Still the fact i'm moaning about niggly things is a step in the right direction, and with what revenue Big Ant get from this and other titles (which I would buy if I liked the sports) I feel we can get a top quality game when patched, and a franchise that can possibly soar dizzy heights, licensing isn't a big issue but a chance at least get some cheap domestic licenses would be a selling point? I think Big Ant have a bright future in the cricket business and so far I can say we have the PES of cricket.
Overall I will say this is a brilliant game and once the game is patched, we'll come back to this and see just how good it is. If @BigAntStudios would like to consider my bitchy requests which I'm bombarding you with (sorry
) for this or possibly a sequel, i'd be delighted. This is a fantastic start and a must play for any fan of the sport, also coinciding it with the County Season... gg
Feel free to guess what score i'd give it. I won't bother
Batting
Batting, the one thing no game has ever really got right, I would say this is an exception, but that's partly down to me being a class A moron. The new batting system takes the old, slightly dated system of EA's Cricket 07 and improved on it through a basis of foot selection, allow a range of strokes and has a sense of flow. The range of shots advances on the limited range from the likes of AC09/IC10, BLIC and C07. The "unorthadox" shot button is finally a welcome addition, I spend too much time trying to scoop the ball off a good length Ishant Sharma ball, but the game allows me to do that. The one drawback with batting is that of the lazy batting AI, the "superhuman" fielders who catch anything within a 30 yard radius, and if not knock middle stump out of the ground from a yard away from the rope. These make batting a pain in the arse, along with me being terrible, but that's my fault. A few AI tweaks in the patch and several hours in match practice (which is wonderful, shame there's no way to create scenarios in game, using CricHQ and random.org is a pain - make it happen @BigAntStudios). But I feel we actually have a game where batting feels natural and realistic.
Bowling/Fielding
On the other side of the coin we have bowling and fielding. Bowling has been the biggest change we've seen from any cricket game we've seen before. It takes the line and length idea from
Ashes Cricket 2013
Points I'd Like to Make
Now that the gameplay's been covered, time to use section 3 as my general ramblings and bitching. Firstly the features are nothing i've seen in a cricket game before, the game feels massive thanks to the game modes that are there and the scope to create so much more in the Cricket Academy (scenario creator and season mode plz Big Ant) The game feels like one I can play for years to come and not get bored. The Cricket Academy is the best creation i've seen from a sports game, having taken the awful concept of "Creation Centre" from FIFA and makes it actually work. A game that ships with nearly 80 teams full of unlicensed players that can be replaced within 5 minutes of the game being started is a brilliant thing, i've also expanded to the SA and NZ domestic leagues and the Caribbean PL. Leagues i'd never thought i'd see in a cricket game. The fact they can be imported to career mode too is a nice touch (let me edit competition names BA, cheers) means you aren't restricted to England and Aus (provided your system is an 18 or a 6 team system, fix it BA #DBC15 ) and gives you a chance to play as teams unconsidered by many developers in many games beforehand. The other game modes I haven't tried enough of to actually form an opinion of. (Because i'm awful at certain aspects and I hate losing). But Big Ant have done a good job of making the game feel huge for a relatively small sport for gaming. Graphics are my next port of call with a lack of licensed teams and kits, what Big Ant have done is pretty good, some sponsors look ugly but that's the least of my concern, the texture use is fairly good and the equipment is brilliant. All Big Ant need to fix graphically are the clipping errors that are easily noticable when you view a slo-mo replay and perfect the jumpy animations (mainly as you release the ball, watch it in the interactive replay, seriously). Still the fact i'm moaning about niggly things is a step in the right direction, and with what revenue Big Ant get from this and other titles (which I would buy if I liked the sports) I feel we can get a top quality game when patched, and a franchise that can possibly soar dizzy heights, licensing isn't a big issue but a chance at least get some cheap domestic licenses would be a selling point? I think Big Ant have a bright future in the cricket business and so far I can say we have the PES of cricket.
Overall I will say this is a brilliant game and once the game is patched, we'll come back to this and see just how good it is. If @BigAntStudios would like to consider my bitchy requests which I'm bombarding you with (sorry
) for this or possibly a sequel, i'd be delighted. This is a fantastic start and a must play for any fan of the sport, also coinciding it with the County Season... ggFeel free to guess what score i'd give it. I won't bother
