The official blockerdave review...

[kulch]

Hopefully they can patch it all up. Does feel like it was shoved out the door to make the shelf prior to xmas

 

[Biggs]

@Biggs don't let daddy Ross catch you commenting on the game before you've played it - he'll spank you.

I've not made a single comment about the game, one way or the other. I've only made observations on members and the similarities contained within their posts. I won't be making any comments on anything until the PC version is released.

Anyone keen for some DBC14 online?

 

[Wealey]

I just bought a ps4 and the game over my wife's protests. If she caught me playing the old one she'd have my balls for breakfast. I'm playing 17

I can never go back to the old anyway so I'll be the same. I'm going to give it a good going over tomorrow and Monday and then post a little review of my own.

Along with some highlights and video clips...

Wouldn't be a thread of mine without any of that good stuff ha!

 

[blockerdave]

Another crash unfortunately during what was a lovely body line test.

An amazing thing - chose historic test for it set in Australia and it gave me 8 ball overs! I thought it was a big at first

Astonishing they get that detail and miss out the cover drive!!

 

[gunit123]

Couldn't have reviewed any better. Everything you have mentioned (except the creation of a tour) I have experienced.

 

[Rowdoss]

After 7-8 hours with the game on PS4 I virtually echo all of Blockers observations and comments.

Now I may have my wires crossed here or may be just plain wrong so I apologise in advance, however I believe I read a comment here somewhere yesterday that changes to the menus and UI were mainly done to bring DBC17 "into line" with BigAnts other sports games.

Now as someone who has bought every BigAnt sports game (except lacrosse) I have always been of the opinion that the UI and menus are usually one of the games low points.

So if I have that right, I'm a little curious as to why the DBC14 UI and menus (which were pretty good) weren't just expanded upon and all future games to use those instead.

There isn't anything in the game that I regard as broken or unplayable, I haven't even had a single crash.

The one thing I am a little annoyed about though is the culling of so much stat related and score related info.
Required run rates and overs/balls remaining are a MUST on a scoreboard overlay in my opinion. Especially in a career mode when you sim up to your players appearance and you have no real idea of the game situation.
This info only seems to appear at a very infrequent basis.

 

[westindies2007]

Have been playing the Game for a while now, not long enough tho.

Yep it do have flaws, similar to DBC 14 when it first came out, again the fielder lol, not as bad as DBC14, but they have like super powers.

and yep I feel the same way the academy have me scratching my head. I like the DBC 14 where its Easy to add and remove Team,Player,etc from Career Mode.
I Mostly plays the Career Mode, i like the mass improvement.

Again run out issues again with DBC 17 like DBC14. in 14 it was the unstriker, while 17 its the Striker, if u bat out of the crease Some time the batsman take a while to get back.
and just like what AlexPJSmith mention the running between wickets are poor.

Also, the Difficulty all feel the same, I am not sure if i am the only one.

and another thing I really think missing are Stats, where are the stats for your player gone in Career Mode which DBC 14 had.

and since they have the Ranking system, I wish they would of added Records.

would await and see how the upcoming patches will do, For me its not a Terrible Game, but do need some work, like DBC 14, after a few patches made the game good. I feel DBC 17 will head down that same road.
Just have to keep on giving Views and report Bugs for it to be fix.

 

[Bluebagger]

Thanks for the review blockerdave. I'm definitely glad to wait for the PC release which hopefully should have addressed some of the concerns. I do have my faith in big ant because they have the runs on the board with regards to improving their product post-launch. I think it will be a case of when not if.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I think most of the Crash is coming on PS4 and not Xbox.

 

[blockerdave]

Yesterday i was ok but today I have had several crashes.

 

[Biggs]

Required run rates and overs/balls remaining are a MUST on a scoreboard overlay in my opinion. Especially in a career mode when you sim up to your players appearance and you have no real idea of the game situation.

Is any of that information presented on the in-ground scoreboard? That was always quite bizzare to me how (prior to the patches in '14) that information was always on the in-ground scoreboard but never displayed on the HUD?

 

[Velocity]

I think most of the Crash is coming on PS4 and not Xbox.

Yeah, I haven't had a single crash on my Xbox with DBC

 

[sami ullah khan]

Great review @blockerdave. Being a huge fan of @BigAntStudios, I also had high expectations from the game out of the box. I know patches will fix a lot of stuff but I didn't expect them with their standards to shoot that wide of the mark. Lack of 360 batting is a huge step backwards. Those wonderful additions with bowling and sliders to get rid of premeditation, would have made this game an instant classic if batting was not as broken. I am still playing and having fun though hoping the upcoming patch fixes batting.

 

[Rowdoss]

Is any of that information presented on the in-ground scoreboard? That was always quite bizzare to me how (prior to the patches in '14) that information was always on the in-ground scoreboard but never displayed on the HUD?

I've just returned from Xmas shopping and reloaded a saved game so this is a good example of what I was talking about.
I saved just as My career player was walking out to bat in a T/20.
His team batting second and chasing.

I have the short term memory of a goldfish so I'd forgotten the game situation.

The HUD shows both current batsmen scores and balls faced, team score, overs bowled and current bowlers figures. No reference at all to what I'm chasing or even that the first innings happened at all.

I pause the game, enter the match summary screen and use R1 twice (past my innings scorecard and opposition bowling figures) to finally get to the screen which summarises what's going on .
This screen still does not give any sort of run rate required or current run rate, you really have to figure it out yourself.
To be fair, some of that information does pop up in the HUD later in the innings. (Perhaps the last 5 overs) runs required and balls remaining.

I (as I'm sure most cricket nerds do) love a good stat and run rate equation and I think it's a large oversight to have these things no where near as accessible as in DBC14. They are also part and parcel of every tv coverage for decades now.
As for the in-ground scoreboard, that too makes virtually no appearance, certainly not between overs, fall of a wicket or when you reload a saved game.
In fact as I've been playing it again now, the only glimpses I've had of it are from too far of a distance to pick up what it is actually showing at all.

EDIT:
I have noticed in a test match in casual mode, the HUD does display a "trails by" or "leads by" figure in the HUD.

 

[grkrama]

@blockerdave great review. Going by your review and i trust you have made the right calls.

I guess they just forgot the fixes they made especially to batting after DBC 14 release working over 6 months with the beta community.