With the Ashes currently taking place Down Under, Big Ant Studios have released the latest instalment in their series of cricket video games, as Cricket 26 hits the stores.
Previous iterations, Cricket 24 and Cricket 22, were met with harsh criticism upon their release, as multiple bugs were evident in the game at launch. Game patches did fix many of these issues but for some the damage was done, with many saying Big Ant had released an unfinished game.
So what does Cricket 26 have to offer and is it worth buying for cricket fans? Sporting Loft writer Joseph Ould gives this thoughts…
New game mode
Management Mode makes its debut in a Big Ant cricket game, allowing you to take charge of your favourite nation and lead them to glory.
Whilst not featuring a significant amount of detail, there is still enough to make this mode an enjoyable experience.
The ability to pick from an entire pool of players, playing at domestic level, allows you to feel like both head selector and captain.
The mode does lack any sort of clear objectives, but climbing to world number 1 and winning tournaments will give the player a sense of achievement.
Management Mode takes its place in the game alongside returning modes such as Player Career, Dream Team and The Ashes.
Gameplay improvements
Cricket 26’s gameplay does feel largely similar to that of Cricket 24 but that’s not to say there aren’t some welcome improvements.
Fielding was a major problem in previous cricket games and thankfully this year’s game does largely improve in that aspect.
It’s by no means perfect and can still often be frustrating, however, brand new catching, diving and throwing animations make this year’s fielding a definite upgrade.
As for batting and bowling, the mechanics remain the same but the game does introduce a range of new styles.
Harry Brook’s signature baseball stance is just one of many brand new batting styles, whilst the bowling animation of Brett Lee is amongst the new bowling styles.
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Persistent problems remain
Unfortunately, Cricket 26 doesn’t address a lot of the annoying problems that existed in the series’ previous games.
In certain instances’ fielders will ignore the ball completely, allowing the batters to run between the wickets to their hearts content. An issue that can ruin entire matches within the game.
Another problem carried over from Cricket 24 is the fact that dropped catches often guarantee a wicket.
Though it sounds like an oxymoron, players of Cricket 24 will know all too well that, when playing against the ai in player career mode, if one of your fielders drops a catch you are almost certain to get a wicket with the next ball.
Other smaller problems do remain, such as medium-fast bowlers being able to bowl at over 90mph every ball or the ai persisting with fields that don’t make much sense, however these problems are far from game breaking.
The Verdict
Overall Cricket 26 is a positive step forward for Big Ant Studios and is a definite improvement on previous titles.
More licensed players and teams than ever before give the game a more immersive feel and the graphical enhancements are a nice touch.
Cricket 26 is an enjoyable experience. Despite some irritating problems, the games’ positives do out-weigh the negatives and overall the game is a worthwhile purchase for cricket lovers.
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