Player endorsements are a big thing in cricket games – Allan Border, Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting are just some of the players who have put their names to cricket games in the past – all greats of the game and all doing their bit to sell copies of games, but no one really worried about destroying Shane Warne’s reputation with a cricket game. Don Bradman – that’s different. The Don comes with a weight of history, a legendary status in the cricketing world and a name that defines cricket perfection. Putting that on a cricket game takes a lot of confidence, and developer Big Ant Studios think they have the game to live up to the biggest of names.
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Releasing in 2014 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, Don Bradman Cricket 14 has spent nearly five years in development, funded and supported by CEO Ross Symons’ passion for the sport. Only recently to get wider distribution of the game has a deal been made with publisher HES, but Big Ant’s logo sits proudly on the front cover, unlike their previous titles.
To make the game the revolution it needs to be to match up with the name, it has a long list of firsts and total changes from the past – becoming the first cricket game with a full career mode, a built in player creator and the first with the ability to save games in progress online – finally making it viable to play a test match online in a cricket game. There is also innovation in control schemes, with batting and bowling all totally different from previous titles, all adding up to the impression that Big Ant may succeed at the finer points that previous titles have failed at.
The Sydney Cricket Ground and Bradman Oval are the two licensed stadiums in the game with a further eleven unlicensed grounds included from around the world.
While the game is still awaiting a release date, you can practice batting in the nets of theCricket Academy Beta. As well as being able to bat in the nets, you can also create players, tours, tournaments and unique match types, showing off some of the huge flexibility included in the game. Players created in the editor are able to be shared, including across platforms. The career mode will allow you to take your created player through a 20 year career, go on tours, get endorsements and earn your way into the national team. Other features included in the game are the ‘Big Ant Review System’ implementation of DRS, manual appealing, stats tracking as well as stamina, fatigue, injuries, form, etc. as factors in player performances.
