Cricket 24 Review – Does it hit the mark?
Craig Resnik-Hanson |
For fans around the world who may be struggling to find good cricket streaming options, there is always the immersion of a cricket video game. With that in mind, how well does Big Ant Studios’ latest offering Cricket 24 satiate that need?
Released in October of last year, Cricket 24 is the most recent high-profile cricket video game which is available across all core platforms, including PC, PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
The Good: The core game-play of Cricket 24 is similar to its predecessor, Cricket 22. It offers detailed bowling and batting mechanics that allow players to add their flair and style. However, this similarity has also led to some criticism as players have found it indistinguishable from the previous version.
Despite these complaints, several new features make the game exciting. For instance, it includes licenses for various Indian Premier League teams which adds a degree of realism.
There is a fair bit to enjoy about Cricket 24, including its variety in terms of bowling and batting strategies, its adjustable difficulty settings and realistic game-play.
The Bad: However, several drawbacks can affect your experience while playing this game. They include problems with fielding which see players often make late movements and prove unable to pick up the ball. This issue results in a great deal of lost immersion. Then there are the glitches, of which there are plenty.
The biggest problem with this game is the out-of-sync and downright poor commentary, which takes you out of the action.
Cricket 24’s Career Mode does allow you to hone the development of a singer player as they go through the ranks of the game. While this is a fun mode initially, it lacks depth. There aren’t enough side activities to keep the player invested for longer.
The Ugly: Big Ant Studios has focused heavily on licensing, which has allowed it to assemble a large roster of teams and players. The inclusion of professional Indian T20 teams was a major draw during the promotional period.
However, the teams and countries which aren’t licensed, which include the Indian national team, are populated by randomly generated names and faces. This gives immersion a real hit and will likely make many big cricket fans shudder.
It’s the same issue which the football game Pro Evolution Soccer wrestled with for years, before eventually accepting defeat as FIFA, now EA FC, became the undisputed top dog in that space.
While Cricket 24 offers some exciting features, like good use of licensing and a solid variety of game-play, it also suffers from several key technical drawbacks which have been persistent since Cricket 22. This suggests that more time could have been spent on improving the quality of the game-play itself, rather than cramming in too much variety and focusing too hard on licensing.
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