My first impressions:
Easily the most realistic and enjoyable cricket game I've played in a decade. Big Ant deserve a huge hug for putting the effort in and releasing a game that genuinely feels like cricket.
As has been noted by so many, unlike other cricket games, this is not a game you can play tired. I started a career last night and was bowling and batting well - knocked up a quiet but solid 33 and took some wickets as a batting all rounder. But as the night wore on and I became tired, my batting fell apart and I started getting less revs on the ball and bowling wides. And I know it's because I was treating the game like its 'arcade' predecessors. Assuming that if I come in and ignore the line of the ball and play aggressive from ball one I'll be fine. And thinking that if I bowl a fullish ball at someone the batsman will miss and I'll get an LBW or bowled.
But no. Instead my average went into free fall and I couldn't buy a wicket. So I went to bed frustrated and annoyed bit secretly pleased that the game was so damn challenging and smart.
But it's not perfects.
Too many times I was asked to open the bowling as a 16 year old batting all rounder. I'm the guy you put on before the new ball needs to be taken or to break a partnership - at least at this point in my career - I should not be taking the new nut. So the AI logic - strong in other parts of the game - is lacking here for me.
Far too many direct hits. Now, most of these happens when the batsman are safe in their ground, so no issues there, but the fielders in my experience still hit the stumps too often.
Caught and bowled is as close to a real problem that this game has. Firstly the bowlers are constantly dropping caught and bowl chances. In one sense that's realistic because the chances are hard. But even when I'm at the strikers end, there are still too many of them. The problem I see is with the straight drive. Even if you hit it sweetly, it stays in the air - just - creating a potential catching chance. It's not a deal breaker because the bowler often drops it, but if they do catch it it's very annoying. It essentially means that the straight drive, unless it's a full bunger, needs to be shelved because the risk is high. I've watched cricket for thirty years, and even a ball of good length will hit the ground first before it makes to the bowler if the batsman is playing forward with a straight bat. So for me I believe the ball physics here is not realistic.
And I also think that the pull shot is played too often in the air. I haven't been caught, but it seems the game as a default plays the shot uppishly.
None of these are deal breakers. Any game where I'm set on 18 off 22 balls in a one day game and James Hopes bowls the perfect leg cutter and I knick it to the keeper, frankly, the greatest thing ever.
So well done all. A few more tweaks and this will be a perfect game. Or as close to perfect as a game like this can be.
never knew that.
