I am from a country that worships cricket as a religion. So a good cricket game is something that I have been waiting since childhood. While some games from EA and Codemasters have fulfilled some requirements in the past, average cricket games are known to be huge messes. Don Bradman Cricket 14 is probably the first game I've played that gave me a satisfied cricket experience in many years.
However, since you can get many reviews online, I'll just give my overall thoughts briefly (I'm hoping)
Differences with previous Cricket games
Don Bradman Cricket 14 is quite different from other titles in the past. the basic difference is in the experience. While EA and Codemasters went for a sort of arcade approach to batting (I could finish an ODI with atleast 200 sixes... So... ) Don Bradman Cricket 14 is unique and more grounded. The shot connection is not represented anywhere (at least in proper difficulties as far as I know). You have to observe the ball, observe the length of the ball (indicated by colours around the ball) and time it so that it connects at the centre of the bat. This is a game where connecting a reverse sweep is grounds for joyous cries. AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. The batting is what I have been waiting for years. Not too simple. Not too mathematical. Just you, the ball and pure skill. There are no easy shortcuts to bat as far as I have played it. Just observation, instinct and smart decisions.
The bowling is where the game is somewhat similar to older games. The difference being able to select seam, swing, line, length at the same time. While this may sound like a good thing, the ball release and run up determines the line and length mostly. And its quick time events. I'm sorry to say this, but this is very nerve wrecking. Especially if one has to play a test match and if you choose spinners, you have to use QTEs for spin control as well. I've been bowling for over 20 years in real life. Its definitely not as stressful as this. Added with the fact that the AI generally defends (or straight up ignores) tricky balls means a lot of intense deliveries for nothing. Wickets are far and few in between. The catches system is good though. You have to direct players using right stick and when you miss a straight shot at the bowler, it makes sense that you are not ready.
Accuracy
I debated adding this section since I have no idea if this is even coherent. If you are not a cricket fan, skip this section.
Visually, the players are very close. The grounds and everything, while not very accurate, are very good looking and any changes made are good (no one wants to see the car park in Lancashire stadium or trash compactors beside Eden gardens). I was asked to download some player made updates and they fixed almost all the names and builds of players. Some minor details like some players batting and bowling hands were inverted but I'm sure they will be fixed by online community. Where the game makes mistakes is inaccuracies in grounds. Cricket grounds everywhere are known to have distinct features. In England, the ball is known to behave according to weather. During humid conditions, the ball is able to swing more. In the dry English weather, only someone like Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann can fully use them. Pitches in India support spin bowling like butter. Even pitches in Australia (where I believe the game was made) support bounce a lot and many bowling legends like Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and my favourite Shane Warne have created history there. The game does a very poor job of bringing these changes to the game. But I can sort of understand this decision. Many casual players might already be lost at the options available and adding pitch conditions may confuse players why a seasoned bowler is performing poorly. I just hope they had an option to turn these on.
My nitpicks
These are not something that the game necessarily did wrong, but what I thought were silly. The campaign can be played by joining the ECL or Australian league. It was better to include IPL and the South African league as well since most of the good players are there. The menu music is very very boring. I just turned it off after a few hours. The bowling options would have been better to be left on screen. I constantly cant remember during test matches if my all-rounder can swing in or out. Its minor but it would add to the game it its left out.
Technical
I played it on the PS3 and i have been playing for about 45-50 hours. The game runs smoothly and I havent encountered any bugs or glitches (save for the catches trophy which is now fixed). The visuals are decent enough. The audio, while good, could use some tweaking. commentary is downright horrible. But its hilarious and charming in its own right. The commentators dont say the names of most players. So more than occasionally, you hear something like "this batsmen is determined to make some score". Its so funny, I cant be mad at it.
Final words
While the game is not perfect (truly, what game is) it is very well made by people who put a lot of heart into it. I can confidently say, anyone who enjoys cricket can pick up this game. While the learning curve is a bit haphazard, the experience it offers is very satisfying. Good luck to the Big Ant studios team and I hope the game does very well. And if you get to make a franchise, take my advise and dont go for player licenses. Their likeness is not worth spending so much money when the online community can fix everything in mere days after release.
Trophy/Achievement review
The trophies are easy enough. They are however time taking. Highlights include 500 catches, 800 wickets, 16000 runs and one horrible trophy which I failed 7 times to do (dismiss team with only catches). The game does the cardinal sin of including online trophies. But it seems they can be boosted for now. I would rate it about 2/10 in difficulty. It would take about 30-60 hours I guess depending on skill.
