Cricket 24

Cricket 24 is the official game of the Ashes, offering an immersive cricket simulation experience with realistic ball-to-ball action, licensed teams, and multiple game modes. Players can relive the 2023 Ashes series, build a career, or enjoy casual matches across various platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. Developed by Big Ant Studios and published by Nacon, the game features accessible controls, diverse difficulty settings, and a mix of tactical depth and arcade-style gameplay, though it has been criticized for minor improvements over its predecessor, Cricket 22.

Cricket 24: A Swing and a Miss in the Evolution of Virtual Cricket

Introduction: The Weight of Expectation

Cricket, a sport steeped in tradition yet pulsating with modern dynamism, has long struggled to find its footing in the digital realm. Unlike football or basketball, which boast annualized, polished franchises, cricket simulations have been sporadic, often hampered by licensing hurdles and developmental limitations. Cricket 24, the latest offering from Big Ant Studios, arrives with the weight of expectation on its shoulders—a decade of iterative development, a fanbase starved for innovation, and the promise of being the “most complete video game simulation of cricket seen to date.” Yet, as the dust settles on its release, one question looms large: does Cricket 24 deliver a boundary or is it merely a gentle nudge down the pitch?

This review dissects Cricket 24 with surgical precision, exploring its development history, narrative ambitions, gameplay mechanics, and the broader context of its place in sports gaming. Drawing from critical reception, player feedback, and the game’s own marketing, we’ll determine whether Big Ant Studios has hit a six or been clean bowled.

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Development History & Context: A Decade in the Crease

The Studio Behind the Stumps

Big Ant Studios, an Australian developer founded in 2001, has carved a niche as the preeminent creator of cricket video games. Their portfolio includes Don Bradman Cricket 14 (2014), Ashes Cricket (2017), and Cricket 22 (2021), each iteration refining the formula while grappling with the sport’s inherent complexities. Cricket 24 is the eighth entry in their cricket series, a testament to their longevity in a genre often overlooked by larger publishers.

The studio’s journey mirrors the sport’s own evolution—from the gentlemanly Test matches of yesteryear to the explosive T20 leagues of today. Big Ant’s games have attempted to bridge this divide, offering simulations that cater to purists and casual fans alike. However, their development cycle has been plagued by delays (Cricket 24 was initially slated for a June 2023 release before being pushed to October) and the perennial challenge of securing comprehensive licensing.

The Licensing Labyrinth

Licensing in cricket is a byzantine affair. Unlike FIFA’s (now EA Sports FC) near-monopoly on football, cricket’s rights are fragmented across boards, leagues, and players. Cricket 24 boasts an impressive roster:
– Over 300 players with full photogrammetry, including stars like Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes, and Meg Lanning.
– Major nations: Australia, England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland, and Pakistan.
– Tournaments: The Ashes, KFC Big Bash League (BBL), Weber Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the newly added Pakistan Super League (PSL).
– Indian T20 teams: Eight out of ten IPL franchises (notably missing Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore), a significant but incomplete addition.

This licensing push is Cricket 24’s marquee selling point, yet it’s also a double-edged sword. The absence of the full IPL and the Indian national team (due to licensing disputes) creates a glaring omission, while the PSL’s inclusion feels half-baked—Pakistani players lack facial scans until their real-world tour of Australia in December 2023. The patchwork nature of these licenses underscores the challenges of navigating cricket’s political and commercial landscape.

Technological Constraints and the Modern Gaming Landscape

Cricket 24 releases in an era where sports games are expected to be not just simulations but experiences—immersive, cinematic, and socially connected. Big Ant’s in-house engine, while serviceable, struggles to keep pace with the visual fidelity of EA’s Frostbite or 2K’s NBA simulations. The game’s art style is functional but uninspired, with player models that, while improved, still suffer from stiff animations and uncanny valley facial expressions.

Cross-platform play is a standout feature, allowing PC, Xbox, and PlayStation users to compete seamlessly—a rarity in sports games. However, the Nintendo Switch port, released in March 2024, is a technical compromise, with downgraded visuals and performance issues that undermine the game’s accessibility.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: The Story of Cricket, Told Poorly

The Illusion of Narrative

Cricket is a sport rich in narrative potential—rivalries like The Ashes, underdog triumphs, and the drama of five-day Test matches. Cricket 24 attempts to tap into this with its Career Mode, where players guide a custom cricketer from club level to international stardom. On paper, this should be the game’s emotional core, a FIFA Career Mode for cricket fans. In practice, it’s a hollow shell.

The mode lacks the cinematic flair of modern sports RPGs. There are no branching storylines, no rivalries to forge, no press conferences that matter. Training sessions, once a staple of Cricket 22, have been stripped down to a binary choice: sauna or bus ride. The absence of meaningful progression systems—no skill trees, no moral choices, no dynamic events—makes the journey feel mechanical.

The Ashes: A Missed Opportunity

The Ashes, cricket’s most storied rivalry, is given special treatment in Cricket 24 with “detailed cutscenes” and “unique commentary.” Yet, these moments are superficial. The cutscenes are static, the commentary (featuring Adam Gilchrist alongside returning voices) is repetitive and often tone-deaf, and the rivalry’s historical weight is reduced to a series of disconnected matches. There’s no sense of escalation, no narrative payoff—just cricket, devoid of context.

Themes: Tradition vs. Modernity

Cricket 24 grapples with the sport’s identity crisis. On one hand, it celebrates tradition—Test matches, the gentlemanly spirit, the Ashes. On the other, it embraces modernity—T20 leagues, flashy uniforms, and the IPL’s glitz. The game’s structure reflects this tension, offering both long-form and short-form cricket, but it fails to reconcile the two. The career mode doesn’t adapt to your playstyle (e.g., focusing on Tests vs. T20s), and the AI doesn’t adjust tactics based on format.

The result is a game that feels schizoid—unsure whether it’s a simulation for purists or a casual arcade experience. This identity crisis is Cricket 24’s greatest thematic failing.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Core Experience

Batting: A Game of Timing and Luck

Batting in Cricket 24 is a mixed bag. The Standard control scheme (recommended for veterans) offers granular control over shot direction and power, while the Pro scheme demands precision timing akin to The Show’s batting. The Arcade mode, meanwhile, simplifies things for newcomers.

When it works, batting is satisfying. A well-timed cover drive or a towering six feels earned. However, the system is plagued by inconsistencies:
– Shot selection can feel arbitrary, with identical inputs yielding wildly different results.
– AI fielding is erratic—fielders will either pull off superhuman catches or stand motionless as the ball sails past.
– Physics are wonky. Balls will clip through batters’ legs or ricochet at impossible angles.

The bowling mechanics fare better, offering a variety of deliveries (yorkers, bouncers, spin) with intuitive controls. However, the AI’s shot selection is predictable, making bowling less about strategy and more about exploiting patterns.

Fielding: A Comedy of Errors

Big Ant touts Cricket 24’s “completely overhauled” fielding system, but the reality is farcical. Fielders:
– Vibrate in place instead of chasing the ball.
– Throw in the wrong direction yet still hit the stumps.
– Fail to react to basic catches, turning potential wickets into comedic bloopers.

These issues aren’t just immersion-breaking—they undermine the game’s competitive integrity. A dropped catch or a misfield can swing a match, and when these moments are dictated by janky AI rather than player skill, frustration mounts.

Career Mode: A Grind Without Reward

The career mode’s structure is linear and repetitive:
1. Play matches (club → state → national).
2. Manage fatigue (sauna or bus).
3. Repeat.

There’s no depth to player development—no attributes to upgrade, no skills to specialize in. The lack of a Pro Team mode (promised in pre-release marketing but absent at launch) is a glaring omission, leaving fans of franchise management high and dry.

Online & Customization: The Saving Graces

Cricket 24’s Academy mode, where players can create and share custom stadiums, teams, and players, is its most innovative feature. The community has already produced impressive mods, filling gaps left by licensing limitations. Cross-platform play also ensures a vibrant (if sometimes laggy) online scene.

However, the online experience is marred by:
– Bugs: Disconnections, desyncs, and matchmaking issues.
– Empty lobbies: The player base is fragmented, making it hard to find matches outside peak hours.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: A Stadium Without Soul

Visuals: Functional but Uninspired

Cricket 24’s art direction is competent but unremarkable. Stadiums are detailed, with accurate recreations of iconic grounds like Lord’s and the MCG. However:
– Player models suffer from stiff animations and uncanny facial expressions.
– Lighting is flat, lacking the dynamic shadows of modern sports games.
– Crowds are lifeless, with repetitive animations and no reactive cheers/boos.

The Nintendo Switch version is particularly egregious, with muddy textures and frame rate drops that make it feel like a last-gen port.

Sound Design: A Symphony of Repetition

The commentary team, led by Adam Gilchrist, is Cricket 24’s most polarizing feature. While Gilly’s enthusiasm is palpable, the lines are:
– Repetitive: The same phrases are reused ad nauseam.
– Out of sync: Commentators often describe events that haven’t happened (e.g., calling a six when the ball is caught).
– Tone-deaf: The AI fails to react to match context, delivering generic lines regardless of the situation.

The ambient sound—bat-on-ball, crowd noise—is serviceable but lacks the immersive quality of FIFA or NBA 2K.

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Reception & Legacy: A Game Divided

Critical Reception: Mixed to Negative

Cricket 24’s Metacritic score of 57/100 (based on 7 reviews) tells a damning story. Critics praise its licensing and core gameplay but eviscerate its lack of innovation, bugs, and shallow career mode.

• Digitally Downloaded (90/100): “The next step for Big Ant would be to start capturing the nuances of the sport… If they can get there, they will produce a cricket game that finally understands the spirit of the sport.”
• IGN (50/100): “A disappointingly modest and often slipshod update that lacks the confidence or creativity to advance further down the wicket.”
• Push Square (50/100): “Fails to build upon the series’ solid opening partnership… Its enjoyable core gameplay is practically identical to Cricket 22.”

Player Reception: A Tale of Two Audiences

Steam reviews paint a more positive picture (80/100, “Mostly Positive”), with fans praising the customization and cross-platform play. However, console players are less forgiving, citing bugs, poor visuals, and missing features.

The game’s legacy is already in question. With Cricket 26 rumored for 2026, Cricket 24 feels like a stopgap—a game that could have been a DLC update to Cricket 22 rather than a full-priced release.

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Conclusion: A Noble Effort, But Not a Boundary

Cricket 24 is a game of contradictions. It boasts the most comprehensive licensing in cricket gaming history yet fails to deliver a cohesive experience. Its core gameplay is solid but undermined by janky AI and repetitive structure. Its career mode is ambitious but shallow, its visuals functional but uninspired.

Final Verdict: 6.5/10 – A Decent Innings, But No Century

For newcomers, Cricket 24 is the best cricket simulation available—a flawed but playable introduction to the sport. For veterans of Cricket 22, it offers little justification for an upgrade. The game’s saving graces—cross-platform play, customization, and licensed tournaments—are overshadowed by its technical issues, lack of innovation, and missed opportunities.

Big Ant Studios has the foundation for a great cricket game. What it lacks is the ambition to push the genre forward. Until then, Cricket 24 remains a noble swing that fails to clear the boundary.

Recommendation:
– Buy if: You’re a cricket fan with no prior Big Ant games, or you’re invested in the modding community.
– Skip if: You own Cricket 22 or expect a polished, next-gen sports experience.
– Wait for a sale: The game’s $44.99 price tag is steep for what’s essentially an iterative update.

Cricket 24 isn’t a disaster, but in a world where sports games are evolving into cinematic, socially connected experiences, it feels stuck in the past—like a Test match in the age of T20 fireworks.