Don Bradman Cricket (PS4)

I can only reiterate other reviews here. This is one great game. Tru Blu have just ripped up the text book on cricket games. Once this drops through your letterbox you can throw any others you have in the bin. You can do so much more with the ball whilst bowling than other games. Batting is about as good as it gets. You've got a 20 year(!) career mode, a 16 year old just starting his career to hopefully get to test cricket. You can create players and attach them to teams, county and international. You can then enter competitions or tours. You've got every form of cricket covered. I think the 20 year career mode is a bit OTT. I'll be playing tournaments or tours. You don't notice it when you're playing but you could hardly call these next gen graphics.

JE SUIS RAVI ET MON PETIT FILS AUSTALIEN ENCORE PLUS JE REGRETTE SEULEMENT DE NE PAS POUVOIR LUI ADRESSER DIRECTEMENT,A LA COMMANDE, DES CADEAUX A SON ADRESSE DE SYDNEY, CE QUI RALENTIT LES CHOSES

This is a fantastic effort from Tru Blu. The game is as close to real cricket as I've ever experienced, with a variety of options for bowling and batting which makes each ball an almost unique challenge. As there are several facets to each speciality, and it requires practice to bring each together to form the ideal approach, it's extremely challenging to begin with. With bowling - line and length are determined by good timing, and this feeds into the effect the spin/seam/swing you apply has. Batting requires you to select front or back foot as well as timing your shot to ensure it has the desired effect (as well as giving you the option to play aggressively or defensively). As it all happens quite quickly (batting in particular requires you make some decisions almost instantly), this is understandably difficult to master, but once you have done so it feels incredibly rewarding. Rather than mindlessly pressing X to drive ball after ball, you are required to think and plan each shot. However, this is where I also think the game has a really significant flaw which will put a lot of players off. The practice mode in this game gives very little feedback, and offers beginners next-to-no advice on how to approach the game. While some might argue this isn't a problem at all, and that they prefer not to held by the hand, I think with sports games particularly this is really fundamental. The practice mode of any sports game out currently or even in the last 5 years gives players step-by-step guides to not just the basics of the game, but also to the idiosyncrasies. For instance, in football sims, FIFA or Pro Evo both have practice exercises for dribbling and performing specific tricks. With cricket being a game of fine details, and the finer points of bowling and batting not necessarily being known by all, it would've been really beneficial for this game had Tru Blu set-up a practice section with (e.g.) a batting and bowling coach, talking you through specific deliveries and shots, when best to use them, how to play them, etc. etc. I wouldn't call myself a cricketing expert, but I would say I've a probably above-average grasp of what is required from bowlers and batsman. I was therefore delighted to see the detail Tru Blu had put into this game, but I found it extremely frustrating to begin, particularly with batting when I had almost no idea what I was doing wrong or how to fix it. For players who have less knowledge, I can imagine it being extremely overwhelming, and might even cause them to give up on the game altogether. This would be a shame, and could have been avoided had the same amount of thought that went into the rest of the game gone into constructing a proper training and practice section to ease newcomers in. Because once you are 'in' it's a cracking game and an engrossing experience!

Another cricket game! I don't see the fun in them but I'm not keen on cricket, but my Hubby is. Graphics - are good, very realistic. Players movement very real. You can play in career mode, work your way up to cricket legend. You can practice to hone your skills in the net and on the pitch. It is very addictive according to the hubby.

Good game to start with but lack of real names and boring samey commentary grates after a while ,. Promised a lot sort of delivers but could be better.