Don Bradman Cricket 17
- January 16, 2017
- Big Ant Studios
- 994h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Don Bradman Cricket 17" offers a revolutionary control system for realistic batting, bowling, and fielding experiences. Play with precision using new shots like helicopter, reverse sweep, and scoop, and mix up fast or spin deliveries. A deeper career mode, motion-captured cricketers, and customizable stadiums and logos are also included, with options for female cricketers and downloadable community content.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers a deep and engaging career mode, allowing players to progress from local clubs to international teams.
- Graphics and gameplay have improved significantly, with better physics and more realistic batting and bowling mechanics.
- The customization options are extensive, allowing players to create teams, players, and stadiums, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game is plagued with bugs and glitches, including issues with fielding AI and inconsistent gameplay mechanics.
- Commentary is repetitive and often inaccurate, detracting from the immersion of the game.
- Many players have reported performance issues, including stuttering and crashes, which hinder the overall gaming experience.
- gameplay68 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the latest iteration has received mixed reviews, with some praising its improvements in mechanics and depth, particularly in career mode, while others criticize it for being a downgrade from the previous version, citing issues with fluidity, graphics, and bugs. Many players appreciate the new features and the more realistic AI, but express disappointment over persistent gameplay problems and a lack of significant enhancements since the last release. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the gameplay experience is marred by inconsistencies and technical issues that detract from its potential.
“Bowling is also an in-depth mechanic, with a wide variety of deliveries to choose from.”
“Gameplay is brilliant and captures all facets of the game really well and keeps you engrossed.”
“The niggles from dbc14 - lack of edges vs ai, pitch conditions not translating into gameplay etc. are totally fixed in this iteration: whether it's a hard or soft pitch will affect where you want your keeper/slips to stand, how you bat etc. and the condition of the pitch will make you think about an extra spinner, or going with an all seam attack.”
“It is disappointing, however, that a number of requests for fixes and updates relating to curiosities in gameplay have gone unanswered by Big Ant.”
“I'm a massive cricket fan, in the real world and the gaming world, but this game takes lame to new depths with hit and miss mechanics, terrible graphics, and very poor gameplay.”
“The balance of the game ceases to be enjoyable, and overall I feel the developers, in their quest to make it better, have actually ruined the gameplay in the process.”
- graphics67 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with some players noting improvements in lighting and animations compared to previous versions, while others criticize them as outdated and buggy, likening them to titles from a decade ago. Many users express disappointment with the overall visual quality, stating that it falls short of modern gaming standards and is marred by technical issues. Despite some positive remarks about specific graphical elements, the consensus leans towards the need for significant enhancements to meet player expectations.
“The graphics are smooth and crisp, lighting is absurdly good and although Big Ant is a small developer on a tight budget, they have made every effort imaginable to make this a cricket game for cricket lovers.”
“Graphics are really good, especially the lighting (try playing 4:30 PM matches) and fielding is a great improvement. The best part of bowling is that we can adjust the length.”
“The graphics are an improvement on DB14, as is the career mode with the options for creating a player and career progression both improving massively.”
“For a game released relatively recently, the graphics are awful, the AI is purely dumb and the controls are not intuitive at all.”
“I'm a massive cricket fan, in the real world and the gaming world, but this game takes lame to new depths with hit and miss mechanics, terrible graphics and very poor gameplay.”
“I have compared this game to games from 10 years ago and the graphics and animations are worse on this game.”
- stability26 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its stability issues, with numerous players reporting significant bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some users acknowledge improvements following patches, many still find the game frustratingly buggy at launch, affecting gameplay elements like fielding and graphics. Overall, despite its potential and enjoyable aspects, the game's stability remains a major concern for players.
“Such a waste of money to buy such a buggy game.”
“Overall a great game let down by its initial buggy release, but I think that's because the developers would have needed money to keep the project going.”
“Plenty of in-game glitches, which tend to get frustrating.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 58 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting persistent stuttering and freezing issues, particularly at resolutions above 1080p, even on high-end PCs. Despite some positive aspects, such as customization options, the overall performance remains subpar and requires further improvements to enhance the gaming experience.
“Runs smoothly and does the job.”
“Its customization is second to none, but it needs to be backed up with performance, and it's just not quite there... yet.”
“Other than this little hiccup, performance is about what you would expect from a game with misguided title aspirations.”
“The game is poorly optimized and runs in borderless windowed mode.”
“The only cons would be the graphics-related issue with a lot of stuttering during gameplay and especially replays, even after having a very high-end PC.”
“Stuttering issues persist even after many updates.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the vibrant stadium ambiance and crowd acoustics, others feel that the graphics and commentary do not enhance the experience. Overall, the in-stadium elements contribute positively to the atmosphere, but there are criticisms regarding the gameplay and sound quality.
“The atmosphere in the stadium is amazing; the crowd ambience and the in-stadium announcer all contribute to an incredible experience. The acoustics are excellent, and while the commentary is just okay, I recommend setting the sound effects and crowd ambience high in the audio settings to fully enjoy the atmosphere it creates.”
“The immersive atmosphere really draws you into the game, making you feel like you're part of the action. The combination of the crowd's energy and the detailed sound design enhances the overall experience.”
“Every match feels alive with the vibrant atmosphere. The cheers, the chants, and the overall excitement of the crowd make it an unforgettable experience.”
“Other than that, I felt the graphics didn't live up to the screenshots despite max settings. The commentary was uninspired, the gameplay and controls were clunky, and the atmosphere of cricket just wasn't as good as DB14. Personally, I'm going to stick with DB14.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has been criticized for its abruptness, particularly in scenarios like when a player's innings is unexpectedly cut short without a proper declaration, leading to frustration and a feeling of incompleteness in achieving personal milestones.
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent flow, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is shallow, leaving me with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or excitement.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that previously unavailable shots are now accessible, enhancing the game's replayability by offering new opportunities for exploration and strategy.
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying feels more like a chore than a fun experience.”
