Big Ant's Don Bradman Cricket 2014: Features & gameplay modes for PS3, PC and Xbox 360

Don Bradman Cricket 2014 is the latest new year offering in the world of Cricket video games. The game is being developed by Big Ant Studios and will be published by Tru Blue entertainment, which are both based in Australia, fittingly, considering the subject of the game.

Don Bradman is widely regarded as the best batsman to have ever played the game. The astute right hander ended with a jaw dropping average of 99.94, etching his name in cricketing forklore. The Australian entrepreuners are hoping to use this name and legacy to market and sell their product, which is sure to attract cricket lovers who are likely to buy one at least for the archives, if not for the game itself.

Great players like Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting have all endorsed Cricket video games, and have done their bit to promote the incredible sport, as well earn a few extra bucks post retirement. Brian Lara cricket has been a mainstay in this segment, hogging most market share, given the exceptional brand value that comes with name. Although Don Bradman Cricket 2014 will be rivalling such heavyweights, the developers are confident of delivering game play that the name deserves.

The name ‘Don Bradman’ could end up being a double-edged sword. Given the massive pressure on them to get it absolutely spot on, the developers have taken all of five years, trying to perfect fine details. The project is sure to reap rich rewards with the funding and stewardship of Big Ant Studios CEO, Ross Symon, who is known for his unbridled passion for cricket. The management has tried to expand their distribution network by recently tying up with publisher HES.

With the business side of things done, lets get straight into the nitty-gritties. The game has various features worth noting, which are sure to enhance the overall gaming experience.

FEATURES :

Manual appeals
Decision referral system with virtual infra-red imaging
Day/night cycle
First-person camera
Dynamic weather
Pitch degradation
Cheerleaders for T20
Ability to save during online matches, making it viable to play Test matches online

However, the best is yet to come. The developers have taken a giant leap forward innovating an all new and exciting Career Mode, which surprisingly, has not featured in any of the cricketing video games prior to this. This addition is sure to find large fan following, and radically distinguish itself from its competitors.

CAREER MODE :

This new feature will allow a player to control a user-created character throughout a career that lasts a maximum of 20 years. The player begins as a novice at 16-years old adding to his repertoire the skills in the various facets of the sport like batting, bowling and wicket-keeping, solely based on performance. The player will go through real life struggles and fame by going on tours, getting endorsements, suffering rejection and the like. The player will have five rungs to climb, after which he can join his respective national team. All the money accumilated in the course of the Career Mode will reflect in the online leaderboard.

STADIUMS :

The Sydney Cricket Ground and Bradman Oval are the two licensed stadiums in the game with a further eleven unlicensed grounds included from around the world.

Big Ants Studios has created a beta version of the upcoming game, titled ‘Cricket Academy’, to give fans a little snapshot of things to come, and arouse interest. It allows you to bat in the nets, create players, tours, tournaments and unique match types, showing off some of the prime features included in the game. Players created in the editor are able to be shared, including across platforms.

Although the release date is yet to be announced, the excitement and expectation for the game has increased manifold. The developers need to nail it and live up to the biggest name in cricketing community that is Sir Donald Bradman.

Below is a short sneek-peek into the game, which will be released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.