As much as I hate to repeat the same cliche, it does bear repeating – for as popular as Cricket is worldwide, a big-budget take on the sport should have happened by now. You could argue that franchises Madden NFL, NBA 2K, FIFA and EA Sports FC are obnoxious with their microtransactions and yearly sequels, but I digress.

Big Ant Studios continues to fill that void, but to say its consistency with Cricket games has been erratic would be an understatement. It went from the well-known Don Bradman series to the respectable Ashes Cricket and took four years to deliver the incredibly underwhelming Cricket 22.

Back again, once again, with Cricket 24, there are signs of a more polished presentation, albeit one still dotted with jank; favorable bowling and batting systems that reward fast response, even if the latter can feel erratic at times; and much more. It’s slightly improved over the previous game, but still a very uneven release that needs more time and polish. The foundation is there, but a lot more is required.

"The crowd atmosphere, unfortunately, can be a little “meh” at times. You certainly hear them now and again, and there’s also decent fervor from hitting a four or six."

Right off the bat, Cricket 24 does look better than Cricket 22. In terms of fidelity, it’s not going to beat the NBA 2Ks or EA Sports titles of the world, and that’s okay, as it mostly nails the overall atmosphere of professional Cricket.

The starting coin toss (though I have no clue how it even works), the teams singing their national anthems, the walkouts, and even the mannerisms of umpires as they call Wide Balls and Wickets or ask for the third umpire’s take on my idiotic attempt at a third run are all rendered mostly well. Seeing all those little animations and reactions from the players between shots is also neat.

The crowd atmosphere, unfortunately, can be a little “meh” at times. You certainly hear them now and again, and there’s also decent fervor from hitting a four or six. However, it just doesn’t feel quite there yet. Even the pyrotechnics in T20 games, when it happens, is a tad underwhelming.

Crowd details are average at best, while players look decent, if a bit wooden in their expressions. The struggle with facial animations is probably most apparent when you meet your coach in Career Mode. As noted earlier, whether it’s a budget issue or something else, the players don’t exactly bear the strongest resemblance to their real-life counterparts. There are also a few animation gaffes, as players don’t always transition between actions smoothly. At one point, I saw the ball magically teleport from a rival bowler’s hand to the other before a toss, which was distracting, to say the least.

"However, above all else, the music deserves special mention. It’s awful. The main menu “tracks” feature tunes looped endlessly, and it feels like some faux rock stuff better at home on an episode of Eastbound and Down."

The stadiums are fine, structurally. Maybe it’s the shading or lighting, but some textures can feel flat and bland. Maybe it elicits those Cricket feels if you close your eyes, but the fidelity and overall immersion still leave much to be desired even when not compared to bigger-budget games.

The sound effects are serviceable, and there’s decent commentary, though it’s limited. Some lines repeat continuously, to the point where the commentators seemingly have a vendetta about the ball being there to be hit. The next step was probably emerging from the commentary box and shaking me wildly, asking why I wasn’t hitting it, which would have at least been a change of pace.

However, above all else, the music deserves special mention. It’s awful. The main menu “tracks” feature tunes looped endlessly, and it feels like some faux rock stuff better at home on an episode of Eastbound and Down.

At the outset, there seems to be a lot of content available. You can enter a match immediately, partake in The Ashes, or choose from various World Championships. There are also several difficulty options to customize, which is pretty cool. Oddly enough, all of the Indian Premier League Teams aren’t here. At least Cricket Academy is available for the community to add these in, as they’ve been doing for years with other teams.

"Some enjoyment can be had from the gameplay, even if the systems aren’t drastically different from the last game."

The initially promised Pro Team, which seemed like Big Ant’s take on Ultimate Team, is missing. You can’t create a custom Cricket team or complete weekly challenges or anything like that. Oddly enough, any mention of the mode has been scrubbed from online listings, so that’s a shame.

There is Career Mode, where you create a character, choose a team, interact with your coach to dictate your style and what you want to work on and then play in hopes of selection. I didn’t feel that manifest too strongly while playing, and trying to focus on my play as a rookie player while leaving the team to their own devices didn’t feel very conducive.

Still, there is an extensive suite of customization options for everything from your look to the bowling style. Various Perks provide buffs in different aspects of batting, bowling and fielding. Fatigue management also returns with saunas and massages, though you must account for the days available. If you played Cricket 22, then Cricket 24’s Career Mode will feel very familiar, for whatever it’s worth.

Some enjoyment can be had from the gameplay, even if the systems aren’t drastically different from the last game. While bowling, you still choose between different delivery types like Cross Seams, Bouncers, and more. You can dictate various types of jumping and release and pitch slower or faster, alternating strategies on the fly. I wasn’t too high on bowling initially, but utilizing different tactics to effectively lockdown a batter and control the field could be fun. Just don’t expect any major new additions or tactics thrown in.

"The movement necessary for legwork also feels stilted and unintuitive at times. I settled on adjusting it once after a failed shot and mostly forgetting about it."

Batting is the main appeal, and it’s highly reactionary, as you try to remember whether to step on the back foot and to go Defensive when faced with a full pitch or stay on the front foot and try to hit a four or six on normal pitches. Mastering the timing and taking a gamble on your legwork and whether to attack or go aggressive can be enjoyable.

It can also be frustrating if you fail to properly gauge the timing or shot choice since it’s all decided in those scant moments. The movement necessary for legwork also feels stilted and unintuitive at times. I settled on adjusting it once after a failed shot and mostly forgetting about it.

Oddly, the responsiveness when batting came across as fairly random at times. When I started without knowing anything about the gameplay systems, it was Aggressive shots all the way, simply taking note of the positions of fields to prevent them from catching, and we did great. As I progressed and learned more about the mechanics, things seemingly fell off a cliff in timing.

It occurred more in Career Mode, which may have been due to how my stats worked, but playing as a “big hitter” and waffling these shots when I was cleaving through the competition in regular play felt awful. Things were drastically better outside of Career, but that randomness never fully disappeared.

"Unless you want a new Cricket game to play or are counting on the community to fill any gaps in content, Cricket 24 is difficult to recommend."

The AI also leaves room for improvement. Sometimes, your opponents are on point with their fielding, catching hits from out of the blue, chasing after shots and adjusting their positioning accordingly. However, at other times, they failed to capitalize on a wicket during some of my runs. My team is mostly on point when fielding, though my overall movement felt stilted For something marketed as a “complete overhaul” over last year, fielding – like many things – doesn’t sport any drastic improvements.

While I haven’t encountered too many bugs, there was an issue which saw my players randomly take a run between balls and get caught out. It seemed like a misclick at first, but happened again even when not touching the controller. As if the odd randomness in batting wasn’t enough to ruin the innings, there’s my team seemingly betting on who can earn the lamest Walk of Shame.

As a sequel, Cricket 24 doesn’t feel like a massive step forward from its predecessor. While its overall presentation has improved, the gameplay feels very familiar, with a few new additions. Some of these, like the new fielding system, are almost inconsequential, and there’s no word on the promised Pro Team. Also, as much as Big Ant Studios has succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of a Cricket match, it still lacks fidelity and polish.

Maybe things will improve drastically in the next game. For now, unless you want a new Cricket game to play or are counting on the community to fill any gaps in content, Cricket 24 is difficult to recommend.

This game was reviewed on PS5.