AFL 26

I just cannot give this game a positive review. It is simply not up to scratch, especially when considering the game costs $100! There is a general sentiment that Big Ant Studios should be cut some slack as they are a small developer from Australia, but I don't think this argument holds up... Big Ant Studios and their owners, Nacon, do not view themselves as small. Instead, Nacon intends for Big Ant to be "the world’s leading player in rugby, tennis and cricket," and Big Ant's CEO, Ross Symons, calls Big Ant "an expert in sports" ([url=https://www.ign.com/articles/nacon-acquires-ao-tennis-cricket-19-developer-big-ant] see here [/url]). With this sort of standard in mind, AFL 26 (and honestly all Big Ant games) is simply unsatisfactory. Do not give Big Ant excuses. If they want to be seen as a proper, world-leading sports game developer, then they need to earn that position. They cannot be passing off this slop for $100 and then call themselves "an expert in sports".

if you're a footy fan you'll take what you can get tbh. however, big ant has consistently released updates since launch that have the game very enjoyable

you cant kiss patrick cripps 0/10

This game is absolutely horrible. The AI is always 20 steps ahead of you and you can't do anything about it. If the developers see this, fix your AI. It's terrible.

I want to like it, it plays reasonably well. I can go on dashing runs be it from the full/half back lines, through the midfield and kick really cool goals on the run. Take marks and bomb it home for a goal from 50 or just outside the 50m line. In that respect it's great fun. But the graphical glitches - super speed running AI through to the AFL 23 classic teleportation contests etc. And game crashes (during the team song after matches) really drags the game down several notches. It's really buyer beware at this point as things like the super speed running has existed even as far back as the "fielding side chasing after a hit ball" in the first Don Bradman Cricket game. And the teleporting has been a "feature" in Big Ant titles for years. It was almost fixed during a patch in AFL 23, but it got reverted and it's never been fully addressed since. If this was a $25-$50 title it would be passable, but as a AAA price game, it's really bothersome. If you're going to put a spotlight on the game at such a high price. Make sure it's glitch and bug free.

Mechanics are fun, but the game itself is terrible. For a $100 you would expect a game with somewhat decent AI, good graphics, and fluid movement, but none of the above was present. One thing I look for in a sports game is how reminiscent it is of the real thing. Obviously not to a crazy extent because that is extremely difficult, but to a good enough extent that I could imagine being in the position, maybe 30m from the goal on the boundary with the game on the line, and feel something. I get that with other AAA games such as Madden 26 or MLB the show, but I genuinely feel nothing with this game. As I said the mechanics are quite good. The set shot movements are really fluid and it is overall a great system. But overall I would NEVER spend $100 on a game like this ever, especially considering Big Ant rarely does sales. Save your money, it really isn't worth it one bit.

why do you bother with drm on a game that couldn't even crack 300? as money grubbing as EA and 2K is, they even allow player to play games without stable internet.

Played this game for a week or so and I can say that its great actually! I feel that AFL 23 was fine, nothing special or really that fun but I enjoyed it, however this game is great, its fun, it feels a lot more balanced than 23 and its got career mode. Look 100 dollars in no small fee so I wouldn't recommend at full price but if it goes on sale I can see it being a great and enjoyable footy game

save your money. game crashed at least 5 times with only 3 hours of play terrible!

In terms of lighting and realism, the game outnumbers any previous Australian sports game. Not to mention the room for creativity is outstanding. However as a game, Big Ant have a long way to go if they seriously care about quality. They have had three years to fix known issues and yet its all rush-rush-rush to get new guernseys and rules out with extremely little beta testing. The game still crashes at the end of some games even if you have the correct computer specifications. If you release a tackle, the AI will automatically just let the player get up which takes a few seconds and you are completely powerless. The AI overall isn't anything extraordinary, but it does the job for the most part. I appreciate that the AFLW competition is also playable, however it is a little odd seeing the game move just as fast as the men's game. Stadium glitches also persist with some grounds facing back-to-front, and finals games not being played at correct venues. For example Marvel home teams don't play home MCG finals games, and vice versa. The effort to make the game a realitty is something I appreciate, but I genuinely believe the AFL license in the hands of Big Ant is a pretty bad move, considering how unprofessional some of the developers are.