Cricket Captain 2016

Another year another cricket captain. While it might look like not much has changed since last year under the surface the new camera and improved odi games make it much more enjoyable. The first class games also seem improved and it is the most addictive cricket captain in recent times. At a resonable price this game goes down as a Chads Choice.

This is one of those games I find immensely frustrating to play, but also highly addictive. I am a huge cricket fan, and the truth is there is no alternative out there for in-depth, strategy or management games for the sport. If you're a fan and want to give it a spin then go for it, but wait for a sale and get it at a low price, because despite the experience and longevity of the franchise the game is bare-bones. I would love to reach out to the developers and implore them to make changes for the next iteration, as the base game is enjoyable but in drastic need of more creative input! All we've seen in terms of additions in recent years has been the inclusion of new leagues. This is fine, but although diversifying the gameplay, does little to improve the experience. None of these appear hard to implement, as other sport management sims have been doing it for decades, but could we please look to include... 1) an actual career mode, where you can change teams, move up the 'ladder' and perhaps take jobs in different countries. 2) some kind of basic player 'stats' system, so I can actually tell if my player is talented, notably with youth players, whose potential seems entirely arbitrary. 3) the ability to hire coaches, or a far more transparent coaching system that allows you to know how and when your players are improving. These additions really are important for giving a player a sense that they are part of a management structure that is affecting the game world. They appear fairly minor changes that for me would make this game far easier to recommend, and would guarantee repeat custom.

Awesome game! I love the new camera controls. You can zoom out and admire the stadium. Also T20 games are more realistic that previous releases.

As expected, CC16 is exactly the same as year before and before that, with nothing but an update to the player database - though even that feels poorly researched. To ask £15-20 for what amounts to a patch to a previous game feels disingenuous to this series' fans. Even months before 2017 is released, the game only reduces to £9.99. As someone who has played since CC05, I have noted with a great deal of disappointment how little these games have moved on from year to year. The developers look to quantity (adding new competitions and teams) rather quality (creating a discreeter game with more longevity), and in doing so ignore much of the feedback from their fans - who offer such in goodwill and hope that the next year will be the year Cricket Captain finally pulls itself together. Each year we are promised a better engine that will offer more realistic scenarios, especially in one day and T20 modes, but this has never really come to fruition. Rather, one day games become steadily harder and more tedious to play and T20 is often unplayable. Instead of a better game we are given "better" graphics in highlights - which most people skip - though the differene from edition to edition is so minimal. While we all understand that this game is developed by a small team, Childish Things are wasting a lot of goodwill that their fans are granting them. Rather than taking two years to genuinely overhaul the game and create an enjoyable and diverse experience - which no one would truly complain about - they throw out the same thing over and over, year after year and are verging on taking advantage of their fans. A major problem is the lack of competition. But for Cricket Coach, Cricket Captain hasn't seen any competition for years and as such knows that cricket fans, especially those that wish for a management style game, will have no choice but to buy their products. As such a long time consumer, it is so disappointing to see what could be an excellent and innovative series fall to laziness.

I really love the latest version of the Cricket Captain series. I have played every edition since the first (in 1998?!), and I feel that this particular version has made the most impressive strides. There are some fantastic new features including new stadium camera angles and graphics, the NZ & SA Domestic competitions, the ability to play tournaments as minnow nations, as well as a whole host of other smaller changes and improvements. The gameplay has been tweaked and feels more real than ever. I notice from the Childishthings forum that there were requests last year to add new camera angles - it is great to see that the developers engage with supporters of the series. I played the last two versions of the game mostly on a tablet, but with the attractive new visuals, I tihnk I will probably want to play with a large laptop screen as much as possible! This game is already proving to be incredibly addictive - I have started a save with each of the five domestic leagues! Whether you are an ardent cricket fan or whether you just want a "pick up and play", I think you will enjoy this game. Please drop me a line if you have any questions. I know that if you are in two minds about buying the game, you might want to explore aspects of the gameplay - I will do my best to answer any questions you have!!

My relationship with the Cricket Captain series over the last 15 years has been love and hate but this year the "developers" have excelled themselves, apparently adding nothing new to the series, living up to their growing reputation as pushers of old hack for our hard earned cash. Remember the good old days of International Cricket Captain? The series used to offer a wealth of management stats and gameplay longevity. The latest edition of Cricket Captain offers none of this. I was a sucker and paid £19.99 for what appears to be a 'tweaked' edition of Cricket Captain 2013. My advice is stay well clear of this game and not become Childish Thing's next sucker.

So this popped up yesterday on my Wishlist as a Sale item for £7ish, being a huge Cricket fan as well as Cricket Groundsman I just had to bite the bullet and grab it regardless of the lack of activity and Mixed reviews (most of them said if you already own CC2015 then it's not worth it but if not then try it). It's simple in design, no where near as detailed as the FM series or Motorsport Manager, getting into the first game is quick & easy after a few minutes of Menu Hopping. But what it lacks in prettiness it gives bundles back in Statistics on each and every player (a Cricket fans Dream), there's a ton of leagues to play with and all formats of the game are covered including the chance to Captain/Manage National Teams. The 3D Replays are simple, they look a bit funny and after you've seen one match worth of highlights you've pretty much seen every scripted scene. The Match Days options are great, you can change the aggressiveness of your batsmen, the Line & Length of your Bowlers as well as set any Field you wish (within the Laws of the game). There's Training Options for your players, you can Buy & Release Players at the start of each Season, it's pretty much all the basics of Football Manager without the highly over-detailed additional areas. My favourite area is the 'Pitch Groundsman' where you can determine the style of Wicket to be played on for your next home game...like we do that in the real world...! I've already found some pretty obvious bugs (last update was in January with no sign of the Devs/update since) which are slightly annoying but nothing game breaking as of yet. I'm gonna keep it and see how it goes as it's not that bad it needs a refund, it was only a couple of Pints worth and it's something to while away the hours at work on Match & Rainy Days or when the Wifes watching Celebrity Big Bloody Brother! If you like Cricket get it and give it a go and see for yourself, it's cheap.

Each year the game is making subtle changes and progressing in making the long series even more enjoyable. If you are a cricket fan and love sports management sims then this game is for you. Game is constantly updated by the developers to ensure any issues are addressed and if you have a suggestions then the developers will always listen. If in doubt, take the plunge and purchase the game.

Terrible game. Shots that go to random places on the pitch that bear no relation to the shot played (cutting full length balls from spinners for 6 for example). Outfielders that don't move thus rendering sweepers pointless. When batting your batsmen will do anything but the task you ask of them. ...and finally beyond the naked stats, badly researched (at least speaking as a Glamorgan fan). Seemingly batting styles have just been allocated at random.

In a world where games are evolving in months rather than years it can sometimes be refreshing for game devs to stay true to a tried and tested formula. In this case it isn't. Maybe I'm a sucker for punishment, but I've owned 5 versions of this game since my original purchase of International Cricket Captain 2 and of all, the original was the best. Over the years the 3d animations have slighly improved and there has been the introduction of things like Hawkeye. But when year after year there is no improvement in the stroke animations making sense in terms of the line or length of the delivery, catches literally impossible for a human are regularaly taken, Hawkeye animations regularly don't match the delivery animation, and the aggression of the batting bears no resemblance to that chosen, eventually the charm wears away. If you're after a cricket sim, this is your only option. If you're after a cricket sim that evolves and improves between years, maybe a 20 year gap between purchases of this game is the only option. Adjust