A Few Hours with AFL 26
I bit the bullet.
I tend to get a bit excited when a new video game releases in an area I have an interest in, and given I run The Mongrel Punt, the release of a new AFL game always piques my interest.
Almost always, at least.
The last time Big Ant Studios released an AFL game, I had a bit on. As such, I decided to wait a few weeks before buying it. And then came the reviews. Suffice to say, they were not positive, and it kind of turned me off, a little. Or, at least, it made me feel like I didn’t need to rush to purchase the game. I eventually took the plunge, bought the game, played a bit, and I was done with it. It was pretty buggy and, to be honest, it wasn’t fun.
I felt like I wasn’t really in control of the footy at times, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t invest, and as such, I kind of went into this game without feeling I’d been there and done that before.
Had the company learned their AFL 23 lesson with the release of AFL 26?
Hell, had I?
Or was I going to leap into a new AFL game only to be let down again?
I sat down this week to spend a few hours with AFL 26. Here’s what I found.
Firstly, I should note that I am not a hardcore gamer. I don’t live and die based on whether I love a game or not, and really, there are far too many whining bitches online without me adding to them because I couldn’t get a suitable game in the online lobby. If that’s what you’re expecting, this review will disappoint you.
I was there for AFL on the Nintendo.
I played AFL 98 on my PC and loved it.
And then I may have missed a couple of games through several console generations along the way. If the game is enjoyable, I’ll state it. If it has problems, I’ll state that, as well. But I have no dog in the fight – I have no connection to the studio that created the game, or a Twitch account for you to be funnelled to in order to watch me cock up the most basic of gameplay.
I’m just a guy who parted with a hundred bucks in the hop that this time, we get good value.
Let’s jump in.
Note – I always wait for the Day One Patch for modern games, as they seem to be released in incomplete form. This game was no different, with the X-Box Day One patch taking several days to get approval.
That was a bit shit, but I am not impatient, so I was happy to wait.
The patch kicked in on Wednesday morning, and it just so happened, I have some time off work. Good timing, in the end, I guess.
TUTORIALS
Ah yes… AFL 23 didn’t have these, and it is why I spent my time playing that game, feeling like the work experience kid trying to operate the copier.
Big Ant have fixed this, and I have to say… I fucking nailed these tutorials. I can already tell I am going to be a gun at this game. Still, I will never play another actual human online, because video games are fantasy, and in this fantasy, I am good at this game.
So, you learn to kick and handball, kick for goal, spoil, take a speccie, and bump the opposition.
Seriously, I flattened this poor Brisbane bloke so many times in the tutorial, I am surprised Michael Christian didn’t step in and suspend me from the XBox.
After feeling pretty confident I was doing the right thing, I decided to venture into the PLAY NOW mode to test myself against North Melbourne… because I figure they’re shit in real life, and they’ll be shit in the game.
It was a mistake.
I forgot how to tackle immediately, and had massive issues defending whenever there was speed on the ball. The Roos took marks on the lead over and over, and in a game with 3.5 minute quarters, on whatever difficult the default is, I got beaten by five goals.
It sucked, and I wanted to return the game immediately, but then I remembered I’m not a spoilt little cretin, and decided to play some more.
I liked that I got beat. It means the game isn’t too easy to accommodate noobs like me, and I have to work to get better.
Quick clearance handballs and remembering both how to tackle and mark saw me lose the next game by a goal, and the next game by four points after falling behind early, and in my fourth game, I was able to squeeze out a win.
“We’re a happy team at Hawthorn…” was good to see the boys sing the song in celebration of my huge efforts.
Was it perfect game play?
Look, I reckon an AFL game is tough to get right. I’m genuinely not sure it’s ever been done perfectly, but for fun, and for someone who doesn’t care too much about everything being flawless, I didn’t find much wrong. I got caught holding the ball a bit when I thought I had time, but really, that happens in real life, so maybe they have that right.
Oh, tackling is the Y-Button on XBox. You have to kind of hold it, not just mash it. Remember that.
PRO-TEAM
This is the mode that many seem obsessed with, and it has both its ups and downs.
The ups are the challenges keep coming on a weekly basis, providing fresh content in a mode that is constantly updating. This means that initially, you had the playing lists from 2024/25, but there will be legends, past players, and different versions of current players added which you can find via packs, with in-game currency.
Of course, you can also buy chances to get these players using real currency, and that is the downfall of the mode, particularly if you’re on a budget.
If you need to be the best and absolutely get obsessed with games, I would probably avoid this mode – it will suck you into spending money, and in a game that already cost a hundred bucks, you may not want to fall into the microtransaction trap.
That said… I do like it, and I am happy to play and see what I can and cannot do without shelling out coin for top tier players. I’ve done that in NMA games in the past, with their My Team concept (which this basically is) so you can play and compete without shelling out bucks. Of course, if you’re playing head-to-head online, and run into cashed up lineups who have forked out big money to populate their teams, it won’t be as fun for you.
There is also an auction house, where you can buy players from other Pro-Team users. You can sell your own, but I haven’t worked out how to do that yet, and if anyone can help, I will gladly offload my 79-rated Mattaes Phillipou for a fair price.
The team I chose was the Hawks, and I got three decent players – Mabior Chol, Will Day, and… someone else who I can no longer remember. Oh, it was Nick Watson. They were rated 80. The rest of the team comprised of 67-75 rated players, and it showed.
I got hammered in the first game. Absolutely bent over. The gameplay was quick, and the tackling fierce.
A quick change in tactics and some trial and error, and by game four… I still lost.
By a point.
On a kick after the siren by Bailey Smith. As if I needed more reason to dislike him!
Then I had to go pick up my daughter from school, so my session ended at just under an hour and a half.
Seriously though, to play this mode, walk away without a win and still think it’s got a heap of potential… this is a big positive for AFL 26 and Big Ant.
I’ve heard a lot of people upset about having to allocate contracts to players to get them on the park. This was apparently a massive issue in AFL23, and to be honest, I haven’t progressed far enough through this game to know whether this issue has been rectified.
The gameplay?
Fun!
I was fully engaged and, as I was home by myself, actually gave some of my players a bake when they didn’t dispose of the footy quickly enough. I was also pretty happy with a nice Nick Watson snap from the pocket that almost defied the laws of physics, to hit the front with under a minute left.
Of course, I then panicked and cocked up a short pass that led to a turnover, and the Smith kicked the winner. What an asshole. I loved it!
Can’t wait til some of the legends are introduced into the game. That’s where I will feel that this mode is for me.
PLAYER CREATION AND DOWNLOAD
This is wonderful, although the hairstyle options make it tough to create Kevin Bartlett or Bruce Doull… they need to add some “going bald” styles. Hope they do – a completely bald KB doesn’t do it for me. The database of players will only grow as more players engage. You can download user-created players, teams, and stadiums, or create your own.
Winner.
There is someone one there who has already done a heap of work to upload both Carlton and Collingwood players from the early 80s – I’m a fan. Peter Moore, Mike Fitzpatrick, Jezza, Rene Kink… I am all in on this user. Thank you, mate!
Even tried my hand at creating a few, and people rated them five stars… either I did a good job, or they’re very easily pleased.
And this ends part one of my review. If I was to say that this was all the content in the game, you know what? I’d probably still buy it. The fact there is more makes me happy. As I work through the game, I will post part two, which will encompass the Player Career mode, as well as the Team Management mode, where my wheeling and dealing skills will undoubtedly be exposed as terrible.
What’s that?
You want to send me a future second for Harley Reid? Deal, sucker!
Hopefully, I get a few hours over the rest of the week, so I can sink my teeth into these modes. Gotta love a couple of weeks off work, huh?
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
Like this content? You could buy me a coffee – I do like coffee, but there is no guarantee I won’t use it to buy a doughnut… I like them more. And I am not brought to you by Sportsbet or Ladbrokes… or Bet365, or any of them.
