Backbreaker News Post

Backbreaker Hands-On Preview w/ Gameplay Videos (IGN)

08:17 PM - March 2, 2010 by backbreaker

IGN has posted their hands-on preview of Backbreaker.

Quote:


	"Passing seemed to work a little better in the frantic football world that Backbreaker presents. The approach is certainly different than any I've seen for hurling the pigskin. Actually passing the ball is done entirely by the right stick, while targeting a player is done by holding the left trigger and moving between receivers with the left analog. The AI is largely in charge of the strength of the pass you're throwing (something that I'm worried about) unless it's a bomb pass, in which case you can move the analog down and then up to emulate a throwing motion of sorts. Every other pass is done with a simple flick upwards. Passing didn't feel all that great when I played with rigid camera movements that strain to follow the ball down the field and some wonky physics when the ball hit either the ground or a player's hands. Aside from standard quick play games, there's also an 8, 16, and 32 team season option and something called Road to Backbreaker which I'm guessing is designed to deliver some sort of loose tournament structure in the same vein as Mortal Kombat (escalating difficulty with meaner and meaner opponents)."

Game: BackbreakerReader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 51 - View All

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Member Comments

# 161 alliance4g63 @ 03/05/10 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBLover


	If: Good fundamental football (blocking, route running, etc) Strategy/playcalling being deep without being cumbersome Good gameplay and controls Good AI Players perform to their ratings so that the top and weaker players are easy to see even without checking ratings (and if/when I do, the player is really good at whatever he's displaying on the field) Solid franchise mode with realistic simmed stats and good team management AI. Customization options both for game play and team/player creation Is wanting everything and being greedy, then yes, I'm greedy. And I'm greedy whether it's Backbreaker, Madden 11, Football Mogul, whatever. It's what I want out of sports games - in this case a football game. So, fine, I'm greedy. Am I supposed to be ashamed or something after this post? Or say "okay, since it's their first game, it could do nothing but tackles well and I'll be giddy with joy?"

Imo it may not be greedy but I would say that is unrealistic thinking based off the past and present state of football gaming.

# 162 blackscorpion11 @ 03/05/10 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnyGivenSunday


	Child please! Madden sales won't break a sweat.

I would'nt be too sure about that, maybe not in one year but the numbers of people who are "Maddened out" is growing, myself included..you have to remember, madden's current sales numbers are based on a false read of the gamebuying public. Half of madden's sales come from the exclusive license.. The more alternatives that come on the scene, the bigger the bite into madden's sales will be. The madden series is on borrowed time unless it can extend the nfl license.

# 163 blackscorpion11 @ 03/05/10 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjcheezhead


	That's just not true, at least for me. Point out a flaw in this game that you can't say is a problem and I'll agree. Injuries is a big flaw. I hated hearing that. 3 speed passing is same as Madden's. The pocket is about equal to Madden's. The camera view in my opinion is innovation. It's like pro-tak. Either you like it or not, but it is core to what the game wants to deliver. I just hate hearing knocks on BB involving parts of the game that aren't done well in the other game or knocks involving player models and such that were done because of potential lawsuits that's all.

Good post!

Football without injuries = arcade

it boggles my mind how these type of decisions are made..it tell you no football people were involved with this game.

So i can run my qb every play and never get hurt?? What kinda Clark kent, tim tebow BS is that??

# 164 blackscorpion11 @ 03/05/10 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ODogg


	Here's my main flaws: 1. Injuries not being in this game is the biggest simply because the technology shows the hits better than anything else - what were they thinking?? 2. Three speed passing is not the same as Madden if you can't choose your speed and type of pass. 3. The camera view is poor but the real issue is that there is no other option. It's one thing when there is only one camera and it's not bad (like NCAA/Madden for years) but it's another when the camera in the game is just outright not going to make a lot of folks happy. These are each pretty big flaws in themselves. But when you take them all together, well you just know somewhere an EA executive is smiling pretty broadly. And like I said, it's one thing to argue on here that a flaw won't bother you, and I'm sure some of them won't. It's especially liberating for some of you I know to really defend this game since it's the rebel against the dark Lord EA but it's an entirely different thing when you actually play the game and have to live with the flaws. That's why i'm saying, excusing these flaws is not going to help the devs of Backbreaker any. Constructive criticism and demanding more than the baseline, and some of these issue are baseline type issues, will serve the title better to continue to be more than a one-shot-and-done title. Something else to think about - how will the casual gamers, ie the non-hardcore, you know the vast majority of those who actually purchase sports games, feel when they put the game in and see these flaws? You think they're going to say "well that's the designers vision" or are they going to say "WTF????" and take their rental back and be done with the game? I'm betting most will choose the latter...

I agree with your last paragraph about gamers either liking it or hating it... but i disagree with bashing a camera view that none of us have even played yet.. I don't trust other people's opinion of whether i should like something or not.. i'll play it first.. EX. gears of war gave me motion sickness, but thats just me.

# 165 KBLover @ 03/06/10 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alliance4g63


	Imo it may not be greedy but I would say that is unrealistic thinking based off the past and present state of football gaming.

Why is it unrealistic?

Because it's never been done, or because we've accepted less and have told ourselves that it can't be done?

It has been done pretty well in Football Pro (back in the 90s!), wasn't perfect of course, but the fact that game (and even the previous games in that series) probably as much of what's on my list more than modern games makes me think it's not so much unrealistic as it seems it's somehow not the focus of football games anymore.

# 166 adamgod8 @ 03/06/10 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackscorpion11


	Good post! i'm greedy too bro! why should we settle for less quality when they charge the highest price ??

They DON'T charge the highest price, the game is $50. But I get what you mean.

# 167 SouthernBrick @ 03/06/10 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackscorpion11


	I would'nt be too sure about that, maybe not in one year but the numbers of people who are "Maddened out" is growing, myself included..you have to remember, madden's current sales numbers are based on a false read of the gamebuying public. Half of madden's sales come from the exclusive license.. The more alternatives that come on the scene, the bigger the bite into madden's sales will be. The madden series is on borrowed time unless it can extend the nfl license.

You might be right about the borrowed time and madden sales like other football titles(pending there better or up to par) putting a dent in madden sales and unhappy madden fans. I hope your right but, I know your wrong and I'll believe it when I see it.

The NFL will allow EA to extend the NFL license, that is a fact and to think otherwise is blasphemy.

# 168 AVONFTW @ 03/06/10 01:30 AM

For people saying player modes were done because of potential lawsuits, please tell me how EA has a license on the look of the human body? In APF you can make uniforms damn near identical to real NFL teams like the Colts and they didn't get sued. Stop with the excuses, this game looks like the NASA FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

If they wanted to use their engine in a sports game they should have used it in a soccer game and left football to North Americans.

# 169 AVONFTW @ 03/06/10 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatisback


	lawsuits have changed the rules of things since 2k.

EA does not own the rights to the look of the human body or athletic human body or of traditional football gear, pee wee,high school, AFL, CFL, all use equipment similar to the NFL.

But have fun with your space aged football. I'm sure if the players were rabbits you guys would play it as long as it wasn't EA.

# 170 veritas1 @ 03/06/10 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVONFTW


	For people saying player modes were done because of potential lawsuits, please tell me how EA has a license on the look of the human body? In APF you can make uniforms damn near identical to real NFL teams like the Colts and they didn't get sued. Stop with the excuses, this game looks like the NASA FOOTBALL LEAGUE. If they wanted to use their engine in a sports game they should have used it in a soccer game and left football to North Americans.

Yeh cos Americans have done such a fantastic job so far!
I'm sick of this "They're British so they don't know football bull****". When it comes to video games you either can or you can't do it. FIFA 10 is fantastic, made in CANADA. Hardly known for their fantastic soccer skills.
If EA made a decent game, I would play it but Madden is a shockingly bad representation of football. Madden is for video gamers who like to play football. BB/APF2k8 is for football players who like to play video games.

# 171 turftickler @ 03/06/10 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVONFTW


	For people saying player modes were done because of potential lawsuits, please tell me how EA has a license on the look of the human body? In APF you can make uniforms damn near identical to real NFL teams like the Colts and they didn't get sued. Stop with the excuses, this game looks like the NASA FOOTBALL LEAGUE. If they wanted to use their engine in a sports game they should have used it in a soccer game and left football to North Americans.

EA Sports has had the NFL license for 6 years. The only thing they have done with it and ESPN is hold on to them. Nothing more.

Don't kid yourself Backbreaker already looks more promising than anything EA Sports has ever done with it's football games. LOL. If you want to buy Robot Glitch NFL 2011 this year, go right ahead, but there will be hundreds of thousands of real football fans that won't.

Backbreaker will not be perfect, but it is going to be the better option this year.

# 172 Jackdog @ 03/06/10 08:53 AM

Too much bickering and insults. Closed

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