Backbreaker Review

[Xaos]

Yet another bad review....Glad I pre-ordered NCAA 11 instead.

In your faces.

[-pillBOXhat-]

Re: Backbreaker Review

I knew people who had high hopes for this game and even sold their Madden 2010 games earlier than they would just to get a good prize for it.

[Nicknam6]

Re: B

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this post, but what the heck..

All of the classic football games appeal to one very specific group - the Armchair Quarterback. If you're a football fan, you've experienced this scenario: you're watching your favorite team on TV, you see the TE break open... and then you scream obscenities at the screen or throw something at your cat because your team's QB forces a pass into double coverage on the other side of the field. Every other football game lets you relive that scenario as the fan - you see the open guy, you throw it to him. That's what a majority of people want. People don't want to play football as a player, they want to play as a fan or maybe as a coach. Even those who claim they want realism are generally talking about removing things like LBs sliding 5 yards to make a play or players clipping through each other. They want the type of player interaction that Backbreaker has, but they want it wrapped up in a glossy TV broadcasted box. Madden or 2k are for the armchair QB - what would happen if the players on the field could actually hear me yelling at them from my couch. That appeals to people...and it can be kinda fun - I actually liked Madden 10 for the most part. But that isn't what this game is about. Backbreaker is the annoyed QB saying something like "if you think it's so easy, you do it" and handing you a helmet. As it turns out, it isn't very easy and people don't like that.

Thus, many people are predisposed to not like Backbreaker purely because it doesn't provide the experience they want. So... they turn on Backbreaker.... they instantly don't like the camera or the concept of being on the field, so they don't really bother to try to learn the game. They hop in, they fail, they say screw it and move on - like this reviewer.

He doesn't review the game as a football game, he just whines about not being able to play. Does he mention the limited playbooks? No. Does he mention the lack of user catch/swat/interception buttons? No. The poor clock management AI? No. The physics and tackling? No. He doesn't even bother mentioning that the game has 2 distinctly different franchise modes. He just complains about turnovers and online cheese and then gives the game a lousy score because he doesn't care.

For a "sports gaming site" it's pathetic.

Great post man, you nailed it.

[Pared]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Very well thought out post.

Guys, get back on track. QUICKLY. You're free to post your opinions but these rabid, nonsensical comments are not welcome at this sight.

[lasthour]

Re: Backbreaker Review

The reviewer sounds like like he has not learned to play BB. From his comments, he sounds like he thought he should be able to pick up the game and play it like the other game. Mistake.

In a sense, this game is Rainbox Six: Vegas and the other game is Halo 3 in god view.
These are just really two very different games. Changing the view in BB would completely change the category/genre of the game. It would then just be Madden with great physics and less plays. Right now every position has it's advantages and disadvantages of play because of this viewpoint.

I wonder if any of the OS guys who have a grip on the the gameplay of BB can maybe upload a complete game on OS and YouTube so that maybe the others can see what they are doing wrong. Or maybe just a half game.

Also before someone chimes in with another it's an OPIONION theory, do you use that that to make yourself feel better about a BAD CHOICE? I'm just asking. I don't think I understand the point of those comments. Just sounds like you're saying opinions can't be wrong or something. Peace out.

[kehlis]

Re: B

Great post man, you nailed it.

LOL, most previously banned users change more in their new username then just a number at the end.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: B

LOL, most previously banned users change more in their new username then just a number at the end.

LOL! so ever true.

[Favre4435]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Why do so many of you just say it's because the reviewer sucks at the game? Maybe the game is so unenjoyable that he doesn't want to put in the time to learn how to play it. Why take it so personally? Does it change the enjoyment level you get when you play BB? Nope. It's like saying someone sucks at playing the guitar but said person has no desire to ever learn how to play the guitar because they don't like it. The fact that this thread has become so long and has so many nonsensical responses FROM BOTH SIDES makes me sad to be a football gamer.

Edit: 5 out of 10 game is still just a 5 out of 10 game regardless of the awesome physics and tackle animations. Also, what may or may not be fixed via patch or future releases of BB also should not change the 5/10 score AT ALL.

[CreatineKasey]

Re: Backbreaker Review

I agree with the review. I like football a lot, but I couldn't bring myself to buy this game. Hopefully they sell enough copies to bring about a sequel. The fact that the engine has massive potential doesn't mean I'll buy the game if it isn't actually very fun for me to play.

[RaiderKtulu]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Why do so many of you just say it's because the reviewer sucks at the game? Maybe the game is so unenjoyable that he doesn't want to put in the time to learn how to play it. Why take it so personally? Does it change the enjoyment level you get when you play BB? Nope. It's like saying someone sucks at playing the guitar but said person has no desire to ever learn how to play the guitar because they don't like it. The fact that this thread has become so long and has so many nonsensical responses FROM BOTH SIDES makes me sad to be a football gamer.

Edit: 5 out of 10 game is still just a 5 out of 10 game regardless of the awesome physics and tackle animations. Also, what may or may not be fixed via patch or future releases of BB also should not change the 5/10 score AT ALL.

Who said anything about changing our enjoyment? It's a bad review. It's like someone playing Gran Turismo 4 and not being able to pass all of the license tests, so they give the game a bad review and complain about not being able win any races, while also failing to mention the number of cars available or the fact that the game had no car damage.

[Favre4435]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Who said anything about changing our enjoyment? It's a bad review. It's like someone playing Gran Turismo 4 and not being able to pass all of the license tests, so they give the game a bad review and complain about not being able win any races, while also failing to mention the number of cars available or the fact that the game had no car damage.

Except you forgot the minor details that GT4 is a critically acclaimed game which works very well as a driving simulation.

[tswiatkowski]

The reviewer sounds like like he has not learned to play BB. From his comments, he sounds like he thought he should be able to pick up the game and play it like the other game. Mistake.

In a sense, this game is Rainbox Six: Vegas and the other game is Halo 3 in god view.
These are just really two very different games. Changing the view in BB would completely change the category/genre of the game. It would then just be Madden with great physics and less plays. Right now every position has it's advantages and disadvantages of play because of this viewpoint.

I wonder if any of the OS guys who have a grip on the the gameplay of BB can maybe upload a complete game on OS and YouTube so that maybe the others can see what they are doing wrong. Or maybe just a half game.

Also before someone chimes in with another it's an OPIONION theory, do you use that that to make yourself feel better about a BAD CHOICE? I'm just asking. I don't think I understand the point of those comments. Just sounds like you're saying opinions can't be wrong or something. Peace out.

I understand where you are coming from in this post, but I think comparatively speaking, Halo 3 and R6V2 are much closer quality wise.

[walliworld]

I think Backbreaker is being confused as trying to be a SIM game which it is not, it is an Arcade game... a good Arcade game though

[Favre4435]

Re: Backbreaker Review

I think Backbreaker is being confused as trying to be a SIM game which it is not, it is an Arcade game... a good Arcade game though

Just don't compare it to Blitz! We'll get 25 more pages!!!

[smlmeyer]

I think Backbreaker is being confused as trying to be a SIM game which it is not, it is an Arcade game... a good Arcade game though

They went over and over about how it's, "REAL FOOTBALL! IT'S SO REAL!" and since when is REAL FOOTBALL translate to AN ARCADE GAME? Never.

Now, I won't defend the person who wrote the review. He obviously had his personal opinion about the game and felt very strongly. I respect that a lot, but when publishing a review to a site like this I wouldn't expect you to be able to just all out say the types of things this guy said about even the worst of games. I mean, all it's missing are a bunch of expletives and you have this guy's full-fledged, unedited rant about why it's a bad game.

However, for those who are jumping on the, "just cuz you suck, doesn't make it a bad game" boat - just because you're good, doesn't make it a good game either. You can be good at bad games. I would hope that you wouldn't take the time to GET good at bad games, but really, you could. So that argument holds no weight. He sucked but he's played games before. He knows how they work and how they are supposed to go; he can see a bad one when he plays it, regardless of his skill level.

My take on the game - I won't touch it 'til I hear something definitively good about it from someone who isn't a dejected Madden player, angry because no matter how much he stomped and cried, EA didn't listen and only threw us the best football games to date. Even with glaring flaws, are they not the best football titles available? NHL 10 has plenty of glaring flaws, it's still the best hockey game made to date...til NHL 11 comes out. Just like NCAA and Madden will come out and top last year's efforts. As a core game, maybe you could go back and say that you like Madden with the Owner mode better because Franchise was deeper. That's a valid point and very valid argument. Something that isn't valid, though, is saying Backbreaker is "REAL football" and that's why it's better because Madden isn't. I don't know, by my estimates if somebody loves sports games and Backbreaker came out and made a game even 75% as real, authentic, and true to the game as what they SAID it was gonna be - it would be at east 7-8/10 around the board. Yet, even seasoned video game players and reviewers are panning it. They praise some of the things it does, and that's great. Hopefully it helps bring us to a football gaming revolution where we can sit around a fire and sing songs and then go play the greatest football game ever made. Meanwhile, as long as the competitors who say they are Madden killers are shoveling out bland games that barely manage to stand up, I will continue to play Madden despite it's small flaws that still pale in comparison to Backbreaker's and hope that EA Tiburon catches the progressive bug that EA Canada has and start into making said greatest football game ever.