Backbreaker Review

[mbmonk]

Re: Backbreaker Review

The typical person is going to go online and join a quick match or whatever, it's a fair concern. If you are any of those other use cases then you are likely a minority and you know that it doesn't apply to you. I don't see the big deal, it's a fair point. Some people even posted in the impressions thread that they are glad that this game has less cheese, the review indicates otherwise, and as you said, cheese exists in all games. If that's most/all the reviewer saw online, then it's clearly fair game to include.

Well I looked at his past reviews of other games and he does bring up the community in those as well. So at least he is consistent. Though disagree with it.

I hope he writes up a Madden 11 revew. Can't wait to hear about the cheese of that community.

[swaldo]

Re: Backbreaker Review

So, does watching your corpse get teabagged by a 13yr old make Halo 3 a worse game? I don't recall that getting mentioned in any reviews.

Seriously, "some of the people that play this game are a-holes" is not a valid criticism.

Exactly, now if a developer has a history of taking no effort in fixing obvious cheese plays then his point may be valid. But c'mon, this is the first game in the series so give them a break! And the devs have been very active on their boards noting all the complaints, so stuff like the Field Goal block cheese will get fixed.

[Dogslax41]

Re: Backbreaker Review

One problem deals with the amount of turnovers that are committed in each game. I’m not talking about three turnovers a game. No, I’m talking about turnover numbers that can range from 10 to 20 per game. Here are just two quarterback stat lines I have witnessed:

(5-28), 7 INT
(1-16), 12 INT

That's really bad.


And this is exactly what I meant in my earlier comment of writing a misleading review, one problem is the amount of turnovers committed each game...Not exactly. This issue is the cpu AI not the prevalence of turnovers. The cpu ai creates turnovers for your defense. Your inability to play the game creates turnovers the other direction.

Just as he quotes "just two stat lines I have witnessed (5-28) 7 int and (1-16), 12 int"..."That's really bad." I can say 20-22 for 285 with no pics. Wow thats really realistic this must be a text based sim game.

This is misleading. Agian I am not saying Backbreaker is the end all be all nor am I saying it is a great game. Is it a good game, in my opinion yes, but to me it is because of the fun factor and the opportunity to see something completly unique on each play not because of some stat line.

Do I see flaws in the game yes. The cpu ai is awful and there are a numebr of things that make it so, third down knowledge, the cpu qb constantly throwing to his left side, end of half timeout issues, and sweep running angles creating negative gains for the cpu.

[ChaseB]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Absolutely no mention of the greatest advance in football gaming in a long, long time (tackling/physics)?! Oh wait, at the very bottom of the review in the summary it does state "+ Tackling Animations." Wow, that's all the love you can give to this groundbreaking technology? And how every play is unique, calculated on the fly with absolutely no cheap AI cheating involved?

Also, to slam and penalize the game because online players use cheese is not right. My online experiences have been great, with no lag or cheesers. What game doesn't have money plays which users can exploit? If you're frustrated with the AI shortcomings then online is a great alternative and they should be rewarded for making this is a solid experience.

BB has...

One of the best mini-games ever
One of the best customization features ever
The greatest tackling/physics ever

So you'd think it would get a higher rating than a 5. I predicted mass media reviews would come in around 6-7, and if NM puts out a decent patch it could easily elevate it to a 7-8.

Friendly editor of said review popping in here for a moment. Two of those things in bold are mentioned in the review and everyone knew about the physics from the start -- the game was pushed forward because people were going crazy about the tech demo. However, if the reviewer thinks the gameplay is suspect, how can he rationally rate it much above a 5 when -- and I think everyone would agree here -- gameplay is the most important aspect. I think he gushes about the customization but that can only take a game so far.

Either way, as with any review, I do think people get too worked up about it. There are demos, previews, videos, screens, and a whole bunch of other ways to see/play games before you buy them. If you want to know what to buy, a review really isn't the best method for video games anymore. Really, reviews should be more about creating a discussion then worrying about the score or being considered a "troll" or something else like that.

[coolbreez35]

Re: Backbreaker Review

this is a bad review dude. for the simple you said blitz . are you crazy. plus how can somebody review a game fair if you cant play it?

[Jimixiii]

Re: Backbreaker Review

I completed 1/21 passes in my first game. There's nothing much misleading about the review. It unnecessarily scathing but that his opinion.

Maybe as Charles Barkley would say, you're just "turrible". It isn't that hard to pass. there's a huge learning curve, maybe it's a bit too easy to throw picks but I don't no what you could have been doing wrong to get that bad of stats.

The review was even more turrible though. This guy had a few gripes that just seemed to be b/c the game has a huge learning curve from other games, if he actually took the time to learn the new mechanics the review would of been a lot better.

[Dogslax41]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Like I said before, I don't think many people would have an issue with the number grade given to the game. I wouldn't give number grades a second thought as they are completly subjective.

My issue is with the details (or lack thereof) supporting that grade. I have no stake in the game so I am not worked up so much as kind of shocked given that I usually trust OS for its opinion on sports games. However, this one was shocking because it really didn't review the game.

The review fails to call out some of the most glaring issues in the game (no mention of the cpu ai, especially the issues that I noted previously as well as the lack of opposition provided by the cpu based on poor ai). It seems to harp on the reviewer's inability to pass or run. And makes the allusion that every game is full of turnovers and that is most certainly not the case. Are there more than there should be, yes, are there on average 20, no. And that is my problem. 20 would be gamebreaking in my opinion. Were I to accept that there were 20 turnovers a game I would not purchase the game based on my own personal judgment that I would not have fun with a game that produces 20 tunrovers on average. I haven't seen 20 turnovers in a game in almost 100 played. In my opinion, that is misleading because I would not have purchased a game based on something that really wasnt true.

In a day in age where financial considerations limit gamer's ability to purchase games at will they rely on reviewers to provide some insight. I understand there are other media available to judge a game, but right or wrong people look to and trust those "reviewers" to provide details of a game when they may not have time to dive into all of them. I don't normally comment on reviews just based on the subjectivity of a review, but I commented now because I feel like this review fails on both accounts, it fails to highlight the items that the game does well and could prove fun for quite a few people and it fails to highlight the negatives in detail to help those that may be put off by those issues decide not to purchase. Instead it seems to have not spent enough time with the game to provide a decent "review" instead of an opinion.

[tybud]

Re: Backbreaker Review

the thing about backbreaker is that you get back what you put in meaning if you take time to learn the game and study it then you will get back all the beatiful parts of the game, but if you just pick it up and say im going to just chuck the ball around like its no tomorrow and not have a understanding of what your trying to do on the field the game will feel and look messy. its like a rookie things just seem hectic and out of control but once things slow down and you start playing the sport like it should be played, notice i didnt say video game i said sport. backbreaker has to be played in away that no other sports video game is played. for instance when i play my games it sometimes just feel and look horrible but when my son plays the game is a treat to watch because he is better player. this game really idenifys with the player on the sticks unlike some other games where anybody can pick up and play without knowing much about the sport or a understanding of the game.

[ABR173rd]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Everyone is waiting for the great football game messiah and it definitely is not backbreaker,I don't agree with the way the review was written but I definitely agree that this game doesn't deserve anything higher than a 5 rating. You cant give a game a 7 just because its not a Madden title or because the graphics are pretty.

[swaldo]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Friendly editor of said review popping in here for a moment. Two of those things in bold are mentioned in the review and everyone knew about the physics from the start -- the game was pushed forward because people were going crazy about the tech demo. However, if the reviewer thinks the gameplay is suspect, how can he rationally rate it much above a 5 when -- and I think everyone would agree here -- gameplay is the most important aspect. I think he gushes about the customization but that can only take a game so far.

Either way, as with any review, I do think people get too worked up about it. There are demos, previews, videos, screens, and a whole bunch of other ways to see/play games before you buy them. If you want to know what to buy, a review really isn't the best method for video games anymore. Really, reviews should be more about creating a discussion then worrying about the score or being considered a "troll" or something else like that.

Most of us here on OS have been following the Backbreaker updates over the last couple years. However, alot of casual gamers will stumble across it in a videogame store or wherever and want to seek more info about it. So I think it should be stated how revolutionary the tackling animations and physics are. I mean that's what BB is all about and that's how they got started so I don't see why a reviewer would totally exclude it. At this point everyone knows there is an interception issue so maybe that should be excluded in the review as well?

And I'm not sure if gameplay has consistently been rated as "The most important aspect" in OS reviews. We're not supposed to mention other games in the BB forum so I won't even go there.

And I'm not worked up, there are far better things in life to worry about. Just adding my input is all, and I'm out. Peace!

[ChaseB]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Like I said before, I don't think many people would have an issue with the number grade given to the game.

My issue is with the details (or lack thereof) supporting that grade. I have no stake in the game so I am not worked up so much as kind of shocked given that I usually trust OS for its opinion on sports games. However, this one was shocking because it really didn't review the game.

The review fails to call out some of the most glaring issues in the game (no mention of the cpu ai, especially the issues that I noted previously as well as the lack of opposition provided by the cpu based on poor ai). It seems to harp on the reviewer's inability to pass or run. And makes the allusion that every game is full of turnovers and that is most certainly not the case. Are there more than there should be, yes, are there on average 20, no. And that is my problem. 20 would be gamebreaking in my opinion. Were I to accept that there were 20 turnovers a game I would not purchase the game based on my own personal judgment that I would not have fun with a game that produces 20 tunrovers on average. I haven't seen 20 turnovers in a game in almost 100 played. In my opinion, that is misleading because I would not have purchased a game based on something that really wasnt true.

In a day in age where financial considerations limit gamer's ability to purchase games at will they rely on reviewers to provide some insight. I understand there are other media available to judge a game, but right or wrong people look to and trust those "reviewers" to provide details of a game when they may not have time to dive into all of them. I don't normally comment on reviews just based on the subjectivity of a review, but I commented now because I feel like this review fails on both accounts, it fails to highlight the items that the game does well and could prove fun for quite a few people and it fails to highlight the negatives in detail to help those that may be put off by those issues decide not to purchase.

There is a free demo out there, which is the only problem I have with the cost argument. Plus, I'm just not sure if you should be basing a purchase on one outlet's review in either case. I mean I do get the argument, I really do, but I just was pointing out there are other ways.

Beyond that, I'm not in the reviewer's head so I can't tell you what is important to him or not. I do know not every reviewer likes to write 10,000 word reviews, so he chose to focus on a couple things and move on from there.

I don't mind the criticism of the review though, I will say that. I think it's fine to critique the review and even the outlet in a constructive way because it's not going to hurt anything -- probably can only help it.

[Dogslax41]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Everyone is waiting for the great football game messiah and it definitely is not backbreaker,I don't agree with the way the review was written but I definitely agree that this game doesn't deserve anything higher than a 5 rating. You cant give a game a 7 just because its not a Madden title or because the graphics are pretty.

Agree 110%.

With major AI adjustments Backbreaker will be much much better, but right now I dont think Backbreaker or Madden provide the experience most are looking for.

[mbmonk]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Either way, as with any review, I do think people get too worked up about it. .... Really, reviews should be more about creating a discussion then worrying about the score or being considered a "troll" or something else like that.

I doubt EA thinks that way when this sight puts up a review of Madden or NCAA.

I agree with you though. With all the ways to get your hands on the game and see coverage of it reviews have taken a reduced role in my purchasing decision.

[ChaseB]

Re: Backbreaker Review

Most of us here on OS have been following the Backbreaker updates over the last couple years. However, alot of casual gamers will stumble across it in a videogame store or wherever and want to seek more info about it. So I think it should be stated how revolutionary the tackling animations and physics are. I mean that's what BB is all about and that's how they got started so I don't see why a reviewer would totally exclude it. At this point everyone knows there is an interception issue so maybe that should be excluded in the review as well?

And I'm not sure if gameplay has consistently been rated as "The most important aspect" in OS reviews. We're not supposed to mention other games in the BB forum so I won't even go there.

And I'm not worked up, there are far better things in life to worry about. Just adding my input is all, and I'm out. Peace!

Ha, I must say I'm happy I don't review football games, or really any games at this point, because it's tough to be a reviewer. I think you are being intentionally snarky (I love some good snark) because even if you don't agree with the review(s), I'm pretty sure everyone feels pretty strongly that gameplay is all-important. Whether that shines through in the writing is another argument I suppose.

[ChaseB]

Re: Backbreaker Review

I doubt EA thinks that way when this sight puts up a review of Madden or NCAA.

I agree with you though.

Yeah, I mean obviously some people within any company do and some people don't, but that's a different group than the general public.