Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

[Methlab]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

what? nobody's looking for jersey patches, hand towels, and where the cornerbacks eyes are at all times? it's funny how with Madden every single detail is nitpicked, but not so here. I just think everybody's so starved for something different that this is bound to be overrated a bit.

I think you fail to grasp that the other game has basically been the same product for over 7 years so people are bound to look for little details after a while. BB is a whole new experience. I am sure by BB3, people will be looking for the same little stuff.

[Sigma4Life]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I wish that you controlled the same player as the play before. I always want to be the DE but this changes my player each time. I know I can pick the player in the playcall menu but I don't want to do that every down.

Pre-snap is there a way to "aim" the defender you want to switch to or do you have to cycle through all the defenders? In other games you can hold A and point to a defender to switch but I cannot see how to do that in BB.

In options you can pick which position you want to start each play as.

[jp7588]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I just threw a pass to my half back across the middle. He wasn't looking when I threw it and it was only like 5 yards away so the ball just hit him in the back. I guess that's good.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I literally got no time with the game, but here are about 10 minutes worth of impressions (I haven't even learned the controls yet).

Camera is odd to me, but I'm super used to playing the bird's eye style of football. I'll try to get used to it.

Running the ball is FUN. I was running looking for a hole, one opened up, and I slammed through it for a couple of yards. Watched the replay a couple times, it was awesome.

I only got one pass off, it was an interception. My QB was moving to the side and had to do a jump pass, and the ball couldn't quite get there... props on that.

So far, I like the potential.

[mgoblue678]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I guess they weren't kidding when they said the Talons offense isn't very good. Just held them to negative 10 yards as the Scourge. Their qb threw 2 picks as well. My d-line and linebackers were in their backfield almost every play.

At this point I think I am pretty much sold, looks like I will be picking this up day one.

[ZeeAyKay]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I wish that you controlled the same player as the play before. I always want to be the DE but this changes my player each time. I know I can pick the player in the playcall menu but I don't want to do that every down.

Pre-snap is there a way to "aim" the defender you want to switch to or do you have to cycle through all the defenders? In other games you can hold A and point to a defender to switch but I cannot see how to do that in BB.

In the options menu under game you can lock offensive and defensive roles. So if you always want to be DE just check that box.

Pre-snap when you hold LB you use the left stick to choose what position you want to be.

[MiNiDiTkA]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Impressions Thread

Pros:
*The animations are phenominal.

*Lots of features for a demo. (Training, tutorial, tackle alley, exhibition.)

*The graphics including the crowd are top notch.

Cons:
*I hated the camera angle immediately. After 3 hours of non-stop BB I still can't stand it. It's way too sensitive to jukes and other movements. I wish they had a slider that controlled how jerky the camera shifts are. I know 505 wants to differentiate BB from Madden, but the fact that there is no other camera angles will turn off TONS of gamers.

*The music is extremely repetitive.

*Instant replay options are very limited. You cannot pause or adjust the camera angle or player perspective of the replay. The replay is literally a replay of what you saw during the play. As far as I know this is the only sports game that is missing these replay features.

*The lack of an announcer is very noticeable. There are frequent moments between plays where there is no music and the crowd, players, and PA man are 100% silent. These awkward silences seem odd.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the demo and because so will probably cancel my preorder. Nice first effort but not enough to get me away from 2K8/Madden. Will have some video up shortly.

[TreFacTor]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I was on the fence about BB. I couldn't make up my mind because on the one hand, I'm tired of the stagnant progression of Madden, on the other hand I know full well going in that BB is a new IP from a small group of European developers who have very little football knowledge or experience.

The good
The Euphoria engine is perfect for Football.
Running the football is easier than passing.

The Bad
EVERYTHING else.

Now before everyone gets their flame throwers ready, let me explain. I say everything else is bad because the game is clunky.

*The players all move the same, no matter whether they are a QB, TE, or DE. They run the same, and the animations for such a physics based game are stiff. Every time a player got knocked to the ground, they had the same robotic, stiff "get up animation".

*The camera isn't as bad as I previously thought, but the camera is erratic at best. I'm sure this is for effect, but the only time the camera feels right is right before the snap of the ball and when running the football.

*Passing the ball is a horse of a different color! Anyone who loved the vision cone in Madden should feel right at home. I for one hated the vision cone because of the flicking of the right thumb stick. It would often register incorrectly, and I would wind up taking a sack trying to get the cone back to the open receiver. The same can be said about the passing in BackBreaker. Yes you can change the control layout, but you are still forced to "cycle" through receivers. This is another half good half bad implementation. I can see that flicking the stick resembles an actual QB going through his reads, but it's far to clunky and slow. Yes I took a bunch of sacks playing the game.

*I often found that I would get knocked to the ground through incidental contact with anyone on the field which would indicate the need for more precision control so I could avoid contact, but the camera and player movements simply don't allow that to happen. Even when I didn't get knocked to the ground I had to make myself get involve in the plays because in about 3 hours of playtime the computer only ran one play in my direction the rest of the plays seemed to intentionally go to the opposite side of the field from where I was playing no matter what position I played. Even if you switch to the closest defender, it is often too late to have an impact on the play.

While playing the outside linebacker on one play, I was in the perfect position to pick off a pass, but couldn't jump for the ball. After the play, I went to the controls screen to see what is jump, and found that jump and catch are missing from the controls. Your player either does these on their own or they don't. Once you have the ball jumping is mapped to the thumb stick in the form of hurdling.

*Kicking takes waaaay too long.

*EXTREMELY generic plays (and yeah man to man coverage is abysmal)

*Replays, Ugh! I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say that 505 doesn't watch alot of football or even play a lot of football. Often the replay just follows the player you are controlling, and as stated before if you don't make your player get involved the replay is just irrelevant UNLESS its score or A POINT AFTER ATTEMPT. You cannot control the replay, switch cameras on the replay (which you can do during the player intro?!?).

Playing BB is much like playing Superstar mode in Madden which I never cared for with the exception that you can switch the player your controlling, and you call the plays. I can say that after playing the demo for a few hours that 505 did a good job. BackBreaker will please those who hate Madden but like football. If you were already going to purchase the game, nothing anyone can say will change your mind. I have however decided against buying BB. I wasn't excited while playing the game. While Madden has it's faults (repetitive commentary, cheating AI, sliding and morphing players), it has far more control, and player involvement where as in BackBreaker, your involvement in the play is determined by where the play is going. If the play isn't going to your side of the field, your just there, and that's the way it is in real football but there just isn't any excitement on the plays your not involved in. I actually found myself missing Chris Collingsworth's repetitive commentary.

[str8artist]

WOW!!! I am shocked how good the controls are.

Based on training mode:

Player movement +
Footplanting +
Spin moves +
Block Evade +

[fldash]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

For those bitching about replay, seriously. The devs said there is only basic replay functionality in the demo and the full game has full replay, which most likely means the ability to watch from bird's eye view or even from a different players perspective.

[mgoblue678]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I was on the fence about BB. I couldn't make up my mind because on the one hand, I'm tired of the stagnant progression of Madden, on the other hand I know full well going in that BB is a new IP from a small group of European developers who have very little football knowledge or experience.

The good
The Euphoria engine is perfect for Football.
Running the football is easier than passing.

The Bad
EVERYTHING else.

Now before everyone gets their flame throwers ready, let me explain. I say everything else is bad because the game is clunky.

*The players all move the same, no matter whether they are a QB, TE, or DE. They run the same, and the animations for such a physics based game are stiff. Every time a player got knocked to the ground, they had the same robotic, stiff "get up animation".

*The camera isn't as bad as I previously thought, but the camera is erratic at best. I'm sure this is for effect, but the only time the camera feels right is right before the snap of the ball and when running the football.

*Passing the ball is a horse of a different color! Anyone who loved the vision cone in Madden should feel right at home. I for one hated the vision cone because of the flicking of the right thumb stick. It would often register incorrectly, and I would wind up taking a sack trying to get the cone back to the open receiver. The same can be said about the passing in BackBreaker. Yes you can change the control layout, but you are still forced to "cycle" through receivers. This is another half good half bad implementation. I can see that flicking the stick resembles an actual QB going through his reads, but it's far to clunky and slow. Yes I took a bunch of sacks playing the game.

*I often found that I would get knocked to the ground through incidental contact with anyone on the field which would indicate the need for more precision control so I could avoid contact, but the camera and player movements simply don't allow that to happen. Even when I didn't get knocked to the ground I had to make myself get involve in the plays because in about 3 hours of playtime the computer only ran one play in my direction the rest of the plays seemed to intentionally go to the opposite side of the field from where I was playing no matter what position I played. Even if you switch to the closest defender, it is often too late to have an impact on the play.

While playing the outside linebacker on one play, I was in the perfect position to pick off a pass, but couldn't jump for the ball. After the play, I went to the controls screen to see what is jump, and found that jump and catch are missing from the controls. Your player either does these on their own or they don't. Once you have the ball jumping is mapped to the thumb stick in the form of hurdling.

*Kicking takes waaaay too long.

*EXTREMELY generic plays (and yeah man to man coverage is abysmal)

*Replays, Ugh! I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say that 505 doesn't watch alot of football or even play a lot of football. Often the replay just follows the player you are controlling, and as stated before if you don't make your player get involved the replay is just irrelevant UNLESS its score or A POINT AFTER ATTEMPT. You cannot control the replay, switch cameras on the replay (which you can do during the player intro?!?).

Playing BB is much like playing Superstar mode in Madden which I never cared for with the exception that you can switch the player your controlling, and you call the plays. I can say that after playing the demo for a few hours that 505 did a good job. BackBreaker will please those who hate Madden but like football. If you were already going to purchase the game, nothing anyone can say will change your mind. I have however decided against buying BB. I wasn't excited while playing the game. While Madden has it's faults (repetitive commentary, cheating AI, sliding and morphing players), it has far more control, and player involvement where as in BackBreaker, your involvement in the play is determined by where the play is going. If the play isn't going to your side of the field, your just there, and that's the way it is in real football but there just isn't any excitement on the plays your not involved in. I actually found myself missing Chris Collingsworth's repetitive commentary.

Completely disagree about man coverage being abysmal, at least on medium and hard that is not the case at all.

Your certainly entitled to your opinion and would tend to agree with a couple of them, but those other complaints are pretty weak. Some of them amount to not being used certain aspects of the game, so that part of the game is bad according to you.

I mean honestly your complaining about not enough plays being run by the CPU in your direction, what exactly did you expect. That is football, a lot of plays the ball doesn't come a certain players direction.

[TracerBullet]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

I like but I'm still renting it first to see the full game. also if backbreaker 2 is coming out next year I may just wait for that one and buy it then. However, right now there is justs a ton of stuff coming out these next few months that I want.

The QB on the other team pulled a Tebow and did a jump pass!

[PantherBeast_OS]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

My impressions are the graphics is good and the passing is tricky right now because of the Cam angle. The Cam angle bothers me quite a bit. Don't really like it. But I guess it is something to get use to. The run blocking seems to work. I just pulled off a 61 tard run and almost got a TD. Other then that the game looks solid for it's first time.

P.S. Just want to let you know that in the first quarter alone I picked off the AI twice and got a sack.

[fldash]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

Completely disagree about man coverage being abyssmal, at least on medium and hard that is not the case at all.

Sounds like he's playing on easy with limited play selection and poor AI.

[Methlab]

Re: Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

You can't argue with guys who need god view and full control over every player. They play football that way because that is what they like. To me, that is not realistic in any way and I am glad for an alternative. Replays are nice but I usually fast forward through them most of the time.

Most of the time online, you play a guy who is good at the other games, he has figured out how to glitch the game to blitz you so fast that you cannot do anything. It is not like he has mastered the defense or figured out your offense at all. So if you like that style of play, I can definitley see why BB would not be your thing.