Thoughts on the 360 Demo of Backbreaker:
With Madden having exclusive rights to the NFL license over the past few years, several companies have gotten creative when packaging their pigskin titles. Without an NFL license, it’s hard to do business in the football genre, but that hasn’t stopped numerous companies from trying. Tecmo has re-released classic versions of their Super Bowl franchise, while 2K sports went the Legend route for All-Pro Football 2K8, a solid game that never got a sequel. This, however, hasn’t stopped 505 games and NaturalMotion from producing “Backbreaker,†which, above all else, proves that one cool element alone doesn’t make for a complete football experience.
With the type of physics engine many other games would die for [For instance, imagine a fighting game, where characters actually took their hits super realistically.], “Backbreaker†has top-notch animations and realistic player models. However, that’s about all the game has going for it, as the camera is an absolute mess, while the passing game is comparable to Russian Roulette and the running game feels like playing “Frogger†in a cramped elevator.
While the graphics overall are solid, there’s no reason why the camera has to be so close to the action. Feeling like you’re giving the player you’re controlling a prostate exam, it’s next to impossible to know what is going on around you, making it incredibly too easy for the AI to destroy you using play action. This is even worse considering the fact that because the hit engine is so fantastic that you’ll want to go for the sack every time out.
Even though it’s a problem on defense, it makes the running game on offense a complete aggravation, as it’s extremely hard to see holes in the line, making passing the only real way to score points.
Simply put, the camera alone is enough reason to stay away from this title.
Making matters worse is the control scheme, which virtually eliminates the fun out the passing game. Using the left analog stick, the gamer essentially flicks the stick in the direction he wants to pass. There’s no real way of timing or aiming the ball either, making for a clumsy and fun-less experience.
With all these problems apparent in the demo version, it’s safe to say that if you want a quality pigskin experience on the 360 you’re stuck with Madden or a two-year old All-Pro Football 2K8, which in spite of playing fantastic, looks like a beefed up PS2 title.
Great looking hits aside, “Backbreaker†needs to go see a chiropractor.
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