Backbreaker
Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: Natural Motion Games
Genre: Sports
Rating: E
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Also Available on: PS3
Football games have been stuck in a cyclical pattern for the last decade. Mainly giving you a roster update and some incremental gameplay changes, which while welcome, haven't really pushed the genre forward. Madden has been the reining king but its brand of football is getting a little stale and sports gaming is in need of a revolution. Does Backbreaker have what it takes to play with the big boys or does it need to take a seat on the bench?
Backbreaker has been in development since 2007 and its graphical style hasn’t changed much since then. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The game sports some amazing lighting effects, great depth of field, and fantastic and fluid animations thanks to the Euphoria engine. At the same time, the game does tend to look like a tech demo of sorts and there are some clipping issues, flat textures and an overall lack of detail. The stadiums are all rendered in great detail and really do feel massive in size. The crowds on the other hand, seem to be of relatively low poly count and are awkwardly all doing the exact same thing. It is a problem that has plagued sports title for some time and it’s mainly due to the focus on the on the field visuals.
Speaking of the on the field visuals, Backbreaker sports some interesting and unique design choices, which seem both futuristic but at the same time out of place. Character models have an interesting futuristic vibe to them, however, there is very little variation in both size, height and face design and they often look more like robots than actual human beings. This design choice seems to clash with what makes Backbreaker such a unique title, which is the amazing animation system.
On the field animations are second to none in the sports video game genre. Every tackle looks real and they are different every time. You will see some awkward tackle animations here and there and you will notice some character clipping with each other and the ball but for the most part it all works fairly well. Overall it is a well put together package, graphically, but I look forward to see what design choice they decide to take with future titles in the series.
Backbreaker sports a very slick, clean presentation style. Menus are easy to navigate, there are little to no loading times, and the various gameplay modes all come with their own tutorials to help ease you into the game. The on field presentation also boasts an impressive feel of immersion. Although the game doesn’t look realistic, the presentation is done well enough that you really feel like you are in the game and on the field with your teammates. This is especially the case when you are running with the ball. The overall presentation is well done and serves to show that the developers know that you, the player, just want to get into the action as fast as possible.
The sound design in Backbreaker is somewhat of a mixed bag. The stadium music, announcer and crowd noise are all fairly well done and do an admirable job of conveying the atmosphere of a pro football game, however, the music does get repetitive; as the game consistently uses bits of the same tracks over and over again. It’s not a major problem, seeing how you can use your own soundtrack but it is something they should have fleshed out a little more. Being a football game, where the camera is right down on the field, you can naturally presume that the most important aspect of the sound design would be the on field action. Unfortunately, the sound design on the field isn’t as impactful or well done as one would hope.
With a name like Backbreaker you would think that the sound of someone getting hit would really resonate with you and make you feel like you really just got hit or did some hitting of your own. It is ashamed then, that the actual hits don’t really have much of a punch to them, sound wise. You’ll sometimes hear a hit, here and there but for the most part you never really hear anything and instead sometimes get strong vibration feedback on the controller. It is, in my opinion, a fairly large oversight for the game and one, which I hope will be, remedied in future titles.
As with any sports video games, especially football, the gameplay is the most important aspect to achieving success. The gameplay can either make or break the game and in Backbreaker’s case, it makes it but not without a few fumbles along the way. Let’s get one thing out of the way. Backbreaker is not an NFL Licensed game, as EA and Madden hold the exclusivity for the NFL License; however, don’t let this deter you from giving the game a try. Backbreaker is fundamentally a different style football game in almost every way, when compared to Madden.
The first and most jarring change for Madden veterans, such as myself, is the camera. Unlike Madden, Backbreaker zooms the camera onto the field and behind the player. Similar in style to a third person shooter, Backbreakers camera gets you right into the action and embraces an in your face brand of football, which Madden cannot offer with its standard skycam view. The new camera really forces the player to drastically change their style of play, as you are provided with a more natural and realistic view of the field. As mentioned above, it is extremely jarring at first and takes time to get used to it but when it clicks, it is amazing. You really begin to feel immersed in the action and start to see the field from a whole new perspective.
The next fundamental difference is the actual gameplay on the field. No longer do receivers have face button icons on their heads, instead Backbreakers does away with the whole notion of pushing a button to through a pass. In its place is a fairly intuitive passing system configured entirely on the right joystick. Simply push up on the right joystick and the QB will throw the pass to the highlighted receiver. Should you wish to switch receivers, simply hold down LT, which allows you to increase your focus and push right or left on the right joystick and the QB will switch his view to another receiver. While the actual mechanics are simple, getting the timing right takes some getting used to.
As in real football, the window of opportunity in the pocket is limited. You will get sacked a lot and throw a lot of interceptions, but don’t get discouraged as it is all a part of becoming a good QB. This is one aspect, which I actually really enjoyed. Learning to scan the field and get rid of the ball on time and to the open receiver is really invigorating. Unlike Madden, passing really does require skill, patience and knowledge of the game. This is not to say that passing in the game is perfect, as it does have its fair share of problems.
Among them is the fact that many of the preset QBs in the game will more often then not, overthrow the receivers. This is one problem, which I found to be quite irritating at times. You will throw the ball directly to the receiver and it will somehow end up at least 10 yards away from the receiver. Keep in mind this did not happen all the time but it was an issue. Another issue plaguing the game is the QB scramble option. Like any football game, you want to be able to scramble with the QB should the pocket fall apart. In order to scramble with the QB in Backbreaker, you must push on the RT and the QB will go into scramble mode. There are two issues with the scramble mode; one is that the camera shift to scramble is extremely jarring and just doesn’t work. The second issue is the fact that it is almost impossible to get out of scramble mode, should you choose to throw the ball. You must wait for the QB to plant his feet and then you can throw. Given that your pocket has fallen apart and defenders have given chase, you simply do not have enough time to do anything except get hit. In the end I decided never to scramble, which is never a good thing in football.
The control scheme for passing in Backbreaker is carried over to all other aspects of gameplay. Much like Skate, Backbreaker has you using the right joystick to do every move on the field, while adding an extra layer by giving you modifiers, via the RT. In standard mode, an offensive player can juke, hurdle, dive, and spin, and by pressing the RT and going into aggressive mode, an offensive player can charge, stiff arm, shoulder charge and protect the ball. The standard and aggressive modes are applicable to the defense as well. In standard mode, a defensive player can wrap tackle, barge tackle, spin and rip/swim, while in aggressive mode you can charge and bullrush. It is a very intuitive system and is very easy to get acclimated to. It really becomes second nature after a while and feels fairly comfortable to use.
The last gameplay mechanic and perhaps the most important one, is the focus button. While playing as an offensive ball carrier or a defensive player, you have the ability to press LT, which focuses your player and camera on the current position of the football; whether it is in the centers hands, the QBs hand or in the air. It is an extremely important feature, which was smartly added into the game but is never mentioned in the tutorials. I highly recommend that anyone who plays Backbreaker, make sure that at least 95% of the time your finger is pressing on LT. It will make a world of difference in getting used to the play style of the game and getting good at the game.
Of course, as with any new sports titles there are some gameplay problems. On the defensive side of the ball, defenders often don’t properly wrap opponents. You will often find yourself pushing on the right joystick in order to tackle someone, only to find that they will jump at them but not physically wrap them up. It is a fairly critical oversight, as tackle wrapping is a fundamental part of football in real life and in video games. There is also no intercept/bat down ball option, which is both hard to get used to and a sad omission. In its place is an automatic intercept feature, where if your player is in the right place at the right time, he will most likely intercept the ball or simply drop it.
Many features, which Madden has made a must in sports video games, are inexplicably missing from the game. There are no challenges, playbooks are relatively small and there is no rule changing/tweaking. These are just a few major features missing from the game. The game also boasts some pretty weak AI. Even on the highest difficulty setting, the game isn’t too much of a challenge, especially because offensive A.I. often tends to run the same few plays and the A.I. QB is inept. The game also has a very glaring omission in the form of injuries. There are no injuries in the game. I cannot for the life of me understand why the developers decided to take injuries out of a title that is A. called Backbreaker and B. features the most realistic physics engine in a sports game to date. It isn’t a game breaker but it is an odd oversight.
The last two major problems, which I encountered more then once, are related to penalty calling in the game. As I mentioned earlier, there are no challenges in the game and as such, you are left to the mercy of the CPU when it comes to penalties. Punts were the biggest issue; 9 times out of 10 I would get a roughing the kicker penalty because my linemen somehow managed to roll over the entire offensive line and annihilate the kicker. As I played more and more games, it became a big issue. Getting the penalty means giving the ball back to the other team and that is never a good thing in football. The other major problem relates to any other penalty calls on the field. Passing interference calls are nowhere to be seen, even if it’s blatantly obvious from the replay that you got hit early. You will also run into your fair share of bogus penalty calling. Roughing the passer, illegal player down field, passing interference; you name it and it happened. These are unfortunate problems as they really do hurt the overall gameplay.
Backbreaker plays host to a number of features beyond just your standard exhibition play. Among them is an extremely important tutorial. In fact, the number one thing I recommend doing before you even start an exhibition or season game in Backbreaker is to run through the tutorial. It is quick, painless and teaches you all the fundamentals that you will need to be successful in the game. Beyond the tutorial, you have splitscreen multiplayer and online multiplayer with the ability to take your created teams online. There is a mini-game called Tackle Alley, where your goal is to run down the field and score as many touchdowns as possible. In your way are number of increasingly difficult waves of defensive opponents, who will do whatever it takes to stop you. It is a fairly fun mode, which really helps you develop your running skills in the game.
Backbreaker also comes with a full on season mode, similar to that of Madden. You can choose to play in an 8, 16 or 32 team league. When you start you are told to name the league and the divisions and then you are off. Season mode has your basic setup, with a schedule, free agent signings, recruiting, team stats and standing, etc… It is a pretty basic season mode but effective nonetheless. The last two features in Backbreaker are also two of the biggest; Road to Backbreaker and Team Creation. Road to Backbreaker is a mode where you build your own team from the ground up and go through a tiered league; going from 8 to 16 and finally 32. The goal is to take your created team all the way to the Backbreaker bowl and win it all. While the mode itself is fairly similar to that of the season, it does have one main difference, most notably the fact that you start off by creating your own team.
The team creation in Backbreaker is one of the best customization modes I have ever seen in a video game. You are given the ability to create entire uniforms, logos, and players. The most impressive aspect of it is the sheer amount of possibilities. The game it most resembles in customization would have to be Forza, which I consider to be the king of customization. You can recreate any NFL team with ease or you can let your imagination take over. It is really fascinating and I see myself spending many hours creating new and unique teams. The one downfall with the whole team creation is the fact that player creation is fairly bare bones and as such, every player ends up looking the same. It isn’t a major issue but something that should be expanded upon in future titles.
In the end, Backbreaker is a successful yet flawed game of football. It has some great ideas and boasts the most impressive animation/tackle system I have ever seen in a football game but at the same time, it has some minor and major rookie mistakes that often plague first time football games. The foundation is laid down for a great new competitor to the football crown but for now Backbreaker will have to play a second string to the reining king.
FINAL VERDICT:
3 out of 5
Find this article and more like it at: PixelJumpers.com
