Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

[bkrich83]

Played a bunch more today.

I wish the quarters were longer. It's hard to get a feel for the offense, when you just can't get a rhytm or tempo going due to such a short game time.

My impressions remain positive. Still a first day buy. Still hate the player models and the camera angle. I don't think sensory deprivation in the name of reality is really that realistic. Lack of depth perception and peripheral vision really hamper the game play from a camera perspective imo. Maybe that's just me. I simply don't like it, and don't feel it's more "realistic" or "sim" due to the limitations of playing on a 2d screen.

The run game is fun, and playing defense is fun. Seen lots of great hits and tackle animations. I think the intensity of the hits needs to be toned down a little. A few too many perfect form tackles resulting in a crushed ball carrier for my tastes, but with such limited exposure that could just be an anomaly.

I hope the playbooks are a little more expanded in the final version. They are pretty limited in the demo. That could be a bit of a turnoff down the road.

Overall, very encouraged, and am liking it so far.

[bkrich83]

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Quote: Originally Posted by o Mass Murda o

this thread is crazy with 90pct crying about the camera. it truly speaks loudly to solidify that ppl hate change. youre outta your mind to think in less than a day you should have mastered the camera and be dominating and be able to do exactly what you want cuz u played a few hours. bottom line is its easy to pick up but will take TIME TO LEARN AND MASTER! its been known for 3yrs what the camera was gona be. no clue why ppl are expecting a patched in madden cam. if you cant accept change and actually take time to learn the nuances and such to get good....u shouldnt be bothering to play it. its evident madden/ncaa got you trained and your having too much trouble accepting and adapting to a new game. answer this...if you get good at call of duty over the course of a yr...do you expect to pick up another shooter franchise and expect to have it mastered immediately in less than 24hrs? do you expect the button layout to be identical? the gunplay to be the same? or do you take time to learn it and its nuances then get good over time? this instant gratification society is a little crazy sometimes. the game isnt perfect and thats a fact. a learning curve is expected. if u take the necessary time to adjust and learn youll prolly have a diff view and see the game in its glory. im willing to invest more than a day to learn and will enjoy this title along with many others as long as the ai proves solid. its a lil shaky in this demo but that could be due to being a demo afterall. i dont believe that full ai could possibly be included in a 400mb demo...esp with the graphics and physics we"re playing with. IMO if madden had this cam all along and BB came with god cam...everyone would be crying for the 3rd person cam to be patched in. give it a REAL chance ppl!! unlearn EA football...or at least forget it for now. I really think its a solid demo with a few question marks to be answered with a full game disc on the 1st

At some point, you're just going to have to accept the fact, this game will not be everyone's cup of tea, and there will be things like camera angles that people simply don't like about it.

I am not sure why people think that giving the user multiple options for something like camera angle is a bad thing. It was one of my biggest complaints in Madden, and it's pretty much my biggest complaint in this game (lack of choice in camera angles.

The whole notion that if you don't like the camera angle it's because you are to "trained" by Madden and NCAA, and that you aren't up to the task of mastering and adapting to it is beyond ridiculous and just reeks of blind fanboyism. Different people have different preferences.

[Wazzer99]

Quote: Originally Posted by maddenps2

Then suddenly the Skate series emerged and it blew us away and tony hawk away. Skate felt fresh, innovative, and next gen. Madden to me feels like tony hawk, and backbreaker is like skate. Just a little thought i had as i was playing the backbreaker and skate 3 demos.

You're not alone in that thought!

I played TH games for like 7/8 years, from the awesome THPS2 onwards. When Skate came along, it was "fresh" and "innovative" - however I personally just couldn't get in to it. Everyone was telling me how great it was, and I could also see all the good things about it and appreciate why people loved it. But for me personally, I just preferred the way the old THPS games played.

Having said that - in my opinion were the Skate developers right to try something different? Hell yes.

Comparisons between Backbreaker and Madden are inevitable. But they are both different games that just so happen to be based around the same sport. Personally I like an overhead view when playing sports games, but Backbreaker is trying to be a different sort of game. It is what it is, and think it should be taken on it's own merits.

I guess for some people, the overhead camera isn't just a preference for their football gaming - it's a requirement. And sadly for those people, maybe this just isn't the game for them, in the same way that Skate wasn't for me.

Quote: Originally Posted by SIM RULES

I kind of feel embarrassed that it took the British to step in with little to no experience, and change the course of football, and set it on it's correct course.

If it makes you feel any better, how do you think the British feel about Pro Evolution Soccer?

"It's not where you're from, it's where you're at."

[pistonpete]

Based on the vids and impressions i've read (ps3 guy) i think that a madden cam option would take away from, not enhance the experience NM envisioned. i play FPF exclusively on 2K5 so I am looking forward to BB. It took me a while to get used to the controls and the lack of peripheral vision, but once the learning curve was conquered, I really enjoyed it. With 2K the passing game and running game are hard at first. But after awhile, you learn them well, if you stick with it. Having said that, I anticipate that since BB has arrived, I will finally retire 2K5.
I do understand people wanting options for their hard earned $50, but at the same time I respect NM for executing their vision and not being afraid to disenfranchise some therein. I think that as someone said, since there is a zoomed out "coach" cam already there, they could either patch it in or add it to the next iteration. I'm sure they can tweak the controls so that switching receivers is not as wonky either. Question: can you play multiplayer in the demo?

pete

[TheCreep]

Logged in a little more playing time.

Physics engine is great, no denying that. Graphics are good, as are the player models, but I'm an equipment freak so I would love to have a choice of gloves, face masks, etc. Any plans for DLC to add in a few things I wonder?

The running game is tough and I get an extreme feeling of accomplishment when gaining yards. Feels rewarding when you make gains ya know.

Passing game is good, I dont find it that difficult actually. I too would've liked more options reference camera angles, but it doesn't destroy my experience. I can deal with it.

I cant help thinking while I'm pounding the ball, that fatigue really should have been implemented. Also, the AI seems to be very weak. I use the Columbia Colonels who have one of the lowest overalls and I'm able to stalemate pittsburgh? I dont like that. Right now its looking like the ratings aren't determining the games like it should.

CPU offensive A.I is not competent. I hope this is fixed for final release.\

Other than that, this is a good addition to video football games.

[TajDeni]

as far as this being a video game, from a conventional football standpoint there are quite a few things that i dont like about the demo at this point and dont really see it as being a serious contender to hardcore madden or ncaa fans

but that being said heres what backbreaker is to me and the main reason im seriously thinking about getting it....

backbreaker is what superstar mode or road to glory mode is supposed to look like, for me when seen in this manner, i think this demo is a smashing success,

i mean the 1st time i came throw that tunnel onto the football field i was blown away, i reset the demo right there to experience it again and again.

[Altoonasfinest]

Question would you pick BB over madden or NCAA?

[The Clairvoyant]

I liked the demo but I'm concern with the ints.