Backbreaker Preview (Xbox 360 Magazine)

[Valdarez]

Backbreaker definitely has a lot of potential. Anytime a gamer is put 'in the action', it's almost always a positive. TopSpin 2 allowed us to play close 3rd person camera angle, and for real tennis players, it was pretty close to the real thing. I've tried to ask Ian what EA's approach is, whether they are presenting the game from the fans perspective (broadcast) or the players (1st / 3rd person), as most football games to date stand awkwardly in the middle, including Madden though it tends to go for the broadcast more than anything else.

On break away runs, I never understood why Madden pulled the camera back, and then shook it back and forth. That has to be one of the worst presentation elements ever added to a game. Instead of putting me in no man lands view wise, have the camera zoom in on the player so you see what they see as they cross the line. That would have been far more realistic and easily more engaging. This is why you need a clear vision for your presentation, and as far as I can see Madden still doesn't have one. It's VERY refreshing to see BackBreaker clearly has a vision and has executed towards that vision from day one.

[Valdarez]

OMG... the article says that the Players will be 1-22??? I never read this before! Has this been public knowledge for awhile and I've just been out of the loop? Any more information on 'how' that's going to work? That is just AWESOME!

[t11]

Oh no... hysteria... lol

It was a typo.

[Glorious Arc]

Quote: Originally Posted by t11

Oh no... hysteria... lol It was a typo.

Didnt we just go over this in the other...

I wouldnt start spreading the word that BB is going to be like fifa soccer 11 human players vs 11 human players just yet because Rob one of the devs came in and said it was a typo...He also at the end of his comment saying "Sorry if it got your hopes up" Only time will tell if he was being 100% serious or if he was trying to cover up a premature release of some seriously amazing info.

[BrianFifaFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveDQ

I'm really becoming excited for this game. I don't like the constant "this will hit EA where it hurts" mentality. For people who want something different, or something that is recreating how we play videogame football, Backbreaker has great potential. Hoping the game puts EA in its place will just lead to more frustration. All EA has to do is flex its NFL muscle in the casual gamer's face and it's a lock for them.

I'm gonna have to disagree with this. PES has had option file capability forever. And I'm sure that the EA suits would have loved to shut down the capability to be able to make real kits and logos. They (EA) paid a lot of dough to have authentic stuff. But they couldn't shut PES down. 2k just didn't want to offend the NFL hoping that they could get back in the game during APF development. BB's parent company doesn't have that type of worry, EA already has said no on buying the tech, so Natural Motion has nothing really to lose beng diplomatic.And it would be a stretch for the NFL to cry copyright infringement. BB has different uni's that in no way look like a NFL uniform. Now the logos would be user created and shared, so they'd have a hard time trying to push that angle. So the NFL is gonna leave it alone, as will EA. Unless they wanted to risk their ability to offer editing in NCAA..... IMO, not worth it for EA to try and set legal precedent.

[TheWatcher]

^^^ I think Dave was meaning that the NFL license appeals to gamers more than a non-NFL licensed product, and all EA has to do is play up that part with a strong marketing push and it's going to hurt any competitor who's trying to make a mark with technology alone.

Madden is going to sell in the millions anyway and BB isn't going to hurt that, we all know that. But if BB sells a few hundred thousand it'll be a big victory for everybody.

What bothers me is when I hear gamers say they won't touch this game because it doesn't have an NFL license. I understand why they say it, but they may not realize that not buying it will only help to keep the market down. If the game is good and you have the means, it would be a good idea to buy it just to help open up the market.

This is a copycat industry, and if a non-NFL licensed game succeeds, more studios will take a shot. This is exactly what we want to happen. But like I've said in the past (and we see this happening here and there), smaller indie's will pop up making American football games. If you count between console, mobile, and internet-based American football games, there is a good number out there. Right now, it's up to gamers to help open the possibilities. Instead of all the complaining I hear people doing about how much they hate Madden and the NFL license situation, I wish they'd stop and start buying and getting into these other games on the market. This situation is not going to change unless gamers stop crying and start getting involved.

Finally, it should be noted that making a good football game has nothing to do with a license. Some of the greatest football games of all time did not have the NFL license. It's already a fact that the technology exists to make the NFL license irrelevant, meaning that the NFL can be recreated by end users. It just takes a developer who is willing to make the tools available like BB is doing. The only thing that will keep this from being 100% are the player models which look nothing like current players (BB is supposedly going for a futuristic look), but another company may come along and create models that look like current players. We just need to keep supporting the market to make sure these possibilities become available.

[turftickler]

Quote: Originally Posted by BrianFifaFan

I'm gonna have to disagree with this. PES has had option file capability forever. And I'm sure that the EA suits would have loved to shut down the capability to be able to make real kits and logos. They (EA) paid a lot of dough to have authentic stuff. But they couldn't shut PES down. 2k just didn't want to offend the NFL hoping that they could get back in the game during APF development. BB's parent company doesn't have that type of worry, EA already has said no on buying the tech, so Natural Motion has nothing really to lose beng diplomatic.And it would be a stretch for the NFL to cry copyright infringement. BB has different uni's that in no way look like a NFL uniform. Now the logos would be user created and shared, so they'd have a hard time trying to push that angle. So the NFL is gonna leave it alone, as will EA. Unless they wanted to risk their ability to offer editing in NCAA..... IMO, not worth it for EA to try and set legal precedent.

Great post, Brian. We have been discussing this over at the official Backbreaker forum. I have been saying the same exact things there, but we have a few guys that keep fighting the truth. Scare tactics, I believe.

You have an impressive portfolio. What did you do when you worked on ESPN NFL 2k5?

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheWatcher

^^^ I think Dave was meaning that the NFL license appeals to gamers more than a non-NFL licensed product, and all EA has to do is play up that part with a strong marketing push and it's going to hurt any competitor who's trying to make a mark with technology alone. Madden is going to sell in the millions anyway and BB isn't going to hurt that, we all know that. But if BB sells a few hundred thousand it'll be a big victory for everybody. What bothers me is when I hear gamers say they won't touch this game because it doesn't have an NFL license. I understand why they say it, but they may not realize that not buying it will only help to keep the market down. If the game is good and you have the means, it would be a good idea to buy it just to help open up the market. This is a copycat industry, and if a non-NFL licensed game succeeds, more studios will take a shot. This is exactly what we want to happen. But like I've said in the past (and we see this happening here and there), smaller indie's will pop up making American football games. If you count between console, mobile, and internet-based American football games, there is a good number out there. Right now, it's up to gamers to help open the possibilities. Instead of all the complaining I hear people doing about how much they hate Madden and the NFL license situation, I wish they'd stop and start buying and getting into these other games on the market. This situation is not going to change unless gamers stop crying and start getting involved. Finally, it should be noted that making a good football game has nothing to do with a license. Some of the greatest football games of all time did not have the NFL license. It's already a fact that the technology exists to make the NFL license irrelevant, meaning that the NFL can be recreated by end users. It just takes a developer who is willing to make the tools available like BB is doing. The only thing that will keep this from being 100% are the player models which look nothing like current players (BB is supposedly going for a futuristic look), but another company may come along and create models that look like current players. We just need to keep supporting the market to make sure these possibilities become available.