Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

[Anaxamander]

I got in about 20 minutes this morning before work, and I must say that I'm already hooked.

I tried exhibition off the bat, and the presentation is excellent. I appreciate the fact that they're going for an on-field experience instead of a broadcast experience. It makes the presentation seem fresh and intense. I love the first-person POV when you're walking out of the tunnel.

I decided to start off on Pro-Easy to see how it was. My first play from scrimmage was a 70 yard touchdown run, so I was thinking easy mode would be too easy, but my passing game is far behind my running game at this point. I'm going to have to go into the training mode and log some hours, because I was throwing to receivers who weren't there. I can't believe it's actually possible to lob the ball and hit grass in this game. It really makes you re-evaluate your decisions when you know your pass is not guaranteed to be right on target.

On the defensive side, I'm a liability at this point, but I am having fun. It's kind of reminiscent of playing NCAA with the camera locked on to your defender, but better, because you can actually blitz without getting suction-blocked. Another thing I love is that in the option menu you can set who you want to play as on the defense. So if I want to be switched to CB by default, I can do that. The same goes for the offense. I was very impressed that you could choose to play as an o-lineman or a receiver, or a TE. I've been asking for this feature for years, and it's one of the first things I'm going to try out when I get back home.

I just love the intensity of this game. I love how the already-tight camera becomes even tighter when you hold RT and go into aggressive mode. It really gives you the sensation of movement, and variety of tackles gives you a feeling that anything can happen. On one play, I saw the defense knock the ball out of the QB's hand before the throw. It sounds like a little thing, but the way it happened was so... real. There was no evidence of a dice roll that kicked in and decided that a fumble needed to occur. The defender's hand was there, the ball was there, and the fumble happened the way it should. It's going to be eye-opening for a lot of folks, I think.

One thing I'm disappointed about is that there's no CPU vs CPU in the demo. Does anyone know if it exists on the final game?

[turftickler]

Quote: Originally Posted by Details

First and foremost, it's a fresh football video game experience! We're not entirely beholden to the whims of one company, and that's cause for hope. "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things..." Camera options would've be a plus, but the visceral camera view that's available is fun. I'm looking forward to playing the demo again.

This game is nothing like Blitz or Madden NFL. It's 10 times better than that. There is no suction blocking. Passing and running are actually fun and realistic now. Game Up or it's Game Over! Get your Backbreaker fix ASAP.

[myownsun]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bash

Still waiting for PS3 demo.

You and me both, tuesday is the big day

[elgreazy1]

Quote: Originally Posted by boritter

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.

I agree with your assessment except what's bolded and that being I'm a fan of the camera angle to an extent. Being an avid Gears of War fan I'm fully accustomed to the 3PV used here in BB and I like how intense and in your face is. But on the flip side, I will say that I do miss seeing the action that goes on around the tackle - namely on defense. If you're playing in the secondary or merely the play flows away from your side you really miss in on what's happening - animations, tackles, hits, bodies, collisions, etc. This is something I think the devs will have to address down the line because the point of BB is to fully immerse the player in the game and with this "issue" I can see a lot of people feeling like spectators on defense.

I'll hold off on my judgement of the music and replays because this is a demo, but I would like more variety in the menu music. And I find it odd the game plays POD on kickoffs but during no other aspect in the field-of-play is there soundtrack music. Hopefully we can get rid of that.

As for the gameplay, it's pretty solid so far. It's going to take some time to relearn the passing game, but in all honesty, I'm all for it. I really love the in-your-face feel of the pass rush and the sense of panic and pressure. A gamer will definitely have to have the cajones to not crumble or wig out while standing tall in the pocket to complete that pass. This will give gamers much more appreciation for what QBs really face.

Controls: I do find myself on offense running uncontrollably at times, especially on runs, but that could also be due to the fact that I am heavy on the Sticks and I could simply be overcompensating when I really should be. On defense, I don't seem to have a problem moving and flowing.

Sound: Can't gripe about it other than the fact of some dead sounds here and there. If that remains in the full version I'll merely have to make some Playlists and stream it in the background - not a big deal.

Graphics: Awesome! Many people hate the player models but I will say the stylization is at least done very well. Player models are very polished looking and you can see a ton of detail; in fact, I see very little jaggies in this game even hooked up to my 62in HDTV. **One thing I have always thought about the models is that they were left as-is on purpose. I really think NM is going to want to make a push for the NFL license if it hits the market and by leaving the models as almost a shell (along with no faces just visors) they can implement cloth texture coverings down the line and create faces. If they don't then they have their own distinct look from here on out.**

[catcatch22]

The fundamentals of this game are extremely well done. My lone complaint is getting off the the bomb deep ball pass. The controls for the lob pass seem a bit clunky. Not sure if it was me or the demo controls.

Other than that the game plays awesome. I only wish I had the option of moving my head to scan the field while running and throwing the ball opposite of what they gave us. There were times I wanted to turn my head to look one way but the camera wanted me to focus on another area. This is an issue I wish there could be a fix for but nonetheless it gets the job done.

One area I am totally hyped about are the real pileups. The pileups look amazing, not to mention being blindsided and sacked as the qb really makes you feel like your right in the pocket.

[Blitzburgh]

WOW! The best demo I have ever played! I really like the way this game feels! Finally something new! If this game had the NFL license it would be a huge success but I still think this game is going to be a big hit! no pun!

Playing defense is amazing as is kicking off. You can stay as the kicker just incase he breaks it. The weight of the players is really cool as well. I'm still trying to learn how to run and it will take sometime getting used to the controls but it is a really fun game! Great job for a first attempt-wow.

[spankdatazz22]

Whoa. Color me surprised; demo is far more polished than it has any right to be. Damn thing is gonna make me late for work. Will take a while to get the control scheme down but I like it. Having fun switching positions and playing from different perspectives on defense/kickoffs. Some quick impressions:

+ Love the movement. Very gratifying to accelerate appropriately/chain two moves and have an expected reaction by the defense

+ The game is visceral. Fierce. Definitely makes me feel like I'm on the field

-/+ I don't hate the camera - yet. Like everything else in the game, it's going to take some getting used to. I love how close you get to the action but it does make it difficult to see certain things at times. Overall I think it's more of a positive than a negative. But I can see people not giving themselves time to adjust from what we've been used to

+ Passing is different, but it makes completing a pass very gratifying

+ Player models are much better proportioned than I thought they'd be

+ Animations are sick. Great player interaction. Some of the base ones (pitch anim, QB throws, catches) can look kinda basic, but the interaction on the blocks, the tackles, etc. are all top notch. Very impressive when taking into account the movement. I remember when I used to be able to watch a replay in 2K5 of a simple 2yd run over and over again because of everything occuring on the field. This definitely has that quality. *gulp* Maybe even moreso, because of the physics aspect of it all

+ Tackle Alley

Will post more impressions later; lots to take in. Very enjoyable demo; lots of play options. WAY too early to be thinking this, but the fact that it crossed my mind as I was playing made me want to post it. I started thinking of the Joker in The Dark Knight saying to Batman:

"You've changed things"

[catcatch22]

Another issue, the game seems to run on 40 frames per second to me. Not full 60 but more 30-40ish.