Backbreaker Demo Available, Post Your Impressions Here

[Methlab]

Quote: Originally Posted by sportyguyfl31

From what Im hearing, playing head to head online (with trustworthy people) should be really fun.

oooh..talk more. And when you say trustworthy, are their glitches in the MP?

[Methlab]

Quote: Originally Posted by fldash

I told them about this and they noted it (according to Todd). I noticed it ONLY when there was a significant crosswind on the field. Otherwise they make them.

You're doing good work over there man. I saw your posts.

[21SEC]

Finally had the opportunity to play the demo, and all I can say is wow. Will it be a perfect game, no. However tell me one football game that has come out in ten years that is perfect? I have actually come to the belief that football itself is too complicated of a sport to meet some of the high expectations seen on football gaming websites, but I digress.

It is certainly a different game than we've become accustom to. I love the down on the field, in the middle of the action view. Yes it takes a lot of getting use to, but that's football. I officiate HS football here in MS and worked a spring game Monday night, two days later I was playing the BB demo, and it kept crossing my mind that what I was watching on TV looked just like the real thing I had witnessed two days earlier. The hardest thing for me playing the game, and being on a real football field, is to train my eyes. Television broadcast of games makes it difficult to watch a play, and not follow the ball. When you are on the field, in real life, and in BB you have assignments that require your vision not neccissarily be focused on the ball at all times. This is hard to learn, and I think for some who try BB may be impossible. I personally love it, and am reminded of what a very good coach once said, "football is simply a game of vision, movement, and contact." BB catches all aspects of that statement.

Hopefully BB will be well supported after its release. This is essential for a brand new game. I think ultimately the franchise's success or failure will hinge on the game's evolution in the coming year.

[elgreazy1]

So after a dedicated countless hours with this game demo I'm still not sure what to expect from the game. Here are my updated impressions…

WHAT’S HOT:

Player control - Players move very realistically and you can feel the weight distribution when in control. You are punished for mashing down on Aggressive/Turbo haphazardly, while fully being rewarded by taking proper pursuit angles. One gripe I had with other games was that in Madden you could turn on a dime, while in APF you had to over-compensate for the heavy sense of momentum - especially on defense. The controls are very tight and spins, rips, jukes, even simply stutter stepping are all done so well and react so quickly. And what’s best is you can truly feel the difference between the players with high body control & speed as opposed to those without it.

Player Models – While some may hate the stylized models & kit they wear, I for one have no issues with it. I would have liked to see more variance, but I completely understand this is a first game effort and the devs would much rather focus on the engine than the body. I have no doubt this will get polished and added upon in future installments. Even still, all the models are well proportioned and look very solid.

The Feel of Football – This game puts the game in your face. Running the ball, controlling the QB, keying the ball carrier as a MLB, hawking the secondary as a Safety, it’s all done very well. You feel the pressure, you feel the intensity, and you feel the chaos that is the sport.

I think the QB view has truly changed how we play football, and more than anything, it really simulates just exactly what these “pre-madonnas” go through. It’s not as simple as stepping back and throwing, now we are put in place of what really happens: the pre-play reads, checking down, the sense of the pass rush, the lack of time to throw the ball, the blindside hits, the cajones it takes to stand in the pocket and make that throw, the insanity of scrambling and avoiding the rush, etc. It’s all there.

Return Game – No game has been able to replicate why a great return man is so special to have in real football. Simply fielding a kick is a task in itself in real life and this game has you doing it all: surveying the field, tracking the ball and seeing all the violence and mayhem coming straight at you as you attempt to forward the ball. It’s done so very well because now the pressure to field the ball is all on the user, and the game adds the aspect of making all three key facets of the game - offense, defense, AND special teams – just as important. I can’t tell you how many times I was too overly concerned with simply fielding the ball that I didn’t pay attention to the pursuit and was either completely decimated by a gang of tacklers or the pressure of fielding it with pursuit in sight caused me to muff the ball.

LUKEWARM

Camera – While I do love the approach the game is taking, I still feel the camera needs some work, especially on offense. On defense, holding Focus gives you a great chance at reading the ball and being able to flow, but on offense, the camera still seems to sit too far away or the ball carrier simply does not have enough time to be able to use it before being tackled. I will not get into the debate of which camera is better, but I will state that it would be a win/win for the developer to definitely lend an ear to the parts of the community who would like options. Me, I simply want it fined tuned a little more.

Camera Part 2 – I think the Coach Cam needs to be adjusted. For a game that wanted to get away from the “god cam” – or the traditional 3^rd person, zoomed out view – why would the inclusion of the Coach Cam give you that all-important view? If anything, I think the Coach Cam should be from the coach’s perspective, ie: the sideline or a true TV broadcast view. Coaches and players don’t have access to this camera in real life until after a drive or a break in play, not during. Even if the Coach Cam were from a high box where the Coordinators sit that would be a better, more realistic approach than the “god cam” because it would give the gamer a chance to survey the field, but not to where he can perfectly dissect every inch of the field as he can now.

Field Sounds – While I understand the game is a demo and taking a new approach, I seem to find the sound on the field to be quite dull, and I’m not sure if it’s merely from the fact that the version we have is a demo. Maybe in the full version there is more crowd, ambient, PA, and on-field noise, but as it sits now the game sounds far too calm. I recall the devs doing a Diary on just the sounds themselves and how much they worked on it, but that hasn’t translated so well here. Like I said, it could merely be the demo.

Generic Players - This has nothing to do with the player models, but simply the players. Where's the emotion?! I wish there was simply more personality to these guys, but then again, this is just a demo, so the full game could include this. Having played APF2K8 almost religiously, I can tell you that even Generic players or players without the NFL license can have a life of their own. Hopefully some on-field banter or personality traits can be mapped to players - or this will be an option down the line - but at this point every player felt the same. This has always been a gripe of mine with the Madden series and it seems they've been doing quite a good job at fixing this over the last few years.

GETTING COLDER

Kicking Game – All facets of BB force the gamer into pressure-tight, stressful situation EXCEPT the kicking game. I think the devs need to find a way to make this just as taxing by making it real time like every other part of the game. Having the ability to sit and pick your power & direction without any outside stressors doesn’t replicate in the least what a kicker & punter face. People hate on kickers for missing field goals, but in the end, we don’t see what they go through: crowd yelling, rushers coming, checking to see if the ball is aligned, getting the proper footwork in place, etc. BB does such a great job in replicating what every position goes through except for the kicking game.

Constant Blur – Some folks have issues with this due to medical reasons but my issue is that it’s far over-done. Why put so much work into creating such magnificent stadiums, crowds, player models if everything is going to constantly have a blur effect on it – this is namely in post-play. I honestly feel it needs to be toned down.

Player Controls: Part 2 - I wish there were an inclusion to simply “jump” or to swat a ball. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I could go in for a swat or a jump to bat a ball away or to go for an INT. I understand the devs want to map most of the controls to the R-Stick, but by forcing the game AI to make a judgment call here really puts the user controller – especially those with great reaction times & stick skills – at a disadvantage.

[Methlab]

I agree pretty much with your review. That was good stuff.

[swaldo]

The DB swat isn't going to happen in a patch, the dev said it's too difficult to program.

[Methlab]

Yeah. I think that will be in BB2 though.

I like how honest they are about stuff instead of ignoring specific questions. I feel like if the AI is not blocking well enough on blitzes, or the CPU AI is throwing too many picks, they they will adddress and patch these issues. I also think that this game will shine online due to how fast it plays and how it seems like you can always have a chance at getting the ball back. I really like that aspect a lot.

[J-Unit40]

Quote: Originally Posted by swaldo

The DB swat isn't going to happen in a patch, the dev said it's too difficult to program.

Interesting. So it's basically INT or nothing?

Thanks for the info.