Backbreaker News Post

Backbreaker Multiplayer Hands-on and Videos (IGN)

10:13 PM - March 12, 2010 by lofeazy

IGN has posted their hands-on impressions of Backbreaker, going over the multiplayer details. They've also included a few videos.

Quote:


	"I'm still not a huge fan of how Backbreaker handles running the ball outside and switching players on defense. Both are problems because of the camera angle that's used. When running the camera is still too close to be able to see defenders curling around the offensive line. On defense, the camera angle makes it jarring to switch from a blitzing linebacker to a safety in man-to-man coverage. There's no frame of reference for what the player you're switching to might be doing and it can be frustrating when the opposing team's offense breaks big plays because you can't effectively switch. I found most of my success passing the ball because of my issue with the running. I did toss a few interceptions, but that was more due to the fact that I threw into double coverage too often. The defensive backs do a good job of picking off passes if the ball hits them in the hands, an issue that Madden players have always had."

Game: BackbreakerReader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 51 - View All

Backbreaker Videos

Member Comments

# 41 p_rushing @ 03/13/10 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXperiment63


	4th Down TD... 12 seconds in... You can see the option to select by formation.

thanks, some how I missed that

# 42 LeonM @ 03/13/10 08:30 PM

This is from the associate producer of Backbreaker. He actually played the spilt screen mode with IGN's Nate Ahearn.

Quote:

What you didn't realize, and what we only really decided to do at the very last minute, was that we allowed sites to direct capture footage from the game. You may not appreciate what a big step that is for us. Believe me, it was a huge moment. The build that was being demonstrated was literally "yesterday's" build. We got it delivered to the San Fran studio on Tuesday and that was what we ran with.

So all the footage you are seeing coming out of GDC is raw, untouched, not even remotely hand picked. It's also... and this is a big point... not finished!

# 43 deebo2246 @ 03/13/10 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djordan


	Posts like this crack me up..lol ..This and the "EA and IGN are sleeping together thats why they are bashing Backbreaker"..HAHHA

By no means am I taking up for the videos or if they may fall short. My whole post was an assumption about the messed up looking animations that were showed. I don't prefer one game over the other, but I prefer a developer who focuses on good gameplay. Each and every developer that does interviews or blogs after getting bashed on forums are there to save grace. I call a spade a spade and a dud a dud. If you read my blog or previous posts I am skeptical about both companies producing something revolutionary. What Backbreaker showed has promise, but the jury is still out.

# 44 turftickler @ 03/13/10 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	Good post and good story. It seems to parallel this situation. The lesson: don't let video game companies blur objectivity.

Our expectations should not be so high, but some of us have longed for a completely different football game for 6 years now. We all have a different opinion of what we see as good, great, and/or horrible.

I putting my money on this game this year. Also, I stay in contact with the dev team adn things aren't always going the way they planned for them to, but the continue to work toward making Backbreaker better. Many people don't know what goes on behind the scenes when a team is developing a video game. NaturalMotion is a company that holds itself to higher standards, small as it may be, but a strong force nontheless.

Guys, please do yourselves a favor and judge for yourselves. Do what I do. Watch the videos first without sound, then with sound, then don't read any of the reviews. I don't care what someone else thinks of any game that I play. I will be the one paying for it. We all know that just because a game is popular and has been around for many years, does not mean it is good.

For instance, I can't stand watching baseball, but I am actually going to pick up MLB 10 because of how it is put together. MLB 2k10 falls way short compared to it. I played the demo and I have not read any reviews. I have only watched the videos, but I love what I see.

# 45 CreatineKasey @ 03/13/10 11:03 PM

I hear ya, Turf. I just see so many guys on here what I see as blindly chopping down legitimate concerns so I feel compelled to defend them.

I want BB to be a great game too. I want it to be something that I can be in leagues with for years on end.

That being said, I won't buy it to "make a point" to EA. I'll buy it if I think it's worth the cost... just like any other purchase I make.

# 46 Skyboxer @ 03/14/10 04:05 AM

Thoroughly unimpressed so far. Guess we'll see come May....
I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

# 47 Dynamite @ 03/14/10 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djordan


	Posts like this crack me up..lol ..This and the "EA and IGN are sleeping together thats why they are bashing Backbreaker"..HAHHA

Right and how much advertising does 2k do with IGN? Might that have anything to do with the relative closeness in scores given by IGN, even when the games deserve no such thing? I can understand that you disagree, but the concept is not laughable, not in the time since the Gerstmann firing from GameSpot. It's perfectly reasonable that ad dollars play a role in review scores in web reviews.

# 48 raz77 @ 03/14/10 09:41 AM

Yeah, I'm not putting too much trust in IGN. There are always some plays that would make Madden, 2k5, APF, and even tecmo bowl look like awful football games if singled out. I need to see if stuff like that TD pass into insane coverage happens consistently.

# 49 CreatineKasey @ 03/14/10 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raz77


	Yeah, I'm not putting too much trust in IGN. There are always some plays that would make Madden, 2k5, APF, and even tecmo bowl look like awful football games if singled out. I need to see if stuff like that TD pass into insane coverage happens consistently.

Here's my perspective: They have probably about 6 weeks left of polishing the ENTIRE game. At this point, QB's are able to throw perfect deep passes off their back foot, disregarding all the momentum needed to make a strong, deep throw. It'd be a fairly major change to adjust something like that in a short time frame.

I don't think the gameplay will be much different than what we see right now. If they are willing to release video, they expect the product to look how it does right now.

# 50 kjcheezhead @ 03/14/10 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	Here's my perspective: They have probably about 6 weeks left of polishing the ENTIRE game. At this point, QB's are able to throw perfect deep passes off their back foot, disregarding all the momentum needed to make a strong, deep throw. It'd be a fairly major change to adjust something like that in a short time frame. I don't think the gameplay will be much different than what we see right now. If they are willing to release video, they expect the product to look how it does right now.

I'm not worried about the off the back foot throw so much. It is ugly, but it has been a staple of Madden games for years and I always dealt with it so I can deal with it in this game. At least in it's first game of the series.

What I want to see polished is stuff like the defender doing a mini turbo boost when they tried to make a play the ball on that td play. That was the one Madden issue I didn't want to see in BB and I still think there is time to polish that out.(or least make that smoother).

I've watched the vids about 20 times each I think, and the more I watch them, the better they look to me. In the vid with the over the middle pick, the play before had a de make a nice wrap tackle and on the pick six I saw a player trying to make a tackle get slowed by his own guy very realistically. The unpredictable gameplay still gives this game a lot of value to me.

# 51 CreatineKasey @ 03/14/10 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Afrikan


	not too major. Todd Gibb's tweet a couple of days ago. http://twitter.com/toddgibbs

I'll believe it when I see it. That will probably come when I play the game because I guarantee you they won't allow any more "back foot" throws.

You know what'd be nice? A video showing the changes made to off balance throwing once they make them

# 52 sportyguyfl31 @ 03/15/10 02:25 PM

Ohhhhh nooooo. Fadaway dart downfield, completed through 4 defenders.

That better be arcade mode. If that happens on a regular basis, I'ts going to be a short run....

# 53 CreatineKasey @ 03/16/10 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by granddogg


	i see the trolls have found this tread.. o well it Was fun while it lasted.

Nope. Many of the "trolls" were rooting for BB hard before these sub-par videos were released. There's a pretty high standard for sim ball around here.

# 54 moylan1234 @ 03/16/10 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	Nope. Many of the "trolls" were rooting for BB hard before these sub-par videos were released. There's a pretty high standard for sim ball around here.

Yes and an even higher standard for overreacting to a few unfinished game vids

# 55 CreatineKasey @ 03/16/10 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moylan55


	Yes and an even higher standard for overreacting to a few unfinished game vids

The game is out in 6 weeks. You think all of this is going to change?

# 56 moylan1234 @ 03/16/10 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	The game is out in 6 weeks. You think all of this is going to change?

you're right by all means continue to rip it apart without the benefit of actually playing it yourself. my bad.

# 57 t11 @ 03/16/10 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moylan55


	you're right by all means continue to rip it apart without the benefit of actually playing it yourself. my bad.

LOL! OWNED! that was awesome...

Actually, Rob stated that they were dropping in tons of new features before GDC but they were unfinished and glitchy. So a lot could have changed, you never know.

# 58 CreatineKasey @ 03/16/10 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moylan55


	you're right by all means continue to rip it apart without the benefit of actually playing it yourself. my bad.

Will do! That's the point of me going on here... to talk about what I see on media releases. I've weighed positives and negatives over and over. Apparently you only see the negatives. It's alright. I have no agenda

# 59 roadman @ 03/16/10 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moylan55


	you're right by all means continue to rip it apart without the benefit of actually playing it yourself. my bad.

We all know BB is the only game privy to this, don't we?

# 60 moylan1234 @ 03/16/10 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	We all know BB is the only game privy to this, don't we?

no you're right, but for some reason this syndrom seems to be amped up for BB

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