Backbreaker News Post

Backbreaker Hands-On Preview (Gameinformer)

06:59 PM - April 2, 2010 by Steve_OS

Gameinformer has posted their hands-on preview of Backbreaker.

Quote:


	"With All-Pro Football and Blitz hanging up their cleats, EA is the undisputed king of football games. That isn�t stopping Natural Motion from going for it on fourth down with Backbreaker. Armed with the Euphoria engine that has powered the impressive animations for games like Grand Theft Auto IV and The Force Unleashed, Backbreaker aims to take down the NCAA and Madden publisher with its gritty, up close and personal brand of football. To get a better sense of what this game�s about, 505 Games supplied us with a preview build."

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

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# 141 JayBee74 @ 04/12/10 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufgators253


	If anyone is till wondering why Matt chose to play Arcade mode here is what he said to me on the game informer website. Hey Black Mamba, When Natural Motion and 505 agreed to the hands-on preview, they explicitly told us that we could only play the game in Arcade mode, as they are "still working on the options for Pro mode." So that's what we did. Hope that clears things up for you, Matt Black Mamba205 is my screename btw.

Well, it was a lousy preview. The fact he had to be asked about why he played it in Arcade mode and still no mention of the difficulty level he played on. Having said that The game is suppose to release in 6 weeks and a day (May 25th) so they better show something a lot more solid or they won't out sale AllPro 2K8.

# 142 kjcheezhead @ 04/14/10 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcxiv


	i am basing it on the videos they have given up. The game doesnt look good. The tackling looks good, but other then that. I dont see anything that makes me say, buy this game on day one. I just added up everything and my conclusion so far is that, its nothing to be that excited over. I really realy really really wish that was NOT the case. I would love NOTHING more then for this game to be the next big football game. The hell with my 2K ties, i been football gaming long before 2K sports or Sega Sports even existed. I am a football gaming fan more then anything. Like i said, as of right now, its a no go for me.

There's your reason right there. Developers aren't making football games these days because without the NFL, the games won't make a profit. If your a football gaming fan and would love to see more football games, I urge you to at least give the game a try before sticking a fork in this series. If this game fails, it's the end of the road for any football games besides Madden and NCAA for a very long time. If this game suceeds, companies like 2k might rethink the idea that football games without the NFL license always fail.

# 143 rooney8 @ 04/15/10 07:47 AM

It seems like everyone is thinking this game is competing with Madden. It's not.
They are releasing it in May so everyone is finished with M10 and it's still 3 months till M11 is released. It's aim is to be a fun pick up and play game that will appeal to non football fans aswell. They are trying for a market Madden doesn't have not take Maddens. I mean they would not stand a chance against a game that's been around over 20 years and has more money and the Nfl licenses. So all you hardcore fans who want the Qb's dropback to be perfect and it to mirror the Nfl format don't buy it. That's not the game they were trying to build so you'll just be disappointed and I don't want to have to listen to your "it's not as good as Madden" complaining.

# 144 Methlab @ 04/15/10 10:54 AM

I have less and less time for video games anymore. but I will buy this game and play it as long as it's decent. I am not buying Madden again until it is a completely new game. It's just a waste of my money and time.

# 145 kjcheezhead @ 04/15/10 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcxiv


	They need to come correct with something that looks good outside of tackling then. I never said i wasnt going to give it a try. I am just saying as of right now it does NOT look like a first day purchase for me. I havent see anything that looks like a game you have to play with strategy. Just a horrible camera angle and a horrible qb drop back. Maybe there is some decent strategy, but lord knows why they havent showed any of that yet. We have just seen "cool tackles"

I don't understand how you figure there is no strategy. The qb's view is more natural and limiting in BB. Presnap reads can be more important and since you can't see where everyone is at all times a player really needs to know his wrs routes.

I also don't get the hate for the camera angle. I like how the defensive camera angle is and also like the more challenging qb view. The control scheme sounds interesting as well. Everything being on the sticks will be a nice change of pace.

Finally, I hear the "all they show is tackles" thing all the time and it really frustrates me. Euphoria involves any contact between players. Jostling, mid-air collisions, blocking, and gang tackles of any number. They also programmed the players with behaviours which means they are given a task and that's it. They don't necessarily do it the same way every time so the game is less predictable.

# 146 JayBee74 @ 04/15/10 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjcheezhead


	I Finally, I hear the "all they show is tackles" thing all the time and it really frustrates me. Euphoria involves any contact between players. Jostling, mid-air collisions, blocking, and gang tackles of any number. They also programmed the players with behaviours which means they are given a task and that's it. They don't necessarily do it the same way every time so the game is less predictable.

That's a good point-lets just hope it's executed well.

# 147 allBthere @ 04/15/10 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Methlab


	I have less and less time for video games anymore. but I will buy this game and play it as long as it's decent. I am not buying Madden again until it is a completely new game. It's just a waste of my money and time.

I couldn't agree more. It's not that it's "EA", it's that it needs to change because I'm not into it the way it is at all.

This game is at the very least a new experience, and a new take on the sport as a videogame. I'm totally down for that.

# 148 rooney8 @ 04/15/10 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allBthere


	I couldn't agree more. It's not that it's "EA", it's that it needs to change because I'm not into it the way it is at all. This game is at the very least a new experience, and a new take on the sport as a videogame. I'm totally down for that.

Exactly! You are who they are targeting to sell this game to. Yet people want it to be made similar to Madden. What's the point in that. I know Madden is bad but a game without the license has no business trying to compete with it.

# 149 JayBee74 @ 04/17/10 10:12 PM

As I mentioned in another thread it's worth noting that the April 2nd GameInformer Preview was based on the playing of the game in February.

# 150 splff3000 @ 04/20/10 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayBee74


	As I mentioned in another thread it's worth noting that the April 2nd GameInformer Preview was based on the playing of the game in February.

Where's it at? I got the new GI a while ago, but never saw anything about BB in it? Was it just on the site?

# 151 JayBee74 @ 04/21/10 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splff3000


	Where's it at? I got the new GI a while ago, but never saw anything about BB in it? Was it just on the site?

The online one. It is on the first post of the thread and right here.
The GI Preview

# 152 boritter @ 04/21/10 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Afrikan


	no actually it is not available "in-game"...like MLB The Show's roster vault.... you would share rosters and teams like how we do NFL 2K5...you save it to a memory card and upload it online through your computer... then someone can download it to their USB card and copy it over to their PS3/360.

I hate workaround solutions and it seems like this game might be full of them. (Name blocks for NFL teams & players, roster sharing). Gaming shouldn't be a chore.

That combined with very little customization and options has me leaning toward a rental at best. (Player editing, replay camera angles).

Lastly, it sounds like Natural Motion is still working on a lot of things. (AI, crowd and field sound) That sounds like a patch since the game will go gold in 2 or so weeks.

# 153 boritter @ 04/21/10 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Afrikan


	as far as a chore to do stuff....you don't have to..you can create your own team how u see fit...as far as downloading other peoples hard work (recreated NFL Teams/rosters) I think that is kind of spoiled way of looking at things as far as it being a "chore"....its not even that hard of a process.....

You are missing the entire point. We do not have a roster locker because the developer was too lazy or short of time/money or lacked foresight. It would have been easier for them to create a roster locker ONCE instead of making gamers transfer files to and from their PC and 360 THOUSANDS of times.

The simple fact is we need to do work to share rosters only because the developers didn't do the work themselves. No matter how much you downplay the roster transfer process it does not change the fact that the developer is making gamers use workarounds because of their ineptitude.

# 154 CreatineKasey @ 04/21/10 08:39 AM

Yeah creating the NFL by hand is a dubious task, especially for the casual gamer. I bet what most casuals will do is create their favorite team with similar names and just use those guys online and offline. It would've been fun to have an "official OS" roster file that we all shared. Now, we can probably still do this by simply posting the ratings, but having it transferable would've ensured they got to a large population.

# 155 LeonM @ 04/21/10 11:10 AM

It's pretty obvious by now that the GI hand on review of a preview build in easy mode was not something to base a real opinion on the type of game that Backbreaker is now.

# 156 boritter @ 04/21/10 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Afrikan


	they go over why they chose not to add a built in roster locker sharing option....it was for legal reasons, and rightfully so....even the journalist acknowledge this.

Wrong. Making stuff up doesn't vindicate you in your quest to convert the world to Backbreaker.

The article says "To avoid ugly lawsuits with EA and the NFL, however, you cannot name your upstart franchise the exact names of NFL teams and play online with them...The same applies to player names...To get around this, NFL fans could intentionally misspell names or just use the abbreviation technique. Having players named A. Peterson and S. Rice may not be ideal..."

That says nothing about an online locker. They could have provided a locker with the same stipulation as online play. So you could use a locker for B. Favre but not Brett Favre. If we can use B. Favre online (as the article clearly states), then that roster file can be shared via roster lockers.

If using B. Favre or SF 49ers online does not infringe upon EA's and the NFL's rights then the developer decided those are legal files. If those are legal files they can legally be shared as a roster locker file.

# 157 dmick4324 @ 04/22/10 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boritter


	Wrong. Making stuff up doesn't vindicate you in your quest to convert the world to Backbreaker.

A piece of wisdom here for you pal, don't just blindly toss an accusation at someone when you yourself haven't taken the time to get familiar with the facts. Afrikan gave you evidence why they didn't include file sharing but clearly the only thing your trying to do is bash the game and developers.

# 158 boritter @ 04/22/10 02:32 AM

Afrikan,

You are still avoiding the issue of roster lockers, which was my original point. I know why they cannot have NFL players and NFL teams. I have never questioned the inclusion of NFL teams and players. But there is no reason why they cannot have a roster locker.

I listened to the audio and all I heard was that file sharing/roster lockers were "not built into the game" and that they were "trying to be careful." Was there more to their reasoning regarding roster lockers? If so, what specifically did they say?

If there are no other reasons my original point is still valid. If using B. Favre or SF 49ers online does not infringe upon EA's and the NFL's rights then the developer decided those are legal files. If those are legal files they can legally be shared as a roster locker file.

# 159 gamerk2 @ 04/22/10 06:08 PM

Simple:

PS3:
Use USB stick

360:
Create dummy account with roster save
Log into account and load rosters, log in as normal user, and save under normal account

This is how we did NCAA rosters for years, I fail to see the problem. If Madden basically didn't own football, these steps wouldn't need to be taken.

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Backbreaker Hands-On Preview (Gameinformer)