I recently had a chance to play the Tackle Alley mode in Backbreaker Vengeance. It's not 11 on 11, instead it's basically one on many.
 
The object is to get your player to the end zone and rack up as many points as you can while getting there. However, it's not as easy as it sounds because there are many obstacles in the way. Not only do you have defensive players trying to tackle you, there are also obstacles to jump over, go through or around. While the sidelines on the field are present, there are also red-marked boundaries you can not touch. If you do touch these boundaries, the game marks your player out of bounds, and you have to start over.

To avoid the herd of defenders and obstacles on your way to the end zone, you need your own arsenal of moves. While simple jukes and spin moves are nice, they don't get you many points. Sprinting also comes at a price, as you can't turn as fast as you would like. Hurdling, barging (think truck stick from that other game...) and sliding (yes, I said it) under would-be tacklers are also available in your bag of tricks.
 
While scoring a touchdown is the obvious goal here, racking up the points to climb the leaderboards keeps the competition brewing. Not only can you score with your moves, you can also score by running over bonus score patches that are placed on various spots of the field, as well as crossing the goal line in different colored areas of the end zone -- each area gives you a different amount of points. You can also stick it to the AI by showboating your way into the end zone; you can even Super Showboat to really get a lot of points. Be careful though, defenders will still come to chase you down and tackle you from behind during these moments.
 
There are a total of 20 challenges in Tackle Alley and each challenge has five waves to go through. Obviously, each challenge gets more difficult due to more obstacles, more defenders and more boundary areas.
 
After each touchdown, you can watch a replay of what just happened. In other words, you can check out how you just made the defenders look silly. The animations in this game are so lifelike and flawless. In fact, I actually cringed a few times during some of the tackles and mistimed jumps -- sometimes doing a complete summersault, landing on my head and twisting my virtual neck into a painful position. The NaturalMotion Euphoria engine is unreal, and I have not seen the same tackle twice.
 
I have finished 10 challenges so far and look forward to seeing what the next 10 challenges bring to the table. Check back for more Backbreaker Vengeance impressions of the other modes when the embargo lifts.