The Digest: A new twist on football that breaks away from the traditional likes of Madden NFL. Coupled with a great physics engine and new control scheme, this title provides replay value, despite several shortfalls.

THE FACT SHEET

Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: NaturalMotion
Release Date: June 1, 2010
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
GENRE: Sports Simulation

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Get ready to open a whole new playbook!

Setting a new standard in football video games, Backbreaker for Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3 is an unmatched on‐field football experience from the minute players pick up the controller. Boasting realistic, physics‐based AI with an endless variety of unique sacks and tackles, Backbreaker makes canned animations a last‐season memory. With crisp, high‐definition graphics and a third‐person camera angle that follows the perspective of the ball handler, Backbreaker puts players in the heart of the action.

Backbreaker also boasts online play and reintroduces local split‐screen ‘versus’ modes. With total team customization, players can create their own rosters and adjust their team’s colors, logos and more. Going on the offense from kickoff to end zone, Backbreaker is how football was meant to be played on next‐gen consoles. Players can hit the gridiron with Backbreaker for Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3 on June 1, 2010.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• Intuitive controls for new and experienced gamers to get into the heart of the game
• NaturalMotion’s euphoria engine delivers high quality, hard‐hitting, true‐to‐life action
• Look Through the One‐of‐a‐kind Camera View
• Backbreaker redefines standard football games with intuitive plays, an endless variety of unique tackles and outcomes based on actual in‐game collisions
• Throw the Pigskin Online in 11 v 11 or Tackle Alley Competitions   

(Note: The review makes several comparisons to the Madden NFL series. More information about Madden NFL can be found here.)

Popping this title in, I had mixed expectations. There’s not many football games out there, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that EA’s Madden NFL has a monopoly on the market (However, that may change soon). With that being said, NaturalMotion came into development knowing what they were up against. They set the price low ($49.99), created their own teams, and introduced an entirely new gameplay system that brings a breath of fresh air to the genre.

Originally set to be a digital download title, Natural Motion and 505 Games were faced with the tall task of fitting a football game into an arcade-friendly format. Realizing that a successful game would be much more than an arcade title, they took the challenge and began working on a retail release instead (with a $49.99 price point). While I agree with the decision of 505 to release the game at retail, I still think that several aspects of the game could be improved upon, especially in comparison to the Madden NFL series.

When comparing Backbreaker to the Madden NFL franchise, the largest distinction between them is in the presentation of the game. With Madden NFL, we have grown to expect several things from a football game. In Backbreaker, several of those traditional elements are different, or even absent. For instance, you aren’t starting every play as the Quarterback in the game. You can start a receiver’s route, juke your opponent as a running back, or protect the end zone on defense. Better yet, the game presents this view from the player’s perspective, rather than the traditional top-down crowd view that we’re used to seeing

Personally, this control scheme and camera view can make the game much more fun and realistic. For example, slamming the right stick forward results in a (rather strong) tackle. Since each player is rather muscular, the physics engine of the game really provides justice to the action.

In the game, there are several gameplay modes. There’s traditional football (playable as one game, on Xbox Live, or as a season), in addition to “Tackle Alley.” In Tackle Alley, you attempt to run from one end zone to the other while eluding your opponent, who attempts to stop you. As you pass each level, the amount of opponents increases, and it be comes more difficult to finish.

Also present in the main menu is the option to create your own team, allowing you to customize everything down to the jersey and team logo.

There are a few pleasantries that this game misses from the Madden series. One of my biggest gripes was the small amount of plays available to be picked in-game. On offense, there’s only 4 sets of plays for both running and passing. On defense, there are 4 coverage plays, 4 press/blitz plays, and 4 balanced plays. Needless to say, you are rather limited in your choices.

Another luxury that I’ve learned to love with Madden is the accelerated clock. With Backbreaker, it could easily take an hour to play a game with 4 x 15 minute quarters. On top of these gameplay shortfalls, Backbreaker is not NFL-licensed, meaning that all of the teams are 100% fictional (What’s football without the NFL?). While creative and exciting, the teams also have a lack of overall balance. In Madden, almost of the teams are within a 30 point range of each other, whereas in Backbreaker, the teams range from a 78 overall to a 30 overall (quite a swing). Another aspect of this is stats for the individual players, which is non-existent in this title.

Despite Backbreaker presenting a unique aspect to the game of football, it can be very difficult to acclimate to at first. One of the stark differences is in their approach to multiplayer, specifically split-screen. When I first played this game, I jumped right to 2-player split-screen. It was very difficult to acclimate to the game style, especially on a split screen interface. When playing in any of the other game modes (including Xbox Live), there is no split-screen, creating an overall, much more pleasant gameplay experience.

Conclusion: While Backbreaker is a decent title, it’s missing a few of the things that are taken for granted in a franchise football game. Roster depth, play selection, and detailed stats are just a few aspects that Backbreaker could use to improve. However, I feel that Backbreaker is a much-welcomed new perspective to football fans. Couple that with a new control scheme and visuals, and you have a decent title worthy of replay.

Single Player: 7/10 | Multi-Player: 5/10

Special thanks to 505 Games for providing us with a copy of the game for review.