Backbreaker Review Better Than Madden?

Now, I’m not usually into sports- watching the occasional Formula One race is about as close as I get. In fact, I will go as far as to say I can’t stand sports games. I don’t like FIFA, Madden, or Tiger Woods, but as soon as I put this game on, I was hooked. I don’t know what it is about this game that makes me want to play more. I can say it is very easy to pick up and play, which is a necessity with sports games. Seeing as I don’t really do sports, I can safely say I don’t know the rules to the game. But when playing Backbreaker, it is easy to understand what is happening.

This game isn’t for everyone, but I suggest that you at least download the demo and try it. Initially, I thought I was going to hate it, but as soon as I started playing I knew this was a gem. I think the reason I’m enjoying it so much is because I’m only playing it in sections- for example, I will play a match or two, then play a different game after, then return to this one to play another match. This is just my opinion, though, and now I will move onto the games mechanics.

The game has a variety of different modes to play around with, which are exhibition, season mode, road to Backbreaker, and tackle alley. The game also includes a really good training mode that shows you all the various moves and rules of the game. Exhibition is a mode where you can quickly set up and jump straight into a match. Season mode is where you can set up a league of teams and play it out with 8, 16, or 32 teams. Road to Backbreaker is like season mode, but you play as a custom team and bring them to the big leagues, where eventually you play against some of the greatest teams. Lastly, there is tackle alley. This is where you try to make a touchdown while the CPU tries to stop you. This mode is extremely addictive, as each time you successfully make a touchdown, it gets increasingly harder. The player progresses through waves up to 100.

The game also includes online multiplayer, which is just as fun as the single player but adds the competitive edge. It also offers more challenging gameplay, as you are playing against a live person instead of A.I. Overall I would give this game 7/10, as it is a fun experience. However, I think too much time on it would prove boring to the player, and the experience would quickly dull down if played too much. But considering I’m not a sports fan, I can safely say this is worth a look.

Games: Backbreaker, Platforms: Xbox 360, Genres: Sports, Publishers: 505 Games, Developers: NaturalMotion