E3: Backbreaker Preview

Originally announced back in August of 2007 Backbreaker wowed with early displays of its tackling engine known as Euphoria. Since then it has pretty much been in hibernation. Now though the game appears to be gearing up and intends to prove that it is still around to make an impact.

While at E3 I had the chance to sit down with Rob Donald and Torstein Reil of Backbreaker for a look at the game and to talk about some of the thinking behind it. The meeting actually went for nearly an hour and a half so the time commitment was appreciated.

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New Backbreaker Screenshots

Backbreaker remains somewhat of an enigma. Announced over two years ago the game has been in something akin to a PR lockdown since. While the allure of dynamic tackles remains intriguing there has been little else shown from the game and general details have been scarce. Gamestop had put it up for presale on its website and it looked like a fall release for the game with Atari as the publisher, only to pull the listing a few days later putting those things back in doubt.

Earlier today two new screenshots were released for the game. These are the first that really show off what it will look like during gameplay as they display pre-snap alignment and assignments. Click the thumbnails below to view full size.

E3 looms large for Backbreaker. If the game is on display and fully playable (not just the Tackle Alley demonstration) then there could be justification for anticipating it. If it isn’t then questioning of the legitimacy of the game will continue.

I’ve always been open to and enjoyed arcade style games, and Backbreaker appears to be straddling the line between arcade and sim along with the futuristic feel, glowing football, and glowing user controlled player. There is a place in the market for unique takes on the sports as long as they have the fundamentals down and ultimately are fun. Hopefully there will be a breakthrough coming from Backbreaker now that E3 is on the horizon less than two weeks out.

#8 of 2008: Blitz The League II

I went into Blitz: The League II intrigued by the campaign mode more than anything. What I found was an interesting story with gameplay that exceeded my albeit tempered expectations. Over the top action certainly, and flawed it was, but just good enough to keep me playing through and allow for the story to be the center of the experience.

Accessibility is a central to me when trying a new game. I have to be able to transfer between different games of the same sport and be able to play them naturally. If I have to think consciously about control schemes I’ve lost focus in enjoying the game. Blitz was able to provide that accessibility as I was able to jump right in while still feeling comfortable. The tutorial videos did an excellent job in explaining the on-the-field features.

One of the best aspects of the game was the voice work. Frank Caliendo as John Madden in the booth was cool to hear although they could have used more lines from him. Jay Mohr as the agent fit right in as well. And while it did get repetitive the injury scenes were brutally cool.

Blitz: The League II is another arcade game in the Top 10 that didn’t reach the heights of The BIGS from last year. It did provide a good story with the decent over-the-top natured gameplay that would be expected. Like NFL Tour when considering the lower price point especially it was able to provide enough value and enjoyment to slide into the Top 10.

#8 Blitz: The League II
#9 NFL Tour
#10 Tiger Woods 09

AFL May Not Be Around Much Longer

When EA Sports decided against renewing the Arena Football licensing deal many wondered how attractive it would be to another company. We even talked about that very topic on the Waiver Wire Podcast. Considering the state of the league right now that whole discussion may be moot.

Various sources are reporting that the league is in dire straits and may be coming to an end. If not this year than next. At the root of the issue is that Platnum Equity, which had planned to invest $100 million dollars, may be changing their mind in doing so. There are also worrysome signs in the delay of the 2009 schedule releasing and that the league has not permanently seated a commissioner.

Needless to say no one is going to pursue a license for a league that is about to go under. This could lead to the currently forming United Football League becoming the secondary license for a company that wants to produce a football offering.

#9 of 2008: NFL Tour

NFL Tour is a game that, while lacking in many areas, was still a lot of fun. Tour was able to achieve the accessibility that many other arcade style titles have not been able to. It kept things simple with the control scheme and limited the amount of plays but there was still enough variety to keep things interesting. It was all about the brisk pace, constant action, and offensive prominence. Tour was designed primarily to be an enjoyable head-to-head experience and in that regard it did well.

While Tour wasn’t properly balanced what that did lead to was each game seemingly being decided on a single big play, or by which side would play the clock the best to end up with the final possession and a chance to win. Online play also ran well which resulted in some fun games including the tournament I held on the site. One thing I really look back on is how it got myself and a friend of mine playing against each other again. It had been a while since we had a game that we would go out of our way to play but Tour actually turned out to be just that. In all I ended up putting more time into Tour than I have most other sports titles this year.

No, NFL Tour isn’t this year’s The BIGS. Considering how much I played it and how much fun I got out of it I couldn’t justify leaving it out of the Top 10 though. And what would a Top 10 list be without a somewhat controversial selection?

#9: NFL Tour
#10: Tiger Woods 09

EA Sports Passes on AFL License Renewal

According to the Sports Business Journal, EA Sports has decided against renewing the license with the Arena Football League. That leaves the AFL without any gaming company to produce a licensed product on its behalf.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that EA would pass on continuing their partnership with the AFL. They produced two sub-par offerings on the PS2 and Xbox and never showed any indications that they would be making a game for any of the current generation of systems. The Arena games didn’t sell well and the sequel (Road to Glory) had very little effort put into it. The AFL games pretty much mirrored the path taken by the MVP College Baseball games.

With the license now open the opportunity is there for another company to grab it. I’m not sure if it is appealing enough for anyone to jump on right away, though one would imagine that the AFL is looking more for exposure than money out of a deal and it wouldn’t necessarily need to be a huge investment to secure the license. The question is whether the cost of development can justify the sales that an Arena game can produce.

Should There Be Another NFL Head Coach Game?

I’m in Vegas until tomorrow but wanted to drop a question for the community. Reaction from the hardcore crowd to NFL Head Coach 09 has been very positive, but sales numbers have not been very encouraging for the future of series. Personally I found the game to be initially intimidating and overwhelming, so I can only imagine what a more casual group of gamers would feel if they even were to give it a chance. It was just too time consuming for me and I lost interest soon after release.

My question is would you like another sequel for Head Coach? Would you purchase it if they came out with another? What do you think of the 09 offering? Vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Blitz: The League II Impressions

The excessive nature of the original Blitz: The League turned me off from even wanting to try it. Despite that I heard some good things about the game so I decided to give Blitz: The League II a shot. While I don’t know if it has been specifically toned down from the original I didn’t get the same feeling about it. Maybe it was the marketing, or lack thereof this time around.

I tend to enjoy arcade style sports games as long as they meet the following criteria:

1. They have to be accessible. It’s one thing to expect hardcore fans of sim games to learn intriquit control schemes and how to use the features but I’m not going to invest that time in an arcade game.
2. There has to be some element of strategy involved, and it can’t just be something thrown in that makes things frustrating. The BIGS is a perfect example of how it should be done…Facebreaker and NBA Street not so much.
3. It has to be fun. Ultimately that is the most important thing. There really isn’t a way to state how that is done. It just either ends up being fun or it doesn’t.

So how does Blitz: The League II fare in these areas? Continue on for my full thoughts on the game as well as some videos.

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Madden and NFL Head Coach 09 Patch Updates

The patches for Madden 09 and NFL Head Coach 09 have been in certification testing with Microsoft and Sony for some time now so here is the latest on where we are at with those.

(Updated) Madden 09 will be receiving its second patch at 5am ET on Tuesday morning. It should be arriving for both the 360 and PS3. Originally it was believed that the patch would come out in the early AM hours of Saturday but it missed that cutoff and is now set for the AM hours of Tuesday for release by Microsoft and Sony. The details on what will come with the patch can be found here.

(Updated) The patch for Head Coach was set to be released at 5am ET on Saturday but it too didn’t make it out. It may be the same 5am ET release as the Madden patch on Tuesday morning. However the PS3 will not be receiving the patch until possibly later this week or next week (there was a problem that required resubmitting). The details on what will come with the patch can be found here.

NFL Head Coach 09 Roster Update #2

The second roster update for NFL Head Coach 09 is now out for both the PS3 and 360. It includes a ton rating increases/decreases, health changes, and added players. There are also transactions that were completed for the update but they are not included in this list.

Given that Head Coach begins in the offseason it won’t be incorporating current injuries in the roster updates. Continue on to view the details of what the update offers.

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