Early Backbreaker Impressions (Pastapadre)

[Steve_OS]

Pastapadre has posted his early impressions of Backbreaker.

Quote:

"All games have been played on Pro-Hard (the highest difficulty). Needless to say I’m not sure anyone will lose to the CPU even on the toughest setting. I don’t consider myself good at this game yet, I’d maybe say I’m decent, but if I played the CPU 100 times I’m confident I would beat them 100 times. The ineptness on offense even from the best offensive squads is startling. Being able to stretch out the quarters did seem to help as the CPU does not make mistakes at quite the same rate. The way the CPU threw INTs in the demo would have meant 10+ INTs in a game with five minute quarters. So far I’m seeing an average of about five INTs by the CPU per game with five minute quarters. The INTs were my biggest concern going in but along with that has been the inability of the CPU to move the ball on offense and put points on the board. The first full game I played was with a mediocre Seattle defense up against one of the best teams in the game New England. You can look at the stats below. Given it was my first time through I wouldn’t expect to be able to beat a good team on the hardest difficulty but I did so with ease. New England has one of the better offenses and threw seven picks. They got one big pass play when an AI controlled DB played a throw poorly and they took it the distance."

[mgoblue678]

Well, that doesn't sound good at all. So much for holding out hope that the CPU might provide at least a decent challenge at times.

I wonder how many games he has played though.

The running stats for the Cpu are especially telling. 45 yards in two games from the two best offenses in the game is very alarming. At least the Philadelphia team put up a decent amount of yards, but it doesn't matter if the CPU makes dumb mistakes to kill drives.

I just wonder how the devs thought the CPU was good enough when testing it if that is the case.

My excitement for the game has been completely killed.

[canes21]

I must have a different copy of the game because in my demo the CPU can move the ball effectively a lot of the times and will stop me a lot on offense. Either I am just terrible or something. I just lost to Pittsburgh with Oakland 21-0 in the demo.

[roadman]

7 int's?

That's in the Favre neighborhood. Wow!!!!!!!!!

[mgoblue678]

Not to mention the whole limiting the player to certain quarter lengths. Great, so now I would stuck playing 5 minutes quarters which are too short for me or 10 minute quarters which are too long for me. What are they thinking with this decision?

I don't understand their reasoning with some of the decisions they made. How can a game with customization as one of the things they are pushing, not only take away the user's ability to edit player ratings and then on top of that pigeon hole you into certain quarter lengths.

The quarter thing may be the final straw for me, on top of everything else, now I would be stuck playing limited quarter lengths that I don't even like.

[allBthere]

I bet he's loving the ability to bash the obvious mistakes that are in the game. I can't stand this guy...his EA fanboyism is sick-a-tating.

I won't even click the link to give him the hit on his site because it's not worth it. I've been there in the past an seen how ridiculous he is...lol.

Lucky for NM and 505 that he's a little underling with a tiny flock.

edit; as if he'd never lose a game either...anyone who played the demo enough I'm sure lost - as I did on occasion and I consider myself a seasoned gamer.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by mgoblue678

Not to mention the whole limiting the player to certain quarter lengths. Great, so now I would stuck playing 5 minutes quarters which are too short for me or 10 minute quarters which are too long for me. What are they thinking with this decision? I don't understand their reasoning with some of the decisions they made.

I don't either.

I fell in love with the game right away with the demo, but I started to notice how weak the offensive A.I. is and the clock management. I'm strictly an offline franchise person and the more I hear about, the more this game isn't for me, I'm afraid.

It's like peeling an onion, you don't know what you are getting until you start peeling off the layers.

Sounds like a great two player and online game. I wish people well with it.

He definitely is pro-EA, but he is correct about the games shortcomings. I don't think he brought up the camera once.

[RaginCajun]

I thought the devs confirmed that the full version had full replay functionality? Guess we were lied too??

[SIM RULES]

Quote: Originally Posted by canes21

I must have a different copy of the game because in my demo the CPU can move the ball effectively a lot of the times and will stop me a lot on offense. Either I am just terrible or something. I just lost to Pittsburgh with Oakland 21-0 in the demo.

I was just thinking the same thing. I guess I must be terrible also. Sometimes, I get crushed by the computer in the demo.

[mgoblue678]

I just wonder when you claim to have a game built on customization how can you not allowing editing of player ratings, have no create a player and not allow the user to pick their own quarter length? Don't claim "great customization" if that is the case. A fantastic logo editing and uniform editor by themselves do not equal "great customization."

The devs dropped the ball on what could have been an incredible game IMO.