Euphoria works as advertised. The remainder of the game is a bit lacking. Overall a positive debut.
1. The Euphoria Engine works exactly as advertised. Tackles are brilliant and there is an extremely realistic sense of weight and momentum.
2. Backbreaker has established an identity visually and it's wonderful. If you see screenshots or video footage you know what you're looking at. Ignore the biases of people unsatisfied by a lack or realism. The game looks geat with the exception of facemasks on the helmets. Fix those to look more true to real football helmets and it will be perfect. They're too long.
3. The A.I. is too basic so there is no sense of strategy to the game what-so-ever. Each team uses the same playbook, so teams lack an identity from a gameplan standpoint. Due to a simple player rating system there are no superstars and regardless of overall team ratings each team feels balanced across the board. These days football is all about 'packages', bringing in specific players for specific situations based on their talents. This needs to be added.
4. The camera angle is perfect. Many people disagree because Madden has pampered them for years by allowing you to see the whole field all of the time but this is the way the game should be played. The only drawback is switching players once the play has started. Often times players are heading in opposite directions which causes users to botch plays when the switch is made. (Simple fix: There needs to be a 1 second delay in the ability to assume control over a newly selected player. This would give users a chance to get re-oriented with the direction of the play before making any sudden moves.)
5. Passing - Cycling from one receiver to the next is flawed and needs to be adjusted but works as a realistic take on how a quarteback goes through his progressions. The offensive blocking is unrealistic in that no pocket forms and sacks are too frequent. Focus mode should be standard when passing. Attempting to throw without holding the focus button almost always results in overthrown passes. Good trajectory make passes in Backbreaker better than any other football game to date. (In Madden games the ball travels in a straight line from QB to WR often resulting in a linebacker swatting the pass down from 10 to 15 yards in front of the receiver.)
6. Rushing - Arm tackles are too frequent as is being knocked over by your own player. The game seems to have adopted college rules at times as there is no 'down by contact'. If you're down then the play ends. Offensive line blocking is excellent on inside runs however running outside seems to be nearly impossible. Don't attempt a 'halfback sweep'.
7. Defense - Overall it is just too powerful. Too many sacks and turnovers in addition to the camera issue mentioned previously. Don't get me wrong, this is the best aspect of gameplay. It is the most fun.
8. Audio is also problematic. The crowd lacks emotion and there is no on field commentary to give the game that presentational element.
9. Instant replay gets redundant after every single play and the inability to control the camera in manual instant replays is a downer.
10. League mode is a nice touch but is too simple at this point. There needs to be much depth added to make it a worthwhile experience. The player scouting idea is genius though.
11. Tackle Alley could be a stand-alone Xbox Live Arcade game. It's fantastic and recommended for players learning the control scheme.
12. Creating a team is without a doubt the most complete aspect of the game. At first glance it seems shallow but spend some time with it and you'll realize that your options are infinite. I recommend starting by copying an existing team to see how the developers created their logos. The downside is not being able to upload created teams to share with the world. There are a lot of excellent graphic designers out there and 60 teams could easily become 1 million.
13. Adding new stadiums as downloadable content is a must. 60 teams and only 13 stadiums is a bit off-putting. Or add a create a stadium feature that with an abundance of options much like the logo creator and the community will do the rest. Let's get the wish lists started!
Keep in mind that many of the nagging issues with this game are simple fixes. It's not far off from where it needs to be. I don't remember the developers coming out and promising an authentic NFL experience either, yet a lot of critics are jumping on the game because it's not. True, it may require a bit of an open mind to gain acceptance from football fans, but I view Backbreaker as a more professional version of Arena Football at this stage. We are on the brink of a revolution and I for one am excited by the prospect.