Latest Backbreaker Video Provides Gameplay

A new video featuring Backbreaker that comes from a foreign media source hit Youtube earlier today. The video shows extended periods of gameplay including splitscreen multiplayer and situations such as field goal kicking and punt returning. Continue on to check out the video, some thoughts on it, and be sure to leave your observations in the comments!

There were numerous things in this video that really stood out…and not in a good way. Remembering back to the first (and only) time we’ve gotten unedited gameplay for Backbreaker this makes it both instances where the reaction has resulted largely in concern and trepidation. Coming off the GameInformer preview, finding out what is lacking (hot routes, fatigue, injuries, sliders, challenges), along with some impressions I’ve heard from multiple sources that have played the game recently and things have certainly taken a turn for the worse in terms of perception.

It seems that the “old build” explanation is getting tossed around in regards to this video which may or may not be true. If in fact the gameplay comes from an old build then Backbreaker actually has a great opportunity here. They can now release gameplay from the final build and in doing so provide a look at how far the game had advanced from that point. It would be easy to compare to and the final product would probably look better just from being up against it.

Remember that first video that came out for NCAA Football 11 that was getting ripped and rightfully so? Turns out that EA Sports hadn’t intended to release that and it came from an early build which didn’t show off the enhancements that everyone had been told would be in the game. What they did is follow up with new videos and blog posts shortly after and everyone forgot about that first one. In some sense it made the more recent media look even more impressive that it would have otherwise and people jumped right back on the bandwagon.

Backbreaker could do the same thing here and put this video behind them with some high quality extended pure gameplay videos from the final build. The question is whether the game looks and plays all that different from what is seen in the video today. The time for excuses is over with the release of the game looming.

Backbreaker is less than three weeks out and really now it all comes down to proving it is worthy of a purchase. That is done through gameplay videos and the release of the demo. If either or both are held back it is reasonable to assume this video today is representative of the final product. After over two years of being open to the game and its vision it is now time to see what is truly being delivered.