E3 2011: Backbreaker Vengeance Hands-On

by: Sean - posted: 6/10/2011 12:20:00 AM

After a successful end run on the Iphone, 505 Games is looking to move into the XBLA and PSN market with Backbreaker Vengeance.

I don't play sports games, GNers. They just don't interest me. Minigame here, running in a direction and pushing a button at just the right time over there ... it just doesn't hold my attention. But Backbreaker Vengeance? I was legitimately disappointed when I had to hand the controller over, and when I went on to experiment with other games, I kept looking back at BV. I wanted another run.

For those who're unfamiliar, Backbreaker is like a "Horde mode" for football. A ball-carrier has to make it through a series of defenders to reach the endzone, dodging with deft inputs on the right stick while steering with the left. Make it through two defenders? Try three. Try four defenders, plus obstacles. Try 6 defenders, plus obstacles, a forced route, and specialized defenders with their own AI that try different techniques to tackle you. Its surprisingly difficult, and amazingly addictive. It reminded me of the kind of impetus and "just one more turn" gameplay that I get from something as simple as Tetris or as complex as Civilization.

BV will feature two-player local competitions, and 3 online gameplay modes, including Supremacy, a complicated form of tag whereby four players run a sort of combat race, trying to win while knocking each other out of position. Whoever loses is "it," trying to tackle to "tag" another player, who then becomes "it."

BV's graphics maybe be somewhat addictive, but again: Tetris has four colors, and I've played it more than any other game in my entire life. Look for it on XBLA and PSN sometime this summer.