Review: Backbreaker 2: Vengeance - Run For Glory And Now Tackling Too
by Staff Writer
December 2, 2010
Overview
It's time to put your football skills to the test all over again in Backbreaker 2: Vengeance. Now not only do you run to the end zone, but you also go on the tackling side to stop the ball carrier before getting to the end zone. There are also new abilities, including truck and jump as well as dealing with more on field obstacles other than just opponent players.
Features
There are two modes with Tackle Alley where you’re on offense, and Vengance where you’re on defense and each mode has ten challenges which include 5 waves each. Meaning you get 100 total waves facing hurdles to jump and gates to truck under as well as a brand new show boating system. The game also includes Game Center for online high scores and achievements.The Good
Backbreaker 2 is an outstanding sequel that improves upon every aspect of the original to give you an exceptional gaming experience. Just playing the original tackle alley with 50 brand new waves, and all the new additions makes this game great. Each wave gives you multiple opponents trying to tackle you, and you have the spin and juke moves at your disposal, but also the ability to jump and truck which only works on certain opponents.
Every wave has a different setup with out of bounds segments and bonus point zones (both of which move in later levels) to run through as well as gates to truck under, and hurdles to jump over. Every wave presents a challenge that seems to just be at the perfect difficulty of not too easy and not too hard to keep you playing from challenge to challenge. One of the best aspects is that you always have a choice in how to proceed whether you want to hit certain bonus point zones or how you face different opponents or obstacles.
When you pass the last defender you have to decide if you want to show boat or not which allows for a lot of bonus points, but a defender can chase you down from behind. There is a new multi-touch show boat option as you can do extreme show boating which really slows down your player, but increases points rapidly. It's all about the risk you're willing to take, and it's also dependent on your multiplier which is essential for high scores with each move increasing the combo multiplier.
That's all just tackle alley, but thankfully there is a new vengeance mode where you turn the tables and tackle the ball carrier. It's a whole different experience as you avoid blockers the same way you would dodge, and then try to tackle the opponent before he reaches the end zone. Some waves have you running from one end zone and the ball carrier from the other while other waves have you chasing down the ball carrier.
It's absolutely outstanding witnessing the bone crunching tackles you deliver on defense, the ankle breaking spins and jukes on offense, and embarrassing defenders with a truck or jumping over them. The game has retina quality graphics with an amazing 3D engine and one of the best physics engine seen on iOS devices. The player movement looks so authentic no matter what the move, and it's so immersive with the beautiful graphics so close to your face.
There is also a new level set up so that you have ten challenges with five waves each so it's easier to get through a particular challenge without it feeling so repetitive. In the original you have huge sets of waves to get through that is becomes bland and boring, but thankfully it's been redesigned to give you short segments so it doesn't feel so endless. Making it through all 100 waves is a ton of fun, and you can compete with Game Center, and each challenge has four score plateaus to earn.
The Bad
The only real complaint is that the game does come to a conclusion relatively quickly. The 100 waves aren't the most lengthy endeavor, but there is replayability with the score plateaus and Game Center. The in game sound effects don't provide much to the game, and are somewhat lacking.
When running, if you place your iOS device too flat the screen orientation rotates upside down, and then it change until you finish or lose, and redo the wave with another life. Like the original the game isn't the most complex as it's more a football mini-game than anything else so it lacks the complexity of Madden or something similar. It's great in its own right though, and perfect for on the go gaming, and the sequel truly maximizes what can be done with the game style.
