Face Breaker: Preview (Xbox360)

Face Breaker: Preview (Xbox360)

Navneet Prakash, Aug 30, 2008 0736 hrs IST

The game's simple controls means you will be fighting the cool opponents and not the gamepad

Expert Review

Face Breaker is supposed to make boxing a little more accessible, unlike Fight Night Round 3, it doesn't involve complex controls and is basically designed for a quick session of pick-up and play. I gave my demo impressions a few days back, and was mostly satisfied with the game. My concern was that with fighting mechanics simply distinguished as high punch and low punch, the game would lack depth in gameplay, but then again the game has been designed for more of a casual crowd. Well I was clearly wrong, this time when I got more hands on time with the game and a better adversary (a fellow gamer aka Faiyaz) I realized that there is more to the game than a simple punch-punch-duck-punch.

Game Summary

The preview version of the game had more fighters and more arenas. I picked on an exceptional eccentric character called Romeo. This spanish boxer packs more attitude than punches and looks hilarious. In face Breaker there are a few basic fighting mechanics punches, parries, blocks, throws and doge. Each unique character has a different style, this includes the way they move, dodge or even throw. This verstitlity in the game keeps you guessing and trying out new characters, although unlike other fighting games, FB doesn't offer unique combos, they do offer unique finishing moves per character.

A good player will be able to finish Facebreaker within seconds, I remember one game in which i was defeated in 8 seconds. The idea is to land a few punches, get your Facebreaker meter (that's what I am calling it) and finish off the opponent with your facebreaker combo. Its not that simple since a smarter opponent will be able to parry and break your rhythm. Another thing that I was able to notice more closely was the face deformation that takes place while playing the game. This time with more time on our hands and better opponents I was able to witness the face deformation in its true glory. FB's character design is quite animated and the same goes for its face deformation.