Tech News on G4

back to -|- Tech News index -|- Adam Swimmer column archive -|- Send Us Your Feedback

I've always been a fan of fighting games: Karate Champ, Ring King, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, Tekken, Soul Calibur, I can waste endless hours on any of them. But I can't add FaceBreaker to this list as it's simply a terrible game. A sort of boxing game, FaceBreaker pits two characters against each other and the first to get three knockdowns wins. If no one wins after three rounds, players enter a fourth sudden death round. The gameplay may be a little hard to get a handle on, because it actually requires even less skill than your typical fighting title.   Although all of these games require a certain amount of button smashing, you're success at this game is primarily determined by how quickly you can hit three buttons, the X, square  and R1. The X and square are punches and the R1 is a block. Combinations of the block and punches make the character dodge or parry. It's rather slow going and certainly boring but it's the most consistent way to knock down your opponent as you usually don't have time to do anything but hooks and jabs. That being said, there are special moves. Each character can perform a skybreaker, groundbreaker and haybreaker, devastating power moves that often leave the opponent on the ground. Oddly, this doesn't count as a knockdown on its own. However, there's a breaker meter that goes up as you land consecutive blows on your opponent. If you manage to perform a breaker move when the meter is at full, you will land the title facebreaker  move and you will knock out the opposing player, scoring you an automatic win.. That's basically the game. You unlock characters as you play and can choose among celebrity boxers, such as Kim Kardashian, Heidi Montag and Snoop Dogg. You can even create your own boxers. And there are a few different modes to play, including an online component. But it's all the same in the end. And when it comes down to it, it's just not a very interesting game and frankly next to Def Jam: Icon, possibly the worst fighting game I've ever played because it's so monotonous. I think I might actually prefer watching paint dry. Well, okay maybe not that but I'd probably rather look at paintings in an art gallery. Even modern art. FaceBreaker Format: PlayStation 3 Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada ESRB Rating: Teen Official Site: http://www.easports.com/facebreaker/ Rating: 4 / 10

 

Related Articles

· Get G4
· G4 Press Release Index
· Interact
· Advertising Information

About G4 in Canada
G4 Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) launched in September 2001. G4 is the one and only television station that is plugged into every dimension of games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes. Owned Rogers Media Inc., the channel airs more than 24 original series. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite. For more information, see www.g4tv.ca.