Click t' enlarge Backbreaker may be the greatest football game no one will ever play. While I can attempt t' detail it be incredible use a the Euphoria physics engine, it be spectacular graphics 'n truly innovative gameplay, all these features be moot thanks t' the crippling fact that the game does not have the NFL license. Without the license, the annual Madden devotee won't have this on his (or the wench!) radar -- ironic, because Backbreaker makes good on the lofty promises a Madden 06's teased "CG movie" effect, which EA Sports has yet t' deliver on, even four years later.

it be easy t' pillage jaded about sports games as they iterate, releasing slightly improved games year after year. We've grown accustomed t' complacency. But simply watch a video a Backbreaker 'n ye'll probably agree: this game be a breath a fresh air no one expected from the genre. It goes t' show that with proper competition, there's a lot a room for innovation.

Perhaps the most obvious thing t' discuss be Backbreaker's animations, powered by the same tech used in Grand Theft Auto IV 'n Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Euphoria allows game characters t' react t' their virtual environment 'n create dynamic animations. Unlike canned ragdolls, these animations be surprisingly lifelike, 'n because they can be generated on the fly, ensure the game feels spontaneous. Backbreaker has one vast advantage over games like The Force Unleashed, though: it be developed by NaturalMotion, the studio that made the Euphoria tech.