Backbreaker's running game looks for the gap

Backbreaker continues to promise a little innovation in the football genre, even as it tries to take on the mighty Madden juggernaut. In this new Training Camp video, you can check out the running game and how it works. In theory, it sounds great -- just use the right stick in an intuitive way to bump, stiff arm, and hurdle your opponents in the constant drive towards the end zone. In practice, though, it's tough to see how well the game will determine the gestures, like comparing a simple hurdle (pushing the right stick up quickly) versus an all-out leap (pushing the right stick up for a while).

Still, even though Backbreaker is starting out deep in its own territory against the long-lived, well-funded and officially-licensed Madden series, if there's anywhere a plucky young underdog with a big, physics-based heart can win, it's in the sports genre. The game will set, hut, hike on June 1 for a discount price of $49.99.