Facebreaker: K.O. Party
- Video Game
- 2008
YOUR RATING
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Featured review
...have you *tried* drinking with a broken jaw?
There is no real plot here, just different character(there are about a full dozen total, some start out unplayable) personalities(I haven't noticed particular differences to which ones you play as, since it's all the same form of martial arts... well, there's a nifty little bit where they will have unique FX(specifically chosen for that one, Ice has "frost", Molotov has explosions) when they hit), so I'll start with examples of those. There's someone who is like Tyres from Spaced, in other words, a British rave party type. Another one is a playful girl. We have an ultra-cool black guy, a destructive Russian and an insane guy in a straightjacket(his gloves are sock puppets. No, really). This is a side-view fighting game with only boxing moves(no kicks, no weapons; also no jumping(ducking is there), you move along the side or strafe in the ring), and the awesome of it is, to punch(you can combo jabs, and charge up Breakers, and if you can get one of those in on your foe, you'll do greater damage(some of them, you hit them twice or even thrice), possibly even win just from that(if it's the titular move)) you actually *physically* do so(and you constantly do so; there are functions on the keys and you need to know them and use them, but you're never only using them), with the Wii-Mote or Nunchuk(depending on what hand you want to use; tilt it back to charge up and dodge, a system that works extremely well). Yes, at its best, this is as immersive, addictive, fun and intense as it sounds. It's similar to Tournament of Legends; *this* is how you do this genre well. Let's move past the combinations, some of them weird, that you have to memorize and the ridiculously unfair tricks that take all the sport out of it(I wish I could tell you that the latter was entirely gone from this, like is pretty much the case in ToL), they're just frustrating and pointless(like the mini-game when you get knocked down and have to "shoot" birds to regain health... you can't actually do poorly at it, can you? It seems to just go on until you've gotten it all back). Not every situation has a fitting response, you have to also be aggressive, and your opponents have very different strategies(and it does make an impact, you can't just go in swinging) when they're tough to fight, so you have to be great at it, and put real effort into it. There are only three rounds to win(and they're *short*), to get that same amount of knockdowns(and honestly, sometimes, the camera angle is just silly for showing it; the use of slow-motion is appropriate in volume)... if you don't make it, you'll enter Sudden Death, where the health bar will deteriorate some for the one or those who've been K.O.'ed(and the amount will depend on if it's one or two) and the first to get the other down will be the victor. This is a fantastic way to work off tension and frustration(when it doesn't help cause it, at least... as with most of these, as they are often challenging). In addition, it is a pretty solid workout of your arms and upper body(and don't think for a second that you'll be sitting down during this... the excitement alone will). The music gets you in the mood, spanning several genres including rock(not all are equally memorable). You can play multi-player, of course; Arcade mode offers that(the alternative is one AI opponent, with three difficulty settings, or in Practice), and TKO(last man standing, four players tops) and Punch-O-Matic(power-ups, etc.) can only be played with friends... they only support two at a time, so you'll be exchanging the controller a lot(don't forget to strap it in, to avoid destroying the screen... also, on that note, watch out for sore losers). The sole mode only for 1 person at a time is Brawl For It All, where you get extra things(the announcer, who in general isn't bad and can be funny(the humor of this is OK) will tell you that "you've unlocked... stuff!"), each time it'll be one new stage(nice settings, an asylum, a hangar, a manor, etc.) and the last dude or chick you beat(a couple of matches, then the Belt one, and there you). The models(far superior to some of the ones of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon) and designs are excellent, with a high level of expression to them, mainly seen in action in the openings. Yes, they tend to all be buff and look similar... there aren't that many looks befitting this sport, I guess. You get to see how mess up the faces are in any of the pauses. The graphics are quite good, there aren't really any areas where they let you down. No, it doesn't look as gorgeous as on the other Next Gen consoles(this is released for them, I think, though)... so what? This offers a completely inimitable(on those, anyway) game-play experience, and I'm referring to the game itself as well as the machine, here. They don't try to pull off something they can't(I guess they properly reattached any failed attempts before shipping, I don't know), which is the exact right approach... nothing is perfect, anyway. There's a cartoony touch(...maybe more than that, it's pretty pervasive) to it, some immaturity without it getting to be downright childish... well... actually, the way to put it is that it's not for children. Well, EA and Freestyle think so, anyway, not that we didn't know they were pretty freaking whipped already(have you *played* their Command & Conquer installments? Seriously, bring back Westwood), as they claim on the cover that there is language and sexuality in amongst the violence, even if they are all mild. I recommend this to anyone who can see themselves get into this(coming from someone who'd never in my life watch this kind of thing in real life, and who loves this VG), and I urge you to invite pals over. 7/10
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- Jan 20, 2011
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