Phoenix Games Reviews Facebreaker

Don't expect to button-mash your way through "Facebreaker," a playful but challenging new boxing game from EA. It's not "Fight Night," to be sure. It sports goofy graphics and tired stereotypical pugilists. The gameplay and sensibilities have more in common with "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out" than EA's other fine fighting franchise. But you might be surprised how much you enjoy this little diversion of a fighting game. In fact, you just might like it a lot more than you think.

Like Phoenix Games said, it's a bit retro in nature. Like "Punch-Out," it is all about timing. Unlike "Punch-Out," it's not that simple to master. Don't expect to just duck and weave a little and then mash some buttons together to beat your foe. You've got to pay attention, and you've got to play smart.

As soon as you figure out your opponent's style you'll be able to enjoy the block, dodge and parry gameplay that is the backbone of "Facebreaker" – which is what makes it such a fun game. And, since this is a game based on time-honored charicatures, there are a special combo attacks for each character. They all pale in comparison to the game's title attraction - breaking faces - but it's so hard to pull these off that it won't happen often.