Also available on: PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Release Date: November 14, 2008

Despite its brutal and bloody history, boxing has often been depicted in a comedic light in the video game world. Over the years, titles such as Punch Out and Ready To Rumble have successfully captured some of boxing's charismatic characters and common clichés, and with Nintendo's decision to resurrect the Punch Out series it seems as though this tradition will continue. However, despite the video game love affair with the lighter side of boxing it seemed a strange decision when the team behind one of the finest boxing sims - Fight Night - announced they were abandoning Fight Night's gritty realism for the comic offerings of Facebreaker.

Having already seen the light of day on the PS3 and 360, Facebreaker comes to the Wii with little expectation or fanfare. Critics weren't bowled over by the unbalanced and skimpy offerings of the next-gen versions, but maybe the Wii, with its family friendly reputation and simplistic style, would be the ideal place for EA Canada to showcase its latest offering.

One of the biggest problems with the next-gen versions of Facebreaker was a lack of game modes. The Wii incarnation is a mixed affair that probably gives a little more than it takes. The single player mode is still a bit thin on the ground. Players are limited to 'Arcade', which is simply a one-on-one bout or 'Brawl For It All', which is a fight-after-fight tournament that sees players win titles and unlock characters. Any game with the word party in the title gives the impression that mini games and fun side missions will be included, but this isn't the case with Facebreaker. Love them or loathe them, a few mini games would fit in well with Facebreaker's fun philosophy and add some much-needed longevity to the single player experience. The extensive customisable element of the next-gen versions is sadly absent, but the Wii version does gain ground with the inclusion of the 'Punch-o-matic' and 'T.K.O' multiplayer modes.

'T.K.O' is a team-based battle where health is carried over to your next fight, but 'Punch-o-matic' is the more entertaining addition and makes multiplayer bouts more enjoyable by introducing randomly generated stipulations, handicaps and power-ups. It's a shame there isn't more of this in the single player modes, and it makes recommending Facebreaker hard to do unless you are able to enjoy it with friends.

As with any Wii title the controls can make or break the game. Fortunately things are kept simple and Facebreaker is better for it. Jabs, as you would expect, are thrown by waggling the Nunchuck and the Remote. Holding the B button makes your character crouch, and when combined with a waggle throws body shots. Pressing the A button while swinging dishes out haymakers and breaker moves, and tilting and holding the Remote towards you charges up a punch. It may sound simplistic - and it is - but you feel as though attempting too much with the Remote would hamper the experience and so it's nice to see that reliability has taken priority.

Offensive proceedings are spiced up with the breaker moves exclusive to each character. Landing punches fills your combo meter and holding the A button and swinging unleashes a breaker attack. If you build your combo meter up to the max you can end the bout instantly by pulling off the eponymous 'facebreaker' move. The 'facebreaker' move is an elaborate combination of punches and throws akin to a super combo in Street Fighter. They are entertaining to watch, but are a little bit too devastating considering how easy they are to pull off. Deciding when to unleash the breaker moves is part of the game's fun and adds a bit of depth and strategy. Try building up the meter too much and it will reset to zero if your opponent lands a shot. However, if you're down and out your only hope might be to go for the all or nothing 'facebreaker' move, this may be your best bet.

Defensively things are also kept fairly simple, with the charge-tilt doubling up as a dodge, the Z button acting as a block, and the slightly trickier parry is achieved by combing the tilt-charge with a well-timed block (provided you match your opponent's move, e.g. a high charge and block parries a high attack). Despite their simplicity, the fast and furious gameplay often makes defensive manoeuvres impossible to achieve, especially if you are cornered. You can throw your opponent with the D-pad and dash by double tapping in a specific direction, but once again if you are cornered or up against a difficult opponent this can be discarded and you are best served simply trying to land a punch.

The defensive issues serve to highlight one of Facebreaker's main flaws, which is a lack of balance. Computer opponents are often so cheap and relentless that strategy is thrown out of the window in favour of manic waggling, which is the Wii equivalent of button bashing. The speed of the gameplay, while fitting with the arcade nature of the game, limits the amount of strategy players can exercise and ultimately undermines the potential depth the game could have enjoyed. Each character has a weakness, but get to the later fights in single player and weaknesses will be thrown out of the window in favour of survival. The 'facebreaker' moves, while fun to view, eventually becomes a tool for the computer to use against you as opposed to the equaliser they are intended to be, further tipping the scale in favour of the computer.

Despite its flaws, it's hard to dislike Facebreaker too much. At £20 it's decent value for money and although it doesn't offer much, what it does offer is enjoyable to a point. The visuals are very good and are easily on par with the more powerful 360 and PS3 versions. The characters are amusing and tick all of the comedy boxes and each one feels unique enough to justify some experimentation. There are a few nice Wii touches, such as shooting birds onscreen with your Remote to regain health and branding your opponent in 'Arcade' mode, but these touches are few and far between and don't add enough to the experience.

Provided you have people to play against, Facebreaker is worth trying out, especially considering the price, but as a single player experience don't expect too much or you will be disappointed. There is a game with a bit of depth in there somewhere, but EA Canada has yet to bring it to the surface and maybe it should stick to the Fight Night series. If it does make a sequel, a few more game modes and balanced gameplay are a must. With suitable improvements, Facebreaker could eventually prove to be a knockout, but it's not quite there yet.


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