Similarly, they almost never allow you to build-up your 'breaker' meter; frequently delivering quick jabs before you can fill even one block. Your best chance to build your meter past the first level is when your opponent is stunned. Even then, they often snap out of it and punch you in the gut before you can get the attack off. This is a major problem, even on the lowest difficulty. It only seems to get worse if you manage to knock the computer down twice early in the fight. They seem to find another gear, and relentlessly pound on you as if they are suddenly the greatest boxer of all time. The frequent angry comebacks from computer opponents are a major annoyance.
At the very least, the game looks fantastic. The rubber-faced knockdowns are a blast, as are the 'breaker' wind-ups that precede them. Characters seem to display a decent amount of personality in the ring, with black eyes, bruised faces, and fat lips appearing along the way. The game's Boxer Factory mirrors the gorgeous but thin gameplay. At first glance, it is fantastic. The ability to alter existing boxers or scan in your own face (with either the vision camera or online photo upload) is great. The incredibly detailed set of sliders at your disposal make it possible to make your characters' faces look as over-the-top or realistic as you want. The same is not quite true of their body or fighting styles, which is where the creation tool begins to fall apart. Each of the characters you create is a copy of off existing in-game characters, and you can only choose a body-type from one of them. You can make minor alterations, such as height or muscle mass, but none of them changes the character bodies very much. The game also lacks the ability to set up different sets of 'breaker' attacks or taunts for your user-created boxer, leaving them with exactly the same style as the character you base them off.
There are a few 'celebrities' in the game to use as templates, but many of them are more along the lines of characters you would rather deliver punches to rather than fight with. The list of 'celebs' includes Kim Kardashian, Peter Moore, and Spencer Pratt. All are available to use as templates for your own creation, meaning turning Kim Kardashian into a bearded woman with the body of a rail-thin man is entirely possible. The game also allows you to upload your own creations via Live, to share with other gamers. The download section features a nice set of sorting options, making it easy to find the most recent or popular boxers, as well as filter them by type. Some of the celebrity creations, like Borat, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush, show off the face-sculpting skills the game provides.
The four game modes are nothing special. There is 'brawl for all', which is FaceBreaker's excuse for a career mode, where you compete for four different belts by fighting a set number of opponents for each prize. It is also where you unlock additional boxers and rings, but none of them add much to the experience; since there is no character progression. Loosing fights, which will happen often, is not the end, thanks to a limited number of continues allowing you to start the most recent fight again.
Couch Royale gives you the chance to set up a home tournament for you and your friends, in a winner stay on challenge. The game also delivers a quick fight mode and some Live options; including the typical ranked and unranked matches. The most confusing mode of the bunch is the ability to create Live leagues, a la Madden 09. FaceBreaker plays like a dummy's guide to shallow sports games. The blend of shallow button-mashing controls and overly tough computer enemies make for an experience that neither hardcore nor casual gamers can really get into.
