Harkening back to the glory days of cartoony boxing games like the original Punch Out!!! or even more recent titles like Ready 2 Rumble, FaceBreaker is EA’s effort to bring us back to some of the best boxing titles in the genre. While the game does a fine job of adding some interesting elements to the mix like the new facial damage system and has an interesting stock of characters, and can be pretty fun at times. However, the game ultimately feels a little bit shallow and unfulfilling to fans of boxing games. There are also some balancing issues, and a dearth of gameplay modes, making it not as fleshed out as cartoon boxer fans would’ve liked.

FaceBreaker features a diverse roster of interesting boxers, each with their own unique personalities and special moves. They all follow a certain archetype, and include British DJ, an latin lothario, a Jack Black-esque ninja master, and so on. There 12 boxers total (not counting the custom crop of facially imported fighters) , as well as the ability to create your own, determining their fighting style and look, and even use your Xbox LIVE Vision Camera to import your face into the game to get broken.

The single-player gameplay modes are pretty few and far between, as you can either do a simple one on one exhibition, or do the Brawl for it All Mode which allows you to take on the boxers one at a time in order to unlock new characters and unlockable features.

The breaker special moves are the biggest mechanic of the gameplay. By building up your breaker bar, you’ll be able to perform Bonebreakers, Groundbreaker, Skybreaker, and the most powerful, the FaceBreaker. Each one will successively cause more damage to your opponent (the Facebreaker will knock them out with one punch), and as a result will require more of your special meter. Keeping your meter raised requires you to attack your opponent while avoiding getting hit, which is easier said than done and making the FaceBreaker increasingly difficult to pull off.

Unfortunately, the core boxing mechanic in FaceBreaker is very simplistic. While the controls are easy to get, it derides into button mashing territory far too often. You basically let loose a barrage of punches on your opponent’s face until you get enough of your special meter to get a breaker, and there’s really no strategy to the game outside of that. There are a few simple combos that you can pull off, but the experience feels too much like a button masher with unsatisfying mechanics to hold the interest of hardcore boxing fans.

As far as multiplayer modes go, there is the “Couch Royale” mode, which is a strange way of naming a tournament for up to six players, and the Xbox LIVE modes, which include quick and custom matches as well as online leagues, where you can win trophy heads for beating certain players.

Graphically the game is quite good looking. The character models look great, with tons of personality and some great animations. The breakers can look awesome at times, and the action unfolds at a very fast and smooth framerate.

The sound is also done pretty well. The soundtrack has a diverse mix of tracks from several genres, and each character has their own unique ring entrance music, which is a nice touch. The sound effects and punches sound pretty crisp, as well.

FaceBreaker has some fun features, but the lack of gameplay modes and the simplistic button-mashing boxing mechanics are likely to turn off those looking for a somewhat more engrossing experience.

Gameplay: 7.5
FaceBreaker’s colorful cast of pugilists and fast-paced action is fun and interesting, but there are some balancing issues and shallow button-mashing mechanics that will turn off more hardcore boxing fans.

Graphics: 8.5
The game moves very quickly with no slowdown and the boxers are well-animated, complete with their own great looking special moves. The facial bruising effect is also pretty neat.

Sound: 8.5
FaceBreaker features a good soundtrack that touches on a variety of genres and some good sound effects.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
While it’s admirable that EA has stepped up to the plate to bring back the cartoon boxer, the end experience just feels a little shallow compared to other boxing titles.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Aside from the Couch Royale multiplayer tournament, there are also quick, custom, and online league matches via Xbox LIVE.

Overall: 7.5
FaceBreaker’s gameplay is pretty simple, meaning that gamers of all types will be able to get into the game and feel comfortable with the controls very quickly. However, the overall experience does feel a bit shallow and might not hold your interest for very long.