Brink, the latest title from Bethesda and Splash Damage released this past Tuesday the 10th. With it Bethesda promised a new approach to the FPS genre as well as an paralleled multiplayer/single player experience. Their method of achieving this was to incorporate live players on opposing factions through the campaign. When a player connects to the match, they replace an AI bot and will be playing their own game amongst other gamers who are doing the very same thing. When a player disconnects in the midst of a game, his/her position is then replaced by an AI bot. This method works just as described and brings a challenge to the campaign like I have never seen before.
Bethesda also approached the FPS genre with the desire to bring something new, rather than another “COD-clone”. While some may argue that Brink is merely a Team Fortress 2 knock-off, I respectfully disagree. I can see the point that is made in such a statement, but at the same time Brink brings much more variety, larger maps and a mass assortment of objectives that can be assigned to you simply by selecting an available objective on the convenient objective wheel. Not to mention the level of character customization is like nothing I have ever seen before in the FPS genre, let alone console gaming.
Brink shines the most with the implantation of a parkour movement system much like that of Mirrors Edge. While heavy classes are limited to a slower jaunt and vaults, mediums are much more agile and the light class is so quick and fluid that even with the sacrifice of available health, you can still be a very dangerous adversary once you master the controls. The controls themselves are quite fluid as well once you get the hang of it. That being said, there is a learning curve present here. COD players may experience frustration here, but once you adapt to the new schematics found in Brink, it can be a very enjoyable experience.
The great concepts and implantations that Bethesda and Splash Damage have brought to the table are not executed flawlessly, however, with sometimes frustratingly idiotic AI and less than top-notch graphics. That being said, the graphics are not terrible, they could simply be more crisp. The art-style makes up for this in some instances with visuals that are sometimes stunning then only to turn a corner to find a jagged, dark and ugly section of the map where the textures do not seem to load as quickly as one would prefer. The gameplay mechanics, ingenuity and originality of Brink are where we see the true potential here, not visual flare.
Bottom line? In a market where we have reached a point that we celebrate more of the same with games like the Call of Duty franchise and it’s yearly regurgitated franchise titles, Brink is something to celebrate. It’s a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant genre. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with COD type games (I myself can enjoy a good lone-wolf, guns blazing firefight), there needs to be more acceptance for developers who take the risk in evolving a genre with new ideas. Brink isn’t perfect, but it’s far from mediocre. I honestly believe the wide mix of reviews is due to the “norm” we have all found ourselves accepting from the FPS genre. Brink does NOT fit in that norm. It has it’s own place in the genre and that should be celebrated, not shunned. Is it for everyone? No, it’s not. This is an objective team-based game and let’s face it, not everyone enjoys that style of play. But if you can have the patience to adjust to the new schematics, learn to play as a team and not a one-man army, focus on the objective and enjoy the rush when pushing for an objective…Brink is the game you have been waiting for.
8.5/10
Pros: Original concept. Fluid controls. Mass range of character and weapons customization. Excellent approach to team-based objective gameplay.
Cons: Sometimes lackluster AI. AI teammates assigned to objectives rarely accomplish said objectives (Medic being the exception.) While not sub-par, the graphics are a bit less than expected.
Review by Lee Daiber
XBOX 360 GT: mavendetta
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