Brink

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 579 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 233 out of 579
  2. Mixed: 174 out of 579
  3. Negative: 172 out of 579
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  1. Deamos
    May 10, 2011
    7
    All in all, I have to say I like it. The graphics are well done, the sound is spot on, the controls arn't horrible, and the gameplay is top notch. That being said, there are quite a few bugs that need to be worked out before I give it a 10. Sometimes sound will cease to work, sometimes there are graphical issues and freezing on menus. Also, there seems to be a bit more optimization onAll in all, I have to say I like it. The graphics are well done, the sound is spot on, the controls arn't horrible, and the gameplay is top notch. That being said, there are quite a few bugs that need to be worked out before I give it a 10. Sometimes sound will cease to work, sometimes there are graphical issues and freezing on menus. Also, there seems to be a bit more optimization on the 3d rendering code as Brink requires a top cost, hardcore, machine. Expect to be playing on default graphics settings until they work this out. My recommendation is buy this if you are chomping at the bit for a new FPS. If you arn't, I would wait until some of the kinks are worked out.… Expand
  2. decadentia
    May 11, 2011
    6
    Brink has a lot of potential, but has not even come close to matching it yet. I'll list a few points that you should really consider before buying it.

    The Bad: -ATI Support, you WILL not experience good framerates with an ATI card unless you have very old drivers, my 5850 plays this game brutally even on low graphics -There is a known glitch right now that sound cuts out, thats right, you    Brink has a lot of potential, but has not even come close to matching it yet. I'll list a few points that you should really consider before buying it.

    The Bad:
    -ATI Support, you WILL not experience good framerates with an ATI card unless you have very old drivers, my 5850 plays this game brutally even on low graphics
    -There is a known glitch right now that sound cuts out, thats right, you will have NO sound. The only way to fix it is to leave the server. This affects everyone FYI
    -Lag: Incredible amount of lag right now, to the point you will very frustrated
    -Server selection: There's a filtering system that really doesn't work, so you see EVERY server
    -No pre-game lobbies, you join a server and thats it
    -No real good way to join a group of buddies and join the same team for a server
    -Graphics, they look muddled, not great
    -Movement is sluggish and even glitchy at times
    -IMO heavy guns are underpowered, I don't see heavy classes played very often due to this.
    -Engineer/Medic are going to be far more played than Soldier, and WAY more than the Op (which really sucks imo)
    -Virtually no in-game stats, at the end of a match you don't even know how well you technically did beyond points and "awards"

    The Good:
    -Plenty of guns, plenty of different attachments for most guns
    -Lots of different combinations for customization, so your guy can look relatively different
    -Teamplay focused game

    It has lots of potential, but honestly I may be waiting until they patch this sorry excuse for an online game. The bugs are literally so bad that I get annoyed after playing for a few hours. I have about 10 hours invested into the game thus far.    … Expand
  3. MathewRD
    May 12, 2011
    5
    Brink isn't what people pretend it is. Brink has solid gameplay, but that's it. There's no real difference in playing one class or the other. All classes use the same weapons. Your objectives are different based on your class, but that's it.

    The HUD is always so crowded with everyone's health and information, so being able to focus on the little blur that is the enemy on screen becomes a    Brink isn't what people pretend it is. Brink has solid gameplay, but that's it. There's no real difference in playing one class or the other. All classes use the same weapons. Your objectives are different based on your class, but that's it.

    The HUD is always so crowded with everyone's health and information, so being able to focus on the little blur that is the enemy on screen becomes a bit challenging when 99% of your screen is shouting, "HEY LOOK AT ME!"

    The gameplay works, the SMART works, the customization is downright BEAUTIFUL! But the fun I had while playing it was severely limited due to little differentiation in classes, repetitive objectives, a bland story, and annoying habits the game would do.    … Expand
  4. Haydar
    May 10, 2011
    7
    Spoiler:--"Brink=>Multiplayer":--Spoiler. Think that those who are disappointed with Single Player mode of the game didn't watch a single one of the 1,214,634,372 Brink videos before the game's published. Also i know that they believe Black Ops is a better game than the Bad Company 2 because that the BC2 has a rubbish Single Player mode. What a pathetic group of people.
  5. DeadlyJoe
    Dec 29, 2011
    6
    I'm glad i waited for the Steam holiday sales before buying this game. Brink promised to "blend" the multiplayer and singleplayer games into a seamless experience, which sounded really interesting when they said it like that. But actually all they did was create a COD-like multiplayer shooter with bots and call it a singleplayer story mode! So innovative!!! My apologies if your sarcasmI'm glad i waited for the Steam holiday sales before buying this game. Brink promised to "blend" the multiplayer and singleplayer games into a seamless experience, which sounded really interesting when they said it like that. But actually all they did was create a COD-like multiplayer shooter with bots and call it a singleplayer story mode! So innovative!!! My apologies if your sarcasm detector is now broken. The dodgy AI and a forgetful story make you wonder why they even bothered with the singleplayer game. Not to mention the unlocks... millions of unlocks. I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't unlocks for the unlocks. However, if you view Brink purely as a multiplayer game, then it is actually fairly solid. But it's nothing amazing, and more than a few shooters from 2011 are much better. At the end of the day there's just nothing to keep me playing this game. It has no WOW! factor at all. I do hope, though, that Splash Damage will continue to develop their engine and games, because it's obvious that they've got some insanely talented people in their ranks with amazing potential. They just need to learn what makes a AAA shooter fun to play these days, and they could do such great things.… Expand
  6. keefbaker
    Oct 17, 2013
    7
    Decent multiplayer battle arena with a plot. I wish that the single player had been better thought out as it just feels tacked on but the whole thing is a worthwhile experiment that I hope others follow and refine.
  7. xiohexia
    May 11, 2011
    7
    Pro's:
    - The gameplay itself is GREAT.
    - The customizations and leveling system works fine. - The "training wheel" keeps noobs on the objectives. - The S.M.A.R.T. freerunning system is rather fun and a great part of brink. Con's: - The game looks decent, but compared to other quake based games... this one runs like crap. (Seriously, the main menu lags on 1920x1080, meanwhile I can run    Pro's:
    - The gameplay itself is GREAT.
    - The customizations and leveling system works fine.
    - The "training wheel" keeps noobs on the objectives.
    - The S.M.A.R.T. freerunning system is rather fun and a great part of brink.

    Con's: - The game looks decent, but compared to other quake based games... this one runs like crap. (Seriously, the main menu lags on 1920x1080, meanwhile I can run crysis2 just fine.)
    - Most servers you get on lag more than your grandmother. - Various bugs that will no doubt be patched soon. I hope...
    - Theres actually only 8 levels. Thats right. EIGHT. Some reviews might tell you there are 16, but you play the same levels twice, once for Ark Security, and once for The Resistance. I would say this is the greatest draw back to Brink. If this game had closer to 20 levels this game would be getting an 8 or a 9. But its got 8... for now. (Lets hope they release the SDK soon, and maybe some free DLC's.)

    Summary: It's got a TON of potential, but it is only half done. Which is sad because the release game looks exactly the same as the demo everyone saw at QuakeCon 09. I guess splash damage took a two year vacation. Maybe now that they are getting paid they can finish the game.    … Expand
  8. Glimmung
    May 15, 2011
    7
    Sweet graphics, weapons and overall mood. But single player campaign is a joke (map+bots+short intro). . Gameplay can be frustrating sometimes - you die too often and in stupid ways. I don't know, after initial disappointment I find myself enjoying Brink more and more. Counting on satisfying multi.
  9. Schmieraffe
    Jun 26, 2011
    5
    Brink is not finished yet; I am still waiting for a patch. There are many issues witch destroy the fairly good gameplay experience. Brink has, despite the average graphics, a very bad performance and there are many bugs which are not fixed yet. Bethesda announced that the first DLC (which will release before the first real patch) will be free. Free for 2 weeks, as added later. Again, theBrink is not finished yet; I am still waiting for a patch. There are many issues witch destroy the fairly good gameplay experience. Brink has, despite the average graphics, a very bad performance and there are many bugs which are not fixed yet. Bethesda announced that the first DLC (which will release before the first real patch) will be free. Free for 2 weeks, as added later. Again, the developers focus on new content instead of the elimination of the problems. The character customization options are good, but the upgrading system for the classes is messed up. I advise against the purchase of this game.… Expand
  10. RealSovietDamag
    May 11, 2011
    7
    It's a pretty solid game. There are a few issues, some of the early maps can seem overly hard, and it doesn't always do a good job of explaining which class is needed. The lack of subtitles hurts the game, too. But the customization is good, the core mechanics work well, and the maps are a great change from the typical stuff you might see. Parkour is solid, but it doesn't get much use inIt's a pretty solid game. There are a few issues, some of the early maps can seem overly hard, and it doesn't always do a good job of explaining which class is needed. The lack of subtitles hurts the game, too. But the customization is good, the core mechanics work well, and the maps are a great change from the typical stuff you might see. Parkour is solid, but it doesn't get much use in fights, so much as getting you to those fights faster, or through a safer route.… Expand
  11. backfromheaven
    May 10, 2011
    7
    I'll start of with the pros; the movement controls are nice and fluid, allowing you to vault obstacles and sprint at the same time with just one button, reminiscent of the 'free run' found in Assassin's Creed. The art style really benefits the feel of Brink with the over exaggerated realism that is brought out with beautiful graphics. The choice of weapons and their customization allowsI'll start of with the pros; the movement controls are nice and fluid, allowing you to vault obstacles and sprint at the same time with just one button, reminiscent of the 'free run' found in Assassin's Creed. The art style really benefits the feel of Brink with the over exaggerated realism that is brought out with beautiful graphics. The choice of weapons and their customization allows the player to experiment and adapt to his or her play style while also having different body types boasting abilities such as free running or more HP provides a unique customization feature where no one character will ever be the same.

    Now onto the cons; there is no story driven single player, but a mission to mission type of play that all too closely resembles the multiplayer (if not EXACTLY like the multiplayer) and has little to no intrinsic value except that you can play by yourself. The movement using sprint or 'free run' can cause some problems every now and then where you'll vault a rail you didn't want to vault or get yourself stuck in a hairy situation that leads to your untimely demise. Finally the objectives and game mode feel repetitive over time and the number of maps don't help lessen the repetitiveness where after about 3-4 hours of playing you've already seen all the maps, and with no map editor there is no hope for the community to be able to build their own maps and make Brink even greater than it is now.

    Overall Brink is a great game to play with friends for a short while, taking in all it has to offer, but it won't be something you'll be looking forward to get back to the next day.    … Expand
  12. CBZ
    May 15, 2011
    6
    Brink is a great game full of potential, with excellent graphics and gameplay. The quick switch between objectives and the special abilities make this game really fun to play. The game has captured many good aspects from other games such as Team Fortress 2 (abilities and characters) assassins creed (parkour) and Call of duty among others (weapon customization) to create one great concept.Brink is a great game full of potential, with excellent graphics and gameplay. The quick switch between objectives and the special abilities make this game really fun to play. The game has captured many good aspects from other games such as Team Fortress 2 (abilities and characters) assassins creed (parkour) and Call of duty among others (weapon customization) to create one great concept.
    I think the low scores are due to the high expectations of the players, however, it is true that the game needs some patching especially for the AI and the sound going away in MP. I recommend to wait a little until these issues have been solved for those who are hesitating on buying the game.    … Expand
  13. Deific
    May 29, 2011
    7
    The game has flaws but if you can get past them you'll enjoy yourself. However, you'll find yourself time and time again being irritated by those flaws and sometimes pushing yourself to keep with it. Customization is nice but not as in depth as they made it out to be. Body types add some depth to gameplay, but a in many ways unbalanced. The maps are poorly designed with many of them beingThe game has flaws but if you can get past them you'll enjoy yourself. However, you'll find yourself time and time again being irritated by those flaws and sometimes pushing yourself to keep with it. Customization is nice but not as in depth as they made it out to be. Body types add some depth to gameplay, but a in many ways unbalanced. The maps are poorly designed with many of them being a campfest on the objective, and the attacking team having to push through it. The gunplay is severely imbalanced, not only by the skewed gun stats which favor some weapons, but also by the ability buffs of various classes which makes the weapon damage inconsistent and infuriating at times - ignoring this however, the guns still seem completely random in the amount of damage they do at times. The whole objective system isn't as influential as SD made out, with side objectives having little impact on the main objective or map play. The SMART system is very fluent though, and works very well. It creates some very fluent and fast gameplay and basically makes BRINK what it is, and worth your time. It's a shame that it's often wasted on corridor areas. Overall the game is worth your time, and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it - but it might only tie you over until the game you're waiting for is released.… Expand
  14. Jimbob2k666
    May 14, 2011
    7
    Game is fine. Im using ATI and with a bit of tweaking and rolling back drivers I achieve a solid 60fps on a 4 year old pc with a q6600 and a 5770. As for people giving this game "0" because of reasons not to do with the game need to stop posting - after all this for reviews, not opinions about the fact you live in Australia or wherever and can't buy the game at the prices elsewhere inGame is fine. Im using ATI and with a bit of tweaking and rolling back drivers I achieve a solid 60fps on a 4 year old pc with a q6600 and a 5770. As for people giving this game "0" because of reasons not to do with the game need to stop posting - after all this for reviews, not opinions about the fact you live in Australia or wherever and can't buy the game at the prices elsewhere in the world.

    The game just needs a few bugs ironing out and to be fair to SD, they've managed to get a game out at release that is very much playable and fun.    … Expand
  15. Borkus
    May 13, 2011
    7
    It has potential, with patches, and a Mod tool kit, it should really open up the game. It feels old school like Quake 3 but with objectives and classes like more modern team based shooters. With some patches, and if they deliver the tools to mod it, I think it will kick ass. I find it fun, but it is pretty buggy, I thought the AI Was actually pretty decent compared to some games, they willIt has potential, with patches, and a Mod tool kit, it should really open up the game. It feels old school like Quake 3 but with objectives and classes like more modern team based shooters. With some patches, and if they deliver the tools to mod it, I think it will kick ass. I find it fun, but it is pretty buggy, I thought the AI Was actually pretty decent compared to some games, they will do objectives and help out, but they also sometimes go off into la la land and forget about it.… Expand
  16. EsquireIII
    May 16, 2011
    7
    I really want to give this a 10. I really do. But with the bugs that should've never made it to the final release, I just can't. Quite a few times on multiplayer maps, all AI controlled characters decide to become invisible for the round and then, to top it all off, the sound cuts out. I'm pretty sure this bug only affects one player instead of a whole server, but I still don't understandI really want to give this a 10. I really do. But with the bugs that should've never made it to the final release, I just can't. Quite a few times on multiplayer maps, all AI controlled characters decide to become invisible for the round and then, to top it all off, the sound cuts out. I'm pretty sure this bug only affects one player instead of a whole server, but I still don't understand how they let that into the launch of the game. There are a few other bugs that I could mention, but they're really more annoyances than anything. In addition, the AI is horrid. Your teammates on offensive missions will run into a heavily guarded room only to be quickly gunned down. There are times when my teammates won't even help, they just randomly run around while I'm left to hopelessly battle my way to the objective, only to reach it and have 3 more enemies rush into the room and kill me. The cut-scenes play out pretty much the same way, to the point that it's maddening. That being said, I love this game. Unlike Call of Duty, where the focus is on the individual, Brink places the focus on the team while discouraging players to act on their own. For offensive teams, it is almost impossible to complete your objective if you don't band together and attack as a group. Defensive teams also need teamwork. They can't just leave one doomed engineer to guard the intel while everyone else runs around aimlessly. A variety of classes is required for the game to go anywhere. Different objectives need different classes to complete them, and in some instances, there are certain classes that can reverse the progress of the offensive team's objective. For instance, say a soldier plants an explosive charge. The defensive team has 40 seconds to get an engineer to that charge so he can disarm it. Each class tends to play pretty much the same with different abilities and buffs. Some people may hate this, but I tend to enjoy it, especially since you can switch classes at will at a friendly command post to suit the needs of the team. Customization of your character is great, with different options for faces, scars, tattoos, clothing, and hairstyles. You have only one character for both the Resistance and Security sides of the story. The character keeps the same face, scars, and tattoos, but the clothing and hair can be changed at will, each side having its own options for outfits. The game also has three body builds that can also be changed in the main menu. Heavy can use all weapons, has the most health, but moves slow and can't climb very well, while light is fast, has more options for "SMART" (more on that shortly), but is frail and can only use light weapons. As you might expect, average is a mix of the two. Regarding SMART (Smooth Movement Across Rough Terrain), the system works very well. holding down the sprint key will allow your character to climb and jump through the map. That being said, the maps are bland when you look at this amazing system they made to get through them. In addition, there are only eight maps at this time, and I imagine many players will quickly become bored of them. All in all, Brink is a solid game with a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully, in later patches, they will fix the shoddy AI, fix the horrid bugs, and add more content for players to enjoy.… Expand
  17. Xeros612
    Jul 6, 2011
    5
    I never paid much attention to pre-release hype, so perhaps my more positive outlook on the game stems partially from not having the opportunity for hype-based let-down. I was fortunate enough to get the game after a couple patches, so I was spared the early rough spot.

    That being said, it's overall a solid, but not great shooter. It's a lot of fun online; I've very rarely been frustrated    I never paid much attention to pre-release hype, so perhaps my more positive outlook on the game stems partially from not having the opportunity for hype-based let-down. I was fortunate enough to get the game after a couple patches, so I was spared the early rough spot.

    That being said, it's overall a solid, but not great shooter. It's a lot of fun online; I've very rarely been frustrated while playing without having had a bad day prior to firing it up, which is something I can't say about most online shooters. While the SP mode certainly doesn't stand up on its own(especially not the Security campaign, being a sight more difficult with AI teammates than Resistance), and I'm usually strongly against games that require MP interaction to enjoy, the fact that story (light as it was) and meaning was given behind what you were doing gives it a lot more appeal to me than MP shooters whereby "they're shooting at me so I should shoot at them!" or "they're from a different faction/nation, I should shoot them!" is all the reason you're given to do anything. Also, the "tf2 clone!" argument is just silly. Would you consider Battlefield Heroes or Monday Night Combat "tf2 clones" if they were in first person? Stylized class based objective MP shooter does not a tf2 clone make.

    Onto specifics, having gotten rid of the "tl;dr" in paragraph 2(assuming the review posting maintains format):

    Graphics: Not mindblowing by any means, and with an odd color palette, but it shows that ID Tech IV (the engine that originated with and powered Doom 3 back in 2004) is still a usable engine in this day and age. (ID Tech III is still being used with CoD and Source is still being used by Valve, so engine age is a non-issue.) I can't comment too much further as due to my hardware I'm capped at 720p medium settings with all effects but VSYNC and Motion blur shut off.

    Gameplay: Shooting is a nice change of pace from the CoD-esque "everything's laser-accurate" system of modern games, requiring burst firing and intelligent usage of your weapon's given range to hit targets accurately. Objectives are fairly simple, but take enough time that teamwork or good subterfuge are required to get them done. Shame they mostly involve escorting or holding down the action button. On the plus side, k/d is completely irrelevant, so no need for some sorry fool to hop into a game to do a lot of killing and nothing else because nobody's going to see the stats. It's something that should be implemented into all competitive objective modes of games. The "parkour" system surely leaves a lot to be desired for fans of parkour, but sliding and climbing around (+ wall jumping for light body types) are workable enough and lead to good ways to get out of dodge when need be. I would have preferred normal jumping height to not be so terrible, though. Command posts offer a nice way to add a little extra buff to your entire team, if you can be bothered to stray away from the main objective long enough to capture one.

    Maps: I've saved the gameplay elements that apply specifically to maps for here. Nothing mindblowing in terms of detail, but they serve the job well. Objectives presented on the maps tend to fall into the whole "variation on a theme" deal, but for the most part feel different enough from map to map. The main flaw of the maps, and subsequently the game, in my opinion... is the "choke-point" focus. Security is likely to like Reactor and Security Tower while Resistance is likely to like maps like Container City. Why? It's easy to stop the other team at a certain point on each map for either a very long time or for the rest of the match. While decent/competent teams (even as random players as opposed to a party of friends) can easily break these eventually, less focused and/or "bot-filled" teams can get stuck and demoralized very easily. I hope the map packs fix this error.

    I give the game as a whole about an 82 or 83 out of 100. (Rounded to 8 out of 10.) Not amazing or mindblowing, but a solid and fun shooter. I just wish it were easier to find a server with good ping AND people actually playing it.    … Expand
  18. Riddlefang
    Mar 20, 2012
    6
    Brink is a game that tries to be a little different from your standard fps like COD. It encourages team play and rewards you xp for everything you do. The free running system is also nice, but could have been expanded. The biggest problems of the game is the lack of game modes, and the fact that there's no separate campaign. The game could have been a lot better with more game modes and aBrink is a game that tries to be a little different from your standard fps like COD. It encourages team play and rewards you xp for everything you do. The free running system is also nice, but could have been expanded. The biggest problems of the game is the lack of game modes, and the fact that there's no separate campaign. The game could have been a lot better with more game modes and a bigger variation of maps.… Expand
  19. Eddie_Izzard
    May 11, 2011
    5
    How the game handles as far as basically everything outside of actual playing bothers me. There's no lobby system, there's no favorite server lists, there's no filtering on the servers you're looking for, and most glaringly my **** game goes to 4 fps on the server list screen. It's extremely minimal to a point just past annoyance. There's alot of features that we expect because they'reHow the game handles as far as basically everything outside of actual playing bothers me. There's no lobby system, there's no favorite server lists, there's no filtering on the servers you're looking for, and most glaringly my **** game goes to 4 fps on the server list screen. It's extremely minimal to a point just past annoyance. There's alot of features that we expect because they're not only in every game of this type, but useful. Now, as far as in-game goes. . . The weapons suck. They offer little variety, most of them are not satisfying to use, and it feels like an unpolished engine. That's not mentioning that it's far, far too easy to unlock them all, as well as attachments. It leaves nothing to work on but easily obtainable levels to unlock cosmetic appearance options for your character. I would rather have a vast arsenal of weapons, most with their own characteristics and feel, than what feels like the same thing but with minor visual differences. I would rather work to get my stuff. There's a sense of satisfaction and victory over working for 2 weeks to get to max level, getting a new, interesting weapon each 2 or 3 levels. Instead, I get everything in an hour, and from the looks of it, I could get max level in 2-3 days. This is problematic when I'm looking at the variety of maps. There's, what, less than 10? Each one being its own gametype, not customizable? Now I may be wrong in this as I don't know what the server and map options do to aid in this, but from how it LOOKS, I'm not seeing a lengthy future for this game unless they release constant content, or add a hell of alot more variety. Also, there's no reason to use any of the BR's. Or any other weapon for that matter. The SMG's are superior in the end. They're faster, they deal the same amount of damage, and they hold a hell of alot more ammo. Why should I use a boring, uninteresting weapon that handles exactly the same as the superior SMG I'm using? Hell, equip two of these things and you're golden. The only hope I have for this game is that it feels much more interesting and varied with individual class skills and mechanics when people get used to it in a few weeks, as well as get max level. Hopefully having more things to do class-wise, and having less derpy teammates will help with this extreme sense of dread I'm getting from these crap weapons. Lastly, and I really should not be making this comparison, the weapons need to be more like CoD. I don't really care for the franchise much anymore, but one thing they do right is the weapons. There aren't many that feel the same as others. For example: An AK feels vastly different than an Uzi. In comparison, a hard hitting BR compared to a fast little SMG in Brink feel damn near identical. The recoil is the same, the damage feels the same, hell they even **** sound identical. If I were to properly rate this game I would give it a 5/10. It has promise, but it also has many glaring issues that make me wary to even bother playing. It has some real good ideas, and most are implemented well, but everything else feels either rushed, or they didn't even try. I like the objectives, I like the class system, I like the customization. I hate the weapons, I hate the lack of progress at obtaining things, I hate the lack of variety between the weapons I already hate. That's double hate.… Expand
  20. nomstar
    May 10, 2011
    5
    A lot of hype surrounded the SMART system, but movement in Brink will probably feel clunky and more than a little awkward to most FPS players. The overall feel of the game comes off as 'laggy', with a weird rubber-banding sensation affecting almost everything from movement to shooting. My first thought was that it was my connection to the server, but trying a few more revealed the sameA lot of hype surrounded the SMART system, but movement in Brink will probably feel clunky and more than a little awkward to most FPS players. The overall feel of the game comes off as 'laggy', with a weird rubber-banding sensation affecting almost everything from movement to shooting. My first thought was that it was my connection to the server, but trying a few more revealed the same problem everywhere. My next thought was that maybe it was my computer or connection, but a quick poll of other players proved they were seeing the same thing. Top it off with the fact that the sound will just cut out almost completely on some maps for the entire round and the end result is a game that is playable, but certainly not pleasant...

    Also hyped was the customization options that were provided. There are a ton of options available to customize your character, giving you the ability to come up with some pretty unique looks. This is a strong point for the game, but I'd gladly sacrifice it for clean movement and the ability to have some precision when shooting... given that that's kind of important for an online FPS...

    The weapons themselves also have a number of customization options, but the end result is rather bland. You just don't end up caring, because in the end one assault rifle will feel like all the other assault rifles and one submachine gun will feel like all the other submachine guns. The only attributes you really care about are damage and the size of the magazine for the weapon; other than that, the handling and behavior of the weapons feel pretty much the same as any other in their class.

    Maps revolve around completing objectives, occasionally with certain objectives that can only be completed by a player with a certain class. It's nothing revolutionary, and doesn't really introduce any new dynamic that you haven't already seen in other objective-based team shooters. If you're like me and already playing one of those, whether it's TF2, CoD, or BF2/BC2, you're not really missing out on anything by skipping Brink that isn't already provided by any of those 3 games in a much better way. I'd say save your money for the next CoD or BF3!    … Expand
  21. LordOfDorkness
    May 15, 2011
    5
    The thing about game reviews is that they are supposed to be USEFUL in making a game purchase decision. I never, EVER trust a 10-point game review on the first day of a game's release. The problems with them are: 1) People who just shelled out a bunch of money NEED the game to be good to justify their purchase (this is called "confirmation bias");
    2) The amazingly positive and flowery    The thing about game reviews is that they are supposed to be USEFUL in making a game purchase decision. I never, EVER trust a 10-point game review on the first day of a game's release. The problems with them are: 1) People who just shelled out a bunch of money NEED the game to be good to justify their purchase (this is called "confirmation bias");
    2) The amazingly positive and flowery reviews that sound like commercials are just that, because they are being written by representatives of the company that produced the game.
    This is my first time on the MetaCritic site itself, and after looking at reviews for these games I have to say that the reviews are pretty much useless unless one looks at them with a skeptical eye. And the moderators for this site need to do a better job of monitoring and eliminating reviews that are obvious, cheesy, overly-glowing reviews written by game company representatives. I mean, GAWD, some of them are so obvious that it's cringeworthy.

    As for the game, it's okay. Bugs are to be expected on opening day. This is definitely not your average FPS game. The new control system is hard to get used to. I think it feels like they really tried to create a representation of the incredibly stupid "X-treme" sport fad known as "Parkour", or "Freerunning", which is incredibly retarded and reminds me of that stupid fad, "Breakdancing". Pretty dumb that they should invest so much time in the way you overexaggeratedly slide and hop and skip around. The fact that it's sluggish and sloppy and inconsistent certainly doesn't help. The gun selection is basically the classes of guns. You get a few selections, and then you are pretty much re-skinning them. That's it. As for the game browser, what do you expect? They are all a total failure at the beginning, with every game. BUT WHAT ELSE DO YOU EXPECT WHEN A GAME REQUIRES STEAM TO RUN??? Steam is completely evil in its managing to wedge its way into new games' releases and multiplayer interface. Look, folks. Steam has no business being required to run your new games. Steam is a third-party application that completely drops the ball in its responsibilities. If fails to help you connect to servers, it fails to remember your classes and achievements, and it fails to get rid of hackers. The only thing it REALLY seems to succeed at doing is LIMITING YOUR CHOICES. When you accept Steam as being a required third-party management system, you also give up your right to custom servers, custom maps, custom ANYTHING. Buy a game that wasn't developed by Steam, but requires Steam, and you get what you deserve. No choices, no creativity, no effective cheat-deterrents, and no customization. So, enjoy your game of "Cyber-Parkour", everyone. I hope that you don't expect too much from this game just because you dumped a bunch of cash into it, and I certainly do hope that reasonable, realistic game reviews are what you look at when you use this site to influence your decision-making process. :)    … Expand
  22. Noobverest
    May 18, 2011
    7
    Brink is not an extremely unique game as they say it is. It revolves around team play, but there really isn't a lot of difference between Brink and a normal FPS game apart from the tossing around med kits part and supplies. The objective guider shows you where you have to go, which is similar to what every other fps game has with their way points. The game play is dull because all the gunsBrink is not an extremely unique game as they say it is. It revolves around team play, but there really isn't a lot of difference between Brink and a normal FPS game apart from the tossing around med kits part and supplies. The objective guider shows you where you have to go, which is similar to what every other fps game has with their way points. The game play is dull because all the guns are pretty similar, and it takes forever to rank up.… Expand
  23. Seoh
    May 18, 2011
    7
    Not as bad as most people make out, a lot of fun for 60 minutes but doesn't hold my attention much longer than that.

    On the plus side few technical issues that i;ve experienced (Nvidia 460) and a solid feel to the fights but it has far too few maps.
  24. DJDag
    May 13, 2011
    5
    The Good:
    -Character and weapon customization.
    -SMART because it really does work well and adds to the gameplay at times. -The great potential for teamwork. This game absolutely encourages teamwork which will make the game all the more fun while playing with your friends. -art style is nice, I like it. The Bad: -Poor performance on PC. This game is just simply not optimized well    The Good:
    -Character and weapon customization.
    -SMART because it really does work well and adds to the gameplay at times.
    -The great potential for teamwork. This game absolutely encourages teamwork which will make the game all the more fun while playing with your friends.
    -art style is nice, I like it.


    The Bad:
    -Poor performance on PC. This game is just simply not optimized well enough. I get these incredibly low frame rate dips for what seems to be no reason. This shouldn't happen because a high frame rate is so important in an fps.
    -Incredibly laggy control input. There is this strange delay between a key or mouse press and what appears on my screen. As an fps, smooth controls are an absolute must. There cannot be any lag input.
    -Absolutely worthless single-player campaign. Playing with and against shoddily programmed AI bots is no fun at all. There is no reason to play the campaign when you can play the same maps online, against other real people.
    -Random bugs. While playing some maps the sounds just ceases to exist, why? Comments: I really wanted to like Brink because my brother hyped me up for it. The great fall from strong hype to strong disappointment really motivated me to write this review. I;m giving this game an honest rating of 5 but I really would like to give it a 0 to counteract of all these ridiculous 10s and 9s. How can you possibly give it such a high rating? It has game breaking bugs. No it's not OK for developers to release a buggy game. Giving such perfect ratings is tantamount to giving the nod of approval for developers to release buggy games. If you are interested in buying this game please wait until you here news of an update.

    tl;dr It's a decent game but lacking in some serious aspects.    … Expand
  25. DGDSN
    May 13, 2011
    6
    +Cool / different art style. Looks pretty good.
    +I haven't had any technical problems. Controls well / runs well.
    +Character / weapon customization is fun.
    -Single player experience is really boring. Think Tf2 w/ bots and holding E on objectives.
    -Multi player experience is dodgy. Server browser isn't so good and its laggy even in
  26. SqueakyNoobCake
    May 21, 2011
    7
    Brink is a alot like marmite you'll either love the team based gameplay or loth it, the classes are broken into 4 different roles all with their own perks. The solider is the back bone of the team restocking ammo of allies and placing charges, the engineer repairs objectives and places mines,turrets and buffs the damage of teams weapons by throwing a spanner at them, the medic is selfBrink is a alot like marmite you'll either love the team based gameplay or loth it, the classes are broken into 4 different roles all with their own perks. The solider is the back bone of the team restocking ammo of allies and placing charges, the engineer repairs objectives and places mines,turrets and buffs the damage of teams weapons by throwing a spanner at them, the medic is self explanitory and revives downed team mates buffs health regerations, running speed in later levels. The last class is the operative who hacks objectives and has the ability to spot mines, hack turrets and disgues as the enemy. The game has a wide array of customisation from defining your charaters look to what kind of guns you want.You eventually can pick between 3 builds when your level 8 from medium, light to heavy the main difference is the bigger your build the bigger your guns. There are a total of 24 which might not seem like much but the amount of combinations with the attachments are mind blowing you unlock the attachments though doing the "challenege" mode which is nice as new players have just as much chance as the veterans. The level design is well organized but can get very boring as there are only a 8 maps at the moment If you can look past some its short comings there is alot of fun to be had. If you have team spirit I recommend this game to anyone.… Expand
  27. George1998
    Jul 6, 2011
    6
    What can I say, I love this game. Is it like any other game on the market? Bits from here and pieces from there. What is great about Brink is that it pulls in aspects from so many other games and puts it into an amazing package. Coming from a RTCW and ET background, no other game has come close to filling in the void that my first real game has created. Finally
  28. Arvuti
    May 15, 2011
    6
    Brink is an disappointment. It's not a bad game at all but it didn't live up to the hype and has too many annoying flaws. The story has a good concept but they don't do anything with it. There is barely any story telling, and only bits of story you get are the short cutscenes at the beginning of the missions. Graphics are good and stylish, kind of reminds me borderlands. The characterBrink is an disappointment. It's not a bad game at all but it didn't live up to the hype and has too many annoying flaws. The story has a good concept but they don't do anything with it. There is barely any story telling, and only bits of story you get are the short cutscenes at the beginning of the missions. Graphics are good and stylish, kind of reminds me borderlands. The character customization is pretty damn awesome, sadly there aren't that many customization options. Friendly AI is one of the worst I have ever seen, solo campaign of brink is one of the worst gaming experiences ive ever had. Despite that the multiplayer of brink, when it works is a blast. It's hard to be harsh on a game what tries something different. Brink is worth a purchase if you have friends who play it / are planning on purchasing it. Otherwise you should wait a bit until the price drops and DLC comes out.… Expand
  29. Kagd
    May 16, 2011
    5
    Entertaining. But doesnt have true staying power. You complete the campaigns and challenges in about 1 day. After that it's all about online play which can extremely unbalanced. Bugs and server problems don't really help the score either. If you feel like spending 50 bucks for a couple of day's fun, then brink is for you.
  30. Cytheria
    May 16, 2011
    6
    I like Brink. A lot. Ok its never going to make it into my top games of all time, but its a good game and I'm enjoying it a lot. I pre-ordered early and am pleased with the pre-order bonus's and hope to see a few more friends online once they sort out the UK online distribution issues.

    That said, I'm recommending my friends wait for some form of price cut on the title before they pick    I like Brink. A lot. Ok its never going to make it into my top games of all time, but its a good game and I'm enjoying it a lot. I pre-ordered early and am pleased with the pre-order bonus's and hope to see a few more friends online once they sort out the UK online distribution issues.

    That said, I'm recommending my friends wait for some form of price cut on the title before they pick it up, or for some of the additional DLC that has been promised by Bioware to be released before they pick it up.

    At present, if you can get the game to run (see some of the other posts here for an idea of the issues affecting users of some hardware) its a good shooter. Its not brilliant, but its ok.

    As others have noted, it feels slightly off pace, not quite slick enough and you feel like you're just slightly moving through treacle the whole time. Rubber banding will happen on public servers and lag really does have a significant impact on performance where other titles seem to compensate a lot more effectively for it.

    Some of the weapons feel more like re-skins of each other than independant weapons in their own right. The class system, similarly, doesn't provide any significant difference between classes at the moment and an often noted complaint is that more players play as engineers and medics than operatives or god forbid actual soldiers because the ability to self buff or self heal is far more beneficial to a player than the slight combat perks and broken armour skill that come with being a soldier, or the ability to disguise yourself as an operative.

    Additionally what appeared to be a pretty large palette of skins, clothes, faces and so on in the promo vids isnt nearly so large as all that and at present the game is painfully "samey" in almost all respects. The people you are fighting alongside or against almost all look the same, with the odd exception almost everyone is using the same combination of primary and secondary weapons with similar attachments and backup skills.

    The decision to include all the data about your character in an easily edited file on your local hard disk also means that those people who are so inclined, will start every map at max level and with all the skills available... something which most games have been able to prevent natively for ages through auto-detection and rebalancing. Beyond that, there's only 10 levels. Oh and 4 challenge maps. Thats it. There is the promise of more, but at the moment, its the same maps for both of the games campaign modes and whilst they appear very pretty and interesting, you'll quickly find that for most maps, about 80% of the area is just padding that you need to run through after a respawn in order to reach one of 1 or 2 choke points for any given map.

    Did I mention that features like online stats have been left out because they haven't built them yet? I've played games that were rushed to publishing before, but never one that basically advertised the fact.. its not a big thing, but its a concern...

    Have given this 6 out of 10 because whilst its a good fun game, it needs a lot of TLC to really make it worth the money at the moment, best advice, wait for a sale. If its worth buying there will still be enough of a player base to make it a viable multiplayer game when its come down in price a bit. If not you saved yourself a bit on what may have proved to be nothing more than a short, sometimes frustrating, distraction.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
37
#37 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    84
    Brink is destined to be a cult classic (on PC), for us fans of Quake Wars. Has no single player value but high entry difficulty due to tight team focus and sprawling maps. Good, but not nearly as damn good as Quake Wars. I like Brink but it is no wonder that most gamers don't. [June 2011]
  2. Absolute Games
    Jul 26, 2011
    60
    Who would have thought that this highly ambitious concept would turn out to be such a bland game?
    Read full review
  3. PC Games (Russia)
    Jun 24, 2011
    75
    Brink's unique visual style and great customization options save the day. Although its core gameplay needs some polishing, it's a solid multiplayer-only experience nevertheless. [July 2011, p.81]
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