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. JackyBeans
    Jun 19, 2011
    3
    Brink is a game I wanted to love so much. Pre-ordered it on Steam. How I wish I haven't. IF YOU HAVE AN ATI CARD, FORGET ABOUT THIS GAME.. Or at least, I, among many ATI owners, are currently suffering with this game. I advise you not to pick it up, at least not for now.. I envy you Deific since you seems to be among the rare gamers running it smooth.. FYI, I own a 5870.. Even with driverBrink is a game I wanted to love so much. Pre-ordered it on Steam. How I wish I haven't. IF YOU HAVE AN ATI CARD, FORGET ABOUT THIS GAME.. Or at least, I, among many ATI owners, are currently suffering with this game. I advise you not to pick it up, at least not for now.. I envy you Deific since you seems to be among the rare gamers running it smooth.. FYI, I own a 5870.. Even with driver hotfix 11.5a,b,11.6 and latest game patch, the game still suffers considerably when it comes to frame rates, having sharp decreases and increases for no reason.. Engine feels unfinished. (mind you my system played Crysis 2 & Buletstorm at 1080p high fidelity without any significant problem) The graphics are weak, very weak. Art style is amazing only. Gameplay? shooting is dull (no recoil?), guns feel all the same, objectives are "classic", boring and repetitive and your character runs awkwardly. SMART system is forgettable and not really cleverly implemented.. Gunplay, again, doesn't feel as tight as it should feel. Offline gameplay is dull. This is interesting for online coop only. I didn't really have the experience to invest plenty of hours in the game (~5 hours) since it's barely playable but what a disappointment in the couple of hours I have played. I dont want to mention the nightmare when it comes to online gaming: lag, sound issue, matchmaking etc. So much hype, so much noise, so much style.. Shame, the game couldn't follow..… Expand
  2. DivideByNought
    Jun 17, 2011
    7
    The story ending makes it seem like there is to be a Brink 2. I hope there is. But if they do it I hope it's a lot more varied with more depth of game play (not just in terms of story perspectives).

    More specifically, I like what this game tries to do by combining types of game play (single player story + multi-player + shooter + leveling + parkour + team fortress) and the taking sides    The story ending makes it seem like there is to be a Brink 2. I hope there is. But if they do it I hope it's a lot more varied with more depth of game play (not just in terms of story perspectives).

    More specifically, I like what this game tries to do by combining types of game play (single player story + multi-player + shooter + leveling + parkour + team fortress) and the taking sides in a story with plenty of gray-area. However, in the end I was bored. The different character weights and classes didn't feel different enough; the depth just wasn't there so the differences felt hollow. I played through the campaigns from both perspectives, the extra missions, the training levels (all to 3 stars), and lots online. I felt like it took forever to level up to level 20. And with all the stuff in the game it never felt varied enough to keep me truly interested.    … Expand
  3. Arkveveen
    Jun 15, 2011
    6
    Brink isn't a bad game, but it has flaws that hamper the experience for me. Terrible performance, even after the patch (with my pretty good mid range gaming PC), way too repetitive level designs (even for me, who can take linear areas easily and not get bored), overlly generous experience rewards, and a kind of disappointment that settles in slowly over time after you defend the game toothBrink isn't a bad game, but it has flaws that hamper the experience for me. Terrible performance, even after the patch (with my pretty good mid range gaming PC), way too repetitive level designs (even for me, who can take linear areas easily and not get bored), overlly generous experience rewards, and a kind of disappointment that settles in slowly over time after you defend the game tooth and nail after buying it.

    This isn't like Duke Nukem Forever, which is a game I will defend tooth and nail because I am shocked at how NOT GOD AWFUL that game is. But for Brink, it just slowly lost it's fun factor over time, and I no longer am willing to play it, sadly. I understand what the designers went for, and it works for the most part; but even the over the top shooting or weapons can't fix the terrible performance issues that make the experience feel slow and drawn out. Maybe after I get that ATI 11.6 driver update that's supposed to improve the performance, then maybe I will give this game a try. But for now, it's a curious game that I will play occassionally and only cautiously reccomend.    … Expand
  4. corroded
    Jun 15, 2011
    6
    It's what should be delicious mix between Team Fortress 2, Mirrors Edge and Modern Warfare, but comes out with more flaws than abject genius, and is not as good as any of the above.
  5. StormCrow
    Jun 13, 2011
    9
    This is an excellent multiplayer FPS, and surprisingly it's still interesting to play solo, contrary to what some say. I have an NVidia card, so I never had any issues with the game, and I heard that a lot, if not all, of the ATI issues have been patched. However, for once there is a game with objectives, not a low-brow FPS which only require to have the maximum kill count. Plus theThis is an excellent multiplayer FPS, and surprisingly it's still interesting to play solo, contrary to what some say. I have an NVidia card, so I never had any issues with the game, and I heard that a lot, if not all, of the ATI issues have been patched. However, for once there is a game with objectives, not a low-brow FPS which only require to have the maximum kill count. Plus the objectives are dynamic, they change during one game, and they are not symetric, so playing in each of the sides is very different. The ability to choose your character and customize the weapons is great too, because as always you can't have the best of all, you have to choose. This is by far the best multiplayer game in my game library with TF2 and Left 4 Dead 1/2 (which are very different).… Expand
  6. CD001
    Jun 12, 2011
    8
    First off - this IS NOT TF2... think of Brink like TF2 and you will be disappointed - yes it's an FPS, yes it has Soldier, Engineer, Medic and Operative (Spy) classes BUT unlike TF2 the classes do not define the character type - they are merely specialisations. Your body type defines whether you're a heavy with big guns or a light speedy guy with smaller firearms and the body type can beFirst off - this IS NOT TF2... think of Brink like TF2 and you will be disappointed - yes it's an FPS, yes it has Soldier, Engineer, Medic and Operative (Spy) classes BUT unlike TF2 the classes do not define the character type - they are merely specialisations. Your body type defines whether you're a heavy with big guns or a light speedy guy with smaller firearms and the body type can be combined with any class specialisation; if you want to be a light soldier or a heavy operative, you can.

    Each specialisation comes with their own abilities, Soldiers can buff team-mates ammo, engineers their weapons and armour (and build sentry guns of course) and medics can heal, buff and revive team-mates. Operatives can disguise as enemies or (more usefully) "spot" them making them visible to your entire team. Each specialisation can also perform mission specific tasks, hack or destroy doors, or repair robots for instance.

    What's good about Brink - the S.M.A.R.T movement system that allows you to vault over barriers, climb and run along walls generally works very well and adds an additional dimension to the FPS team-game genre. Obviously this has greater impact for light, agile body types rather than big heavy guys.

    The "team" element is very good, you're rewarded greater for helping your team than you are for killing enemies - it actually encourages you to work together as a team.

    The character customisation is also excellent - with a wide range of outfits, hairstyles, tattoos and scars to mix and match as you please giving your characters a reasonably unique personal look. There is also a wide array of weaponry (and weapon mods like scopes) to choose from but this is NOT a game of spray and pray - accuracy falls off on most guns at range you really need to learn to fire in short controlled bursts; this, to me at least, is a good thing - especially on servers where Friendly Fire in on.

    The voice acting is decent, the settings and scenery are well done and I quite like "playing the story" with other people - which is pretty much what the online game is. Alternatively you can play co-operatively against bots, which is great when you feel like playing "easy mode" or want to train your characters up. Yes your characters gain experience (up to level 20) which is used to buy class points to specialise your character (bigger sentry guns for Engies for instance) and unlocks new clothing - it's not a perfect system and does act as a slight "barrier to entry" since you're better off trained than not, especially when playing online... but being a lower level doesn't automatically make you useless and it doesn't take long at all to get to about level 15.

    Gameplay, generally for a team-shooter is actually, overall, very good and not quite like anything else going... but the game isn't perfect.

    Whilst the team aspect is brilliant, if you're on a team that doesn't really know what its doing - you will lose. If your team attempts to go for "personal glory" rather than working as a team - you will lose. If your team doesn't pay attention to their objectives - you will lose. Then, of course, you can get stacked so it'll be a team mostly made up of people versus a team mostly made up of bots... and guess what, if you're on the team with mostly bots - you will lose. In short - a game of Brink lives or dies by teamwork so unless you get lucky on a public server... the game won't be particularly well balanced.

    Speaking of balance - the game could use some looking at in that aspect. Generally speaking, it's slightly harder (in player vs player) if you're on the Security team - their missions are slightly harder, when viewed overall, than the resistance missions - I've yet to see the Security team, on a public PvP server, win the Shipyard map. That's not to say there aren't some missions that are harder as resistance, there are, but there are slightly more hard missions for security than resistance.

    There's a good array of weapons and everyone gets to choose a primary and secondary weapon - but play it for a bit and you'll realise that there are a few that stand out as being somewhat better than the others - just watch the kill messages and you'll see that literally only about 8 guns are actually used by experienced players (depending on their body types).

    Oh, single player ... don't bother except as practice when you're first playing - seriously.

    So - if you want a team-based online FPS, one which has a good system of freedom of movement, one that's more Counter Strike with specialisations than Team Fortress - give Brink a go. If you want the next Team Fortress... don't, just play TF2 or Monday Night Combat instead.    … Expand
  7. Killahills
    Jun 11, 2011
    0
    Terrible. Worst game purchase I've ever made. I've played for 2 hours and can't muster any interest to play for any longer. There are so many flaws I can't even list them. But that all said, this is a love or hate game and I can see how certain gamers would love it. But I hated it :)
  8. Loten
    Jun 10, 2011
    0
    Brink started out great fun, but somehow became buggier the more I played. Enemies disappearing, sound entirely not working on some levels. A few patches on and nothing had really improved and last check only 2000 people playing on Steam at peak times. Feels dead right out the gates.
  9. King1600
    Jun 8, 2011
    10
    This game has some serious network issues. As a co-op game, you'd expect to be able to simply join a buddy with no hassle. This isn't so simple. However, even if I pardon this issue, Brink still doesn't have much to offer as a FULL PRICE game. Pick this up at 20$ maybe.
  10. AltView2
    Jun 8, 2011
    9
    Brink is a visually impressive game, with amazing original art! The character customization is great with lots of varied styles to choose from. The gameplay is fast paced and very well balanced. The levels look great and with a few exceptions are designed rather well. I personally did not experience any of the major bugs that some people had a launch, other than the issue with soundBrink is a visually impressive game, with amazing original art! The character customization is great with lots of varied styles to choose from. The gameplay is fast paced and very well balanced. The levels look great and with a few exceptions are designed rather well. I personally did not experience any of the major bugs that some people had a launch, other than the issue with sound cutting out on one map for everyone. Overall this is my favorite FPS so far of 2011.… Expand
  11. lilkillpappy
    Jun 7, 2011
    0
    the opening video is the only interesting part of the game, everything else is just boring, boring, boring sole less arena styled crap. Cell shaded graphics that run horribly on the PC?? What are they thinking with these shallow consollised crap games. I'm not buying it thats for damn sure.
  12. 3viscerate
    Jun 6, 2011
    10
    I normally abstain from team-based games, but after 65.5 hours with Brink I have changed my mind. The game may not have had a great launch, but not many do. Brink establishes more depth in a FPS than any I've ever played and I desperately want a sequel to this game, or another to come out and implement these same features, only better. PC gaming is suffering because our expectations areI normally abstain from team-based games, but after 65.5 hours with Brink I have changed my mind. The game may not have had a great launch, but not many do. Brink establishes more depth in a FPS than any I've ever played and I desperately want a sequel to this game, or another to come out and implement these same features, only better. PC gaming is suffering because our expectations are too high, but this is a game that should have fared better. I'm sure we'll look back on "What Brink could have been" when we're waist deep in games that are all borrowing from and improving upon its innovations, approach, and game-mechanics. I suffered few issues with the game, and I have had nothing but good times. Yes there are negatives, but it's mostly because of lack of teamwork among players, but that's kind of why I've always hated this genre.… Expand
  13. Kacey89
    Jun 1, 2011
    3
    The narrow corridors and choke-points completely ruin this game. Just sitting there buffing each other, getting off a few shots at the enemy, but don't really hurt him. 5 clips later you down an enemy then you get downed, the enemy gets revived, then you get revived. Repeat. That's the whole game in a nutshell.
  14. Envoid
    Jun 1, 2011
    3
    I had high hopes for this game to turn out to be something great. The idea was there, and the hype behind it had me quenching for more. During the first couple of hours in game play however I was sorely disappointed. The movement in the game feels rather clunky, which is something I didn't expect watching the movement system in action in their videos. The guns don't feel unique much atI had high hopes for this game to turn out to be something great. The idea was there, and the hype behind it had me quenching for more. During the first couple of hours in game play however I was sorely disappointed. The movement in the game feels rather clunky, which is something I didn't expect watching the movement system in action in their videos. The guns don't feel unique much at all. They're all pretty much Sub-Machine Guns and using anything other than that is just masochism. I was also quite disappointed with the customization of the character, though it wasn't too bad. I was a bit saddened by the simple fact that you couldn't make the face how you wanted it, you had an option between about 9 and it ultimately decided between those 9 what race you were. Sure you could change the tones, but only to a more tan/pale white guy, or a dark/caramel black guy. Overall I was very displeased. Those that say this game is 'just like' Team Fortress 2, have never played Team Fortress 2 (I'm sad TF2 sold out though..)… Expand
  15. ChocoboMan112
    Jun 1, 2011
    6
    This game is not what it claims to be, The SMART system just doesn't seem to mix too well and the AI (Considering this is an objective based game) were way too dumb and force you to race around having to change classes and tackle objectives alone and when you fix them too a certain objective they just walk away too go and do whatever they want (Usually a completely other objective likeThis game is not what it claims to be, The SMART system just doesn't seem to mix too well and the AI (Considering this is an objective based game) were way too dumb and force you to race around having to change classes and tackle objectives alone and when you fix them too a certain objective they just walk away too go and do whatever they want (Usually a completely other objective like capturing a command post when you don't need one) but having said that, This game has no bugs and is a welcome change from all the repetitive call of duty, The customization really makes your character unique and the online is fun, Good if you have the money but best to wait for a lower price in my opinion.… Expand
  16. Burty101s
    Jun 1, 2011
    8
    Well I am a big Team Fortress 2 Fan, so this was something I'd like anyway, to be honest it can be a right laugh, with the right people and as long as you all have a good internet connection it can really be awesome! The customisation is fairly epic to say the least, People who gripe about not being able to see alot probably have a low resolution screen. The SMART system works perfectlyWell I am a big Team Fortress 2 Fan, so this was something I'd like anyway, to be honest it can be a right laugh, with the right people and as long as you all have a good internet connection it can really be awesome! The customisation is fairly epic to say the least, People who gripe about not being able to see alot probably have a low resolution screen. The SMART system works perfectly aswell, Wish other games had a similar system, the Graphics are ok, nothing ground breaking, but certainly nothing to turn your nose down to, a few hicups but with decent hardware, is pretty much flawless.

    The bad points? well the Bots are fairly simplistic (unlike the xbox ones which litterally run round doing nothing) It can be frustrating if other players have a bad internet connection and the story mode isn't really anything special at all. I feel its needs one big Patch to make it the game and polish it needs to really shine, almost feels rushed out the door for release, this could be fixed though with a nice jucy patch.    … Expand
  17. bullet
    May 31, 2011
    4
    If you liked Enemy Territory, avoid this game.

    I don't know what it wants to be but it certainly isn't working for pub playing. I spent 100s of hours in ET playing pub-only and had so much fun, but every single design decision in Brink seems to try to destroy pub playing. It SEEMS like anything and everything revolves around teamplay. That might be really great for clan players and    If you liked Enemy Territory, avoid this game.

    I don't know what it wants to be but it certainly isn't working for pub playing. I spent 100s of hours in ET playing pub-only and had so much fun, but every single design decision in Brink seems to try to destroy pub playing. It SEEMS like anything and everything revolves around teamplay. That might be really great for clan players and competitive league gaming but it simply isn't working with 15 strangers on a server.

    The problem is if your team is bad, you won't have fun. There is no way to move something as a single player. Why is that? Because the game pretty much keeps you alive as long as possible.

    The weapons feel like a joke. If you loved the arcade-y feel of ET, don't play Brink. Unless you have all the powerups there are, command posts and the enemy has nothing, you don't really deal damage. It frequently takes more than a clip to kill someone. There is almost zero chance for you to win a gun fight vs. two people. That means a strong player can't really turn the tide. The guns feel incredibly weak most of the time. The recoil is horrible and random, I don't see how you can adapt to the pattern and get better (even when burst firing, mind you!) over time because there just is no way to predict the crosshair movement. Iron sighting or crouching doesn't seem to really affect the "precision" if you may even call it that.

    All explosives are NOT meant to deal deadly blows. The regular nades or molotovs deal damage but it won't kill anyone, they rather get knocked down.

    Talking about knockdown. You'd think sneaking up on an enemy and knocking him down gives you an edge but it rarely is. It feels like the enemie's crosshair immediatly jumps to you once you knock him down. Combine that with the low damage and even knocking an enemy down usually comes to a coin flip of who wins. Most of the time it's better to start firing right away.

    The classes are mostly fun on their own but thanks to the fantastic design decision of not being able to change characters, you mostly can't adapt to the game. A lvl20 character has barely enough points to cover 2 classes. Another point that destroys pub gaming. In ET I was constantly switching classes to adapt, because it was fun AND helping my team. If you don't have a lvl20 soldier, you still can switch to that class but lack all the skills. No problem in clan play with designated classes, but it breaks pub gaming.

    SMART was marketed as being awesome and fresh and stuff like that. In reality, it's boring, clumsy and slow. You won't avoid any battle using SMART moves because the time alone it takes you to pull up somewhere gets you almost killed off. Enemy Territory and almost any other id engine based game had way better trickjumping and it wasn't intentional nor was it marketed as such.

    Right now we're on the 3rd (or 4th, I don't remember) patch since release. The game itself was unplayable in its release state and while most of the performance problems have gone, gameplay-wise nothing has really changed.

    I could go on and on about the big and small flaws of Brink but my overall point is: This probably isn't the game you want to buy. If you loved Enemy Territory, ET:QW (from what I read, I haven't played it myself) - don't buy Brink, it's frustratingly worse than this simple, free game I used to enjoy.

    The future of Brink doesn't look too good. There is a free DLC coming out soon, but at the time of writing, there were only about half a dozen servers with good ping and players on it, early evening. Most of the early adopters have already moved on and I really doubt the situation is going to be better.    … Expand
  18. OzRoo
    May 30, 2011
    0
    I just signed up to this site JUST so I could Warn/Explain what a terrible game this is. I have never felt so disappointed about a game in my life. It's times like these I wish steam would offer refunds. At $90, it is a high price to pay for an unfinished, clunky FPS that offers nothing new, or extra for the world of gaming. On launch day this game was unplayable. Broken menus, freezing,I just signed up to this site JUST so I could Warn/Explain what a terrible game this is. I have never felt so disappointed about a game in my life. It's times like these I wish steam would offer refunds. At $90, it is a high price to pay for an unfinished, clunky FPS that offers nothing new, or extra for the world of gaming. On launch day this game was unplayable. Broken menus, freezing, save game loss no servers available on-line to play MP.
    But, I gave it a chance, a good 2 - 3 weeks in fact. The game was patched, but it was too late. Most PC players have given up on this game. Even if you find a server, chances are it will be empty or contain only one other person, desperately trying to force themselves to like this game.
    So, why not play single player you ask?
    Single player is simply multiplayer with AI, however. This is the worst AI I have ever seen!! Unless you constantly switch rolls to actually do all the objectives yourself. The AI might as well not even be there. They just wonder around aimlessly, dying. They don't help AT ALL, It makes the single player mode completely pointless and frustrating.
    With titles such as Battle Field (bad company), Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty. All these games listed are half the price, if not cheaper! (Sometimes on special for $8). Why would you bother with such a boring, broken game.
    You want to dress your character up? Go out and buy TF2 and put some hats on him.
    Because what you are spending money on ladies and gentlemen is a $90 dress-up simulator with a terrible FPS attached to it.

    You don't want a hardcore competitive game like Call Of Duty, I get that. But go out and spend your money on Team Fortress or Left 4 Dead instead. In fact you could buy both at the cost of Brink.

    People rating this game positive either have never experienced a casual FPS outside of this game. Or are convincing themselves they actually enjoy this because it cost them so much money.

    Next time, I won't fall for clever marketing.

    Brink, more like Stink.    … Expand
  19. Jokerfish
    May 30, 2011
    0
    Brink is an exercise in how not to release a game. PC Gamers have waited through a year of delays only to be greeted with weapon and class imbalance, poor tutorials, shoddy AI, and unclear objectives. Game-breaking technical issues kept the game unplayable on literally half the systems trying to run it for the first few weeks. Those who were unfortunate enough to put down money to buy thisBrink is an exercise in how not to release a game. PC Gamers have waited through a year of delays only to be greeted with weapon and class imbalance, poor tutorials, shoddy AI, and unclear objectives. Game-breaking technical issues kept the game unplayable on literally half the systems trying to run it for the first few weeks. Those who were unfortunate enough to put down money to buy this game at launch have been frantically trying to defend it and justify the gameplay since they're stuck with it, but this is a game that would have been returned to stores in mass quantities if most major retailers were still offering refunds on open merchandise.

    On the upside, the game has a slick design and very distinctive art style, which will please most people from afar for quite some time as it sits in the bargain bin this holiday season after the community abandons it to play better shooters.    … Expand
  20. orpheus
    May 29, 2011
    9
    I love this game but it is not for everyone. Brink is a class based online multiplayer team shooter that claims to be the next step.
    The day 1 game-breaking bugs were not exactly auspicious, however, they have since been fixed and free dlc should drop in June to ameliorate any sore feelings. Once the game actually worked, I discovered a genuinely innovative fps; fun, striking and worth    I love this game but it is not for everyone. Brink is a class based online multiplayer team shooter that claims to be the next step.
    The day 1 game-breaking bugs were not exactly auspicious, however, they have since been fixed and free dlc should drop in June to ameliorate any sore feelings. Once the game actually worked, I discovered a genuinely innovative fps; fun, striking and worth investing some time in.
    The visuals are distinctive and wonderfully stylish but in terms of graphical smoothness or crispness, Brink isn't the best (but not the worst either). Environments are littered with nooks and crannies and, though busy, are well designed. Perhaps more maps would have been better but more should follow with dlc.
    Gameplay is where Brink really shines with the need for teamwork being central. In fact, this can become frustrating when you are the only person on your team who recognises this and you end up being turned over with little effort by a coherent opposing team. Kills are not the important milestick by which success is measured but points for team actions are the key.
    The free-running aspect integrates extremely smoothly into the overall feel, with the three different body types (Light, medium and heavy) able to access different weapons and parkour skills which present different tactical options. There is a good selection of different guns that are defined allowing for different styles of play. The weapons feel well designed and meaty and the sound engineering is superb. For those who loved the attention to detail that went into Battlefield: BC2 in this regard should check this game out.
    Team play is enabled by the innovative (or at least I haven't seen it anywhere else) mission wheel that allows you to select objectives and see how many others have selected each objective. However, Splash Damage could have made it easier to see when it is appropriate to change class and each map's objectives can be confusing on the first couple of plays.
    One of the biggest features touted by Splash Damage was the 'seamless integration of online and offline play'. This is a crock of s***. Well partly; it would no doubt be an important feature if the ai players were not as stupid as a bag of hammers. Any team which gets lumped with ai players are doomed to lose. Fortunately, most servers do not automatically add ai players providing enough human players are joined. This was really a missed opportunity by Splash Damage as if they had nailed the ai, no doubt it would have been as innovative as they said. Having said this, providing a reasonably full server is chosen, this limitation is not an issue.
    All in all, you really have to try the gameplay for yourself if you want to know whether this team based combat mixed with parkour and meaty weaponry is for you.
    9/10    … Expand
  21. 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
  22. konpyuuta_san
    May 28, 2011
    4
    False marketing of "innovation" and "blending online-offline-single-and-multiplayer" leaves a bad aftertaste.

    Unlike what the advertisement promises, there is no campaign or single-player modes; only matches with bots and the "blending" constitutes of showing cutscenes in multi-player and single-player alike. That's it. The game is plagued by connectivity issues and an objective system    False marketing of "innovation" and "blending online-offline-single-and-multiplayer" leaves a bad aftertaste.

    Unlike what the advertisement promises, there is no campaign or single-player modes; only matches with bots and the "blending" constitutes of showing cutscenes in multi-player and single-player alike. That's it.

    The game is plagued by connectivity issues and an objective system that punishes creativity by penalising completing objectives without selecting them first on the objective wheel. Teamwork outside of the predetermined roles is thus punished with an XP penalty; or not given an award at all! Quite a hindrance when levelling is so important in the game.

    The game promised to do away with "one-shot-kills" and endless camping, but dying from one or five shots within a 1.5 second timeframe makes no difference at all. Camping remains the most solid tactic, in particular since escort missions of very slow moving objectives are so common.

    You have to specialise in a class to be effective, and that completely negates the idea of being able to change classes on the fly. You loose a level by respeccing, which is a terrible price to pay and not at all worth it if your into competitive play. At the higher levels, they take a very long time to regain.

    The weapons lack tangible differentiation, despite behaving quite differently. Another issue is that you can only decide what weapon suits you by trying them all. Some are utterly useless, while others are similar enough to each other that it simply becomes a matter of preference. Then there are a few that seem to be entirely predominant online; those with highest damage and stability scores.

    The system of unlocks is tedious and punishes new players. You have to unlock necessary upgrades to be competetive by completing tedious and often outright boring Challenges; particularly egregious since you have to complete each of the four missions TWICE in order to attain those important ammo and scope upgrades. They also more or less have to be completed on early levels, since attempting them online will quickly prove frustrating and the difficulty is such at higher levels that the tedium becomes too much to bear. Starting a new character is because of all this a very unattractive prospect.

    The server browser is absolutely horrible, with no way of discerning what rules the match you are entering has if it doesn't conform to some limited preset of rules; a clear majority of servers are simply listed as "custom", which can mean just about anything. Are you going up against rank 5 (the most advanced skills) specialists that will pwn you over and over unless you have a solid team, is friendly fire on or off, and so on. Coupled with the incessant disconnects, despite rock solid performance in every other game I play, that sometimes gives you marginal XP and sometimes none at all, this provides a frustrating and quickly tiring online experience. As a team based multiplayer shooter, it is average; not as punishing as Counter-Strike, but neither as rewarding, not as difficult to learn as Team Fortress 2, but neither as dynamic.

    The SMART system works as a cool replacement for rocket-jumping and the likes, but the utility of the Light body type that can do wall jumps and more advanced manoeuvres is very much in doubt. The levels have a only few places where the Light type can pull off some cool stunts, but the only real gain is that you arrive faster at your destination by using those shortcuts; most often that means leaving your team behind and thus a quick death when you arrive at the enemy camp. Had the servers supported more than 8 players on each team, perhaps a strike team of Lights could do something useful, but as it stands those slots are needed for the core team to be able to complete objectives. All in all, I found Brink to be worth about 20hrs of gameplay, after which it became stale and restrictive. For a multiplayer shooter, that's appallingly short in terms of longevity.

    Releasing an unplayable game is also not acceptable, which was the state the game was in when my pre-order copy arrived. That's why it gets a '4' and not the '5' I would rate it as in its current state.    … Expand
  23. TomiToikka
    May 25, 2011
    9
    This game is worth every penny. It's a perfect mix of objective-based gameplay, character / weapon customization and parkour elements. And it works so well. You can contribute to your team in many ways, including doing simple side objectives like capturing command posts or constructing a shortcut to give your team an edge. Even simple things like reviving a dying player will give you XPThis game is worth every penny. It's a perfect mix of objective-based gameplay, character / weapon customization and parkour elements. And it works so well. You can contribute to your team in many ways, including doing simple side objectives like capturing command posts or constructing a shortcut to give your team an edge. Even simple things like reviving a dying player will give you XP which will unlock new items for your character, including abilities and visual gear.

    There ARE some flaws though. My FPS is jumpy even at the lowest settings (a result of poor optimization) and there's not enough maps to keep interest in the game.

    Overall, the game feels and plays great. I love it. Stealthing to the frontlines and taking out half of the enemy team with a molotov **** is a ton of fun. There's plenty of hidden spots for snipers too, if that's your sort of thing. The game is very rewarding to play and the sense of teamwork is immense. Get it.    … Expand
  24. sup299
    May 24, 2011
    6
    I had really been looking forward to this game. Since it was announced at E3 2010, I've kept tabs on its development. I watched all the game-play videos as they were released and read any info available. once it was released, I was GREATLY disappointed. Some of the original game-play videos showed lots of character interaction and conversation, like characters on your team describingI had really been looking forward to this game. Since it was announced at E3 2010, I've kept tabs on its development. I watched all the game-play videos as they were released and read any info available. once it was released, I was GREATLY disappointed. Some of the original game-play videos showed lots of character interaction and conversation, like characters on your team describing mission objectives IN-GAME, not just in an animation before the round starts, And then you just get placed on the map and 3-2-1, the game begins, a little too much like Team Fortress 2 I think. Also, the story doesn't flow at all, it just jumps from one badly designed mission to another. The game is somewhat fun for a little while, but it just gets boring. Some things were done well though. The customization options weren't exaggerated and neither was the stylized running/parkour. It's fun to try out different combinations of abilities and to just zip around the map with the fast, small, whatever, character type. Overall, I'm giving BRINK a 6/10, not any more or less than it deserves. I would have given it more if it had been released less altered from Splash Damage and Bethesda's original promises. Instead of buying this game, I would suggest using that cash to pre-purchase RAGE, which looks pretty nifty. Go check that one out, and when it is released, ill put upa review of it. Here's to hoping there aren't any more big letdowns for the gaming community.… Expand
  25. Apotheosis
    May 24, 2011
    9
    Alright do, I have played A LOT of shooters, from the original Call of Duty on PC, to Black OPS, and there is one thing that all those games don't have, and that's complete teamwork. In most games, if you have the right weapon and perks, you can take out the entire team with one clip. Where the teamwork in that? In BRINK, it's an Objective Based game, which makes it REQUIRE teamwork. And aAlright do, I have played A LOT of shooters, from the original Call of Duty on PC, to Black OPS, and there is one thing that all those games don't have, and that's complete teamwork. In most games, if you have the right weapon and perks, you can take out the entire team with one clip. Where the teamwork in that? In BRINK, it's an Objective Based game, which makes it REQUIRE teamwork. And a lot of people don't get that, they would rather go out and get kills and then try to get a small group and beat some face while the needed class works on the objective, I have lost countless matched because of people trying to get the reward of "Most Kills" than trying to win. I don't see a grinding process, because if you are doing your classes job, you will level. There is a huge differentiation between classes, and you see it. You will notice when your team is missing a class, it sucks. But people need to realize that you can't run around, and kill 25 people and expect something awesome to happen. There is no I in Teamwork. Now is one thing though, storyline is very bad. When you jump in, you really have no idea what is going or really how to play. Which isn't that good, but hey, they wanted to focus on online, and they hit it right on the nail. They could some more maps and some new objective, but these will work til they come out with some DLC.… Expand
  26. sistre
    May 24, 2011
    3
    Come on brothers, lets do this! First thing I do as a XP addict is watch the tutorial that tells me to hold tab to see and choose objectives.
    I start the campaign and immediately I get all confused about wtf to do. I hold tab.....i see no objectives. i hold tab again. no objectives instead I see a nice scoreboard. WTF do i want a scoreboard for in SINGLEPLAYER???? i don't care about the    Come on brothers, lets do this! First thing I do as a XP addict is watch the tutorial that tells me to hold tab to see and choose objectives.
    I start the campaign and immediately I get all confused about wtf to do. I hold tab.....i see no objectives. i hold tab again. no objectives instead I see a nice scoreboard. WTF do i want a scoreboard for in SINGLEPLAYER???? i don't care about the bots stats!!!!! I do care about the new SMART system though. Good idea if your maps where up4 the challenge. And omg the goddamn medics running around throwing syringes everwhere geezeez I just emptied 2 full mags in his head and all it takes for him to ress is 2 secs? srsly I have now uninstalled and when this is done im returning this piece of donkey **** they chose to call a game :) have nice day- witcher2 plz dont suck this bad!!! plz    … Expand
  27. soulbeyond
    May 23, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This Game is really good, opposing to what some people are saying. At this moment to me, metascore has lost my consideration and for all those sites and magazine critics that say brink sucks here is proof of how much it sucks: http://www.splashdamage.com/awards

    So shut up you haters!    … Expand
  28. Banjaxed
    May 23, 2011
    3
    Just terrible. Boring game if i wanted to play team fortress 2 then ill just play team fortress 2! Sure the sliding is cool but the game just lacks any fun imo.
  29. n20
    May 22, 2011
    8
    Brink ventures away from the common world of modern day warfare shooters with a breath of fresh air. It borrows elements from other shooters and mixes it into a solid game thats fun to play. TF2's emphasis on teamwork, BC2's class dependency, and a dash of APB's character customization. Its not your typical CoD gameplay where players get to lone wolf with a high kill/death ratio to winBrink ventures away from the common world of modern day warfare shooters with a breath of fresh air. It borrows elements from other shooters and mixes it into a solid game thats fun to play. TF2's emphasis on teamwork, BC2's class dependency, and a dash of APB's character customization. Its not your typical CoD gameplay where players get to lone wolf with a high kill/death ratio to win missions, and its the people that suffer from that mentality that likely hate the game. Gone is KD ratio records and the best players are rated by how many points scored by accomplishing objectives and team support. The SMART movement system is fun and becomes even more when you unlock the light body type for your characters. Character customization is fun and well designed, seeing your characters between missions cinematic is a nice touch. Sadly, a bad launch prevented Brink from becoming an exceptional game. Considerable bugs, odd camera movement at times, enemies not rendering, and such, hurt Brink in the eyes of many. The recent and impending patches go a long way to make up for it however. Brink is worth your time and money, but you wouldn't be wrong to wait a little bit to buy.… Expand
  30. Ainotna
    May 22, 2011
    0
    From Steam: Brink's advanced player customization offers a near-endless combination of looks for your character (unless you are a woman) â
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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?
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  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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