Brink

Brink embodies everything that people thought online play would be on a console. You've got solid leveling up system that adds another layer of depth to a game that didn't need it, as Splash Damage could have just dialed it in and created just another first-person shooter. With that said, if you get the right team together and you understand your task when you play online then you're going to find Brink to be a very rich experience.

Brink is a worthy buy for anyone who doesn't absolutely hate multiplayer FPS action. It blurs the line between single-player and multiplayer styles, introduces an effective new movement system, and finds ways of discouraging all the obnoxious behavior common in most multiplayer shooters. The campaign is long, and the different classes allow you to play each mission over and over without getting bored.

The ideas have been strong within this one, but the awful AI and the campaign that isn't worth its name may not exactly be helpful. For online players, however, it's a blast.

An innovative, forward thinking new shooter - and how often can you say that? [July 2011, p.84]

A daring proposal that, if succesful, is a step forward for a genre prone to stagnation, as it mixes altogether campaign, multiplayer, cooperative and competitive. With good ideas well executed, it may be liked more or less depending on the player, but deserves an opportunity.

If you play Brink as the multiplayer-shooter it undeniably is (despite the possibility to save or leave the Ark alone, which should simply be ignored), it's a real winner. Great character-customization, well balanced maps, good handling, awesome graphics and a surprising depth thanks to the huge amount of abilities make this a MP-Shooter that has come to stay.

The concept of Brink is pretty unique. Singleplayer gameplay combined with multiplayer gameplay and with the most important element, the teamwork. It plays fantastic and the weapons are really great, also the style of the game is pretty different and that makes Brink a nice game to play.

Get/bribe some mates and there's a great game here. [July 2011, p.92]

Splash Damage has evolved its compelling formula to offer some of the best multiplayer thrills in the business. Unfortunately technical problems still plague the game and prevent it from becoming a truly big player in the online shooter market.

The game is lovely to the eye because of its artistic decisions, has a gameplay that supports cooperative working, and has huge customization variety. But its lack of contents, poor performance and its online-only focus makes Brink not so great.

Brink could very well revolutionize the gaming industry with it's seamless integration between single and multiplayer modes. It's damn hard though!

Brink needs some time to unfold, especially during the multiplayer matches. But if you get across some early frustrations, the game really rewards you for your patience.

Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.

It's not without its faults, some of which are more serious than others, but Splash Damage achieves the impossible: a game that feels fresh in the stalest of genres.

An interesting experiment in online shooting, dedicated to hardcore genre fans, possibly with premade groups to enjoy it with. All the others should at least try before buying.

I wanted Mirror's Edge with multiplayer, but instead I got Assault Mode from Unreal Tournament with more customization. That's not a bad thing, yet I can't help but feel disappointed. Bring friends if you want fun.

Critics, business types, and your mom and dad don't understand that multiplayer is much more important to you than single-player these days. Head-to-head content gets the wealth of gaming time and Brink comes well equipped for hours and hours of gunplay.

Sometimes thrilling online, but with only average gunplay and a duff story. [July 2011, p.82]

If treading the waters and building up a solid roster of characters sounds appealing then Brink could be the alternative shooter you've been waiting for.

The hype around Brink was huge and the game doesn't live up to all of the expectations. The campaign is extremely short and so it's the online gameplay that saves this game from demise. With the right teammates you'll have a ton of fun online.

It's a bit rough here and there but it can also deliver a lot of good times. If you have co-op on your mind, leveling up with mates has its moments but it quickly devolves into a frustrating group training mode. Single-player gamers? Jog on elsewhere. [July 2011 p.82]

The parkour-style approach to this team-based shooter is not unique enough to overlook its lack of an authentic campaign, broken maps, and terrible A.I.

Brink tries to present many good ideas, but it falls short and, in the end, it's just the same gameplay mechanics we've seen many times. The SMART systems is not as dynamic as it should be; the game modes are all the same; the feeling, overall, is that we have a fun and interesting multiplayer game (even in its Campaign mode), but users are left without new emotions. Many customization options that, in the end, are nothing new.

In the end, Brink is another of those games that we see every so often; the games that have incredible potential and truly unique ideas but fail in their implementation. This could have been a great game, it could've been a hit and it could've given shooter fans a reason to return to a genre that has lost much of its originality over the last handful of years. Unfortunately for us and for its developer, the keyword here is "could've", because there's little here that makes Brink the genre redefining game some of us hoped it would be.

We were promised a nice mix of everything from Battlefield and Borderlands to Mirror's Edge. And while we do get some of that, the Brink experience just doesn't feel smooth and after a few hours of playing, there isn't enough that will make you come back for more.

Brink is not a bad game. If Splash Damage can stabilize the performance and fix some glaring omissions (like a pre-game lobby) with a patch, I'd gladly spend more time with it. But with only eight multiplayer maps, 20 progression levels, no clan support, and average gunplay, it's not a good value proposition. Especially considering many Xbox Live games offer a similar amount of content for a fraction of the price. [July 2011, p.86]

You can get a sense of the minute-to-minute gunplay being something special with the right group of friends. [Issue#206, p.87]

Potentially a great game, but most of that potential not realised.

But with a slew of little problems, a bunch of repetition, a campaign that isn't anything like a campaign (let's face it; this is a multiplayer game only), and lacking environmental variety, it's tough to recommend. There are other games out there.

Brink's PR did everything to make people wonder just how the eight-versus-eight multiplayer-focused, story-based shooter would change the genre. The short answer lies in the clever tweaks it brings to the formula, whether it's your character's body type or the vast weapon customization options, all the way down to the teamwork needed to succeed. The SMART system feels more like a gimmick, and when it gets down to the actual shooting, it's nothing that we haven't seen before. Top that off with the issues it tries to parkour over, both off- and online, and Brink isn't so much of a revolution as it is a suggestion of where it wants to be.

Brink is essentially a mess of interesting ideas that fail to amount to anything larger. [Aug 2011, p.86]

Brink feels like a breath of fresh air in the shooter genre, but turns out the victim of its own ambitions. That's mainly due to the large amount of potential that Brink holds, which is why it fails at other essential shooter-elements. Nothing's wrong with the way it plays and the class-system, but the lack of a decent amount of game-modes and maps, the below-average artificial intelligence and the constant network-delays, make it so that the qualities of Brink only show themselves very sporadically.

To say that Brink is a bad game wouldn't be accurate, and instead it's a good game that falls short on delivering its full potential. Had it come with more maps, and a little bit more emphasis on the story to make gamers want to learn more about The Ark, it would have been a great class shooter. Straight out of the box it is just a decent one with bad A.I.

On the lively and intriguing battlefields of Brink, technical deficiencies and design issues can be as deadly as enemy soldiers.

Brink has heart, but the overall package is lacking.

Loaded with shortcomings, not really generous in terms of content, Brink still remains an FPS with some really neat ideas, mostly in the way it promotes good teamplay. If you have several buddies with whom to share the experience, and take the time to organize your strategy, you won't be disappointed. But even so, the clear lack of polish, the not-so varied environments and average technical side prevent it from being an excellent FPS; it's only a good one.

With a few patches, it's certainly possible that Bethesda will clean up the network problems with the game and it will certainly be worth your time. As it stands right now, with laggy network performance and an abysmal single-player experience, this is a game that will push your patience to the brink. Take a pass, at least for now.