Brink - Gut Reactions

Brink - Gut Reactions

Brink is a bit of an odd entity. It's one of those games that has sort of flown under the radar for a long time while occasionally tossing very tantalizing little clips at its followers every now and then - sort of like some sketchy dude driving really slowly through your neighborhood and tossing out candies. In both situations the question "is this legit?" comes to mind. Well, because I don't want all you readers out there dropping $60 just to find out, I decided to swim out into deep water and investigate Brink's ark.

Out of curiosity, I decided to check up on some critic reviews last night and was troubled to find that the general consensus wasn't looking too good for Bethesda and Splash Damage's first person shooter. Stupidly unswayed by the foreboding nature of the information I had examined, I picked up the game regardless. As soon as I got to the character creation screen I knew I had been hornswoggled. The myriad of character customization options I was promised seemed minimal at best. Including the locked-until-leveling-up options (which were a plenty) there only seemed to be about ten or fifteen options max within each of about eight categories. This certainly isn't the worst, but for a game that touted its customization you would think they could include a couple more options than there were in say... Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

Before even making it through the menus, things only went further downhill. After selecting the "campaign" option, I was greeted by a level selection screen that unfathomably listed about seven or eight missions for each side. I had to do a double take when I was able to select the final stage. What kind of a game lets you play the last level first?

After a long loading screen with some dude ranting on incoherently I was brought to a cut-scene that neither introduced characters nor plot. In fact, I couldn't pull a single detail about it from my mind at this point and I just played the game about three or four hours ago. And then suddenly I was waist deep in the game. No tutorial, no real helpful hint system. I felt like I had accidentally selected multiplayer and was half-way through a match with people who had been playing the game for months.

From there I scrambled around aimlessly attempting to figure out the controls and objectives simultaneously. A brief video that I had had the option to watch before even getting to the main menu outlined the basics but I still felt lost. I managed to kill what I presumed were bad guys and within maybe ten minutes I had beaten the first mission. One down, fifteen to go. Let's do the math here: 10 min x 16 missions = 160 minutes = about a two and a half hour campaign. I know the game is online-oriented but that is just downright insulting.

Brink definitely has style, but does it have substance?

Now obviously I'm being incredibly harsh. Brink does have some redeeming factors and it's certainly not the worst game I've played (even this year). I think what really makes it so painful is that, by all rights, it should be better. The Mirror's Edge-like first person parkour is nifty and the class-based system promotes some cool cooperative play. The fact that you can knock enemy players down by sliding into them or that you can do all kinds of other sweet little moves is certainly an inventive and fresh concept. The graphical engine is also very distinctive and pleasing to the eye. But the content just doesn't appear to be there and the actual gameplay feels a bit more cumbersome and sluggish than it should. Getting a kill just doesn't feel as satisfying as it does in other FPSs.

Before I conclude, I should note that obviously, since I have a PS3, I was unable to try the game online (which constitutes about 90% of the reason to purchase it), though I believe the so-called campaign is a fair measurement of a bot-infested multiplayer match. I would also like to point out that this is only a gut reaction from playing the first thirty minutes or so. I think that with a small group of friends and eventual grasp of the titles mechanics, Brink can potentially be a fun game - but if it doesn't grab you within the 30-45 minutes of gameplay (minus any tutorials) is it really worth playing?

Ultimately, Brink is an appropriately named first person shooter. It is, in fact, right on the brink of being a really good title. Sadly though, despite how awesome the concepts and ideas for a game are, it's the execution that really matters - and this is precisely what kills Brink for me.