This is a mini-review I wrote elsewhere and gives my feelings on the game.
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I own Brink on the PC, via Steam preorder. I bought as a Splash Damage title, having enjoyed the gameplay of Wolf:ET and ET:QW on both Linux and Windows for years, along with their associated mods. Here's my impressions so far
Bugs/Quality etc...: So far, I'm not seeing the glitches other seem to be. Admittedly, I'm running a Core i7 920 at 3.8ghz, 6gb RAM, and an ATI 6970 2gb (with 11.4 Catalyst drivers). Everything is smooth, good looking
Appearance Customization: More than what one would expect in a generic FPS, but the whole "We had to cut out female player models because we couldn't customize it" I can see is absolute bullshit. There's a nice handful of clothes, hairstyles etc... and all that unlockable stuff, relatively quickly, but from someone who's played Borderlands, Global Agenda, and any modern MMORPG, we're not looking at "a lot" of appearance add-ons. The stuff that exists looks good, and there's little overlap between Security and Resistance. Player faces and whatnot are a bit plain and often look like everyone's juiced way too hard on steroids and afflicted with Sarah Jessica Parker face. If you like "short and messy" hairstyles, you'll be happy. If you like long hair, prepare to be disappointed. Of note, there is probably the highest ratio of black hairstyles to non-black hairstyles in any game, ever - they can be equipped on anyone of course, but they just don't look quite right. If you like tattoos, there are a handful to choose from, but nearly all of them are obvious "I am a crazy gangbanger, my entire face is covered" types. Body size is the only stat that means something in the game (Light, Med, Heavy), so pay attention to the tooltip when they unlock for you.
Weapons - A nice compliment of weapons unlocked from the start. Note that your default "Medium" body, will NOT let you see ALL the weapons - you have to switch to others. Remember that ammo is bloody important, so be or find a "Soldier" class to resupply or else you're going to run out. You'll see a lot of users with SMGs because they strike a balance between power and ammo - Spray and pray is NOT going to work in this game. I do find that I'd like there to be a little more variation in the different guns and hope they add more later - sometimes it seems there's no reason to use certain guns at all, like the pistols, which seem underpowered, especially the revolver - which makes the sound of the big handcannon and has huge kick, but less damage than it really should given its low ammo and fire rate. Guns feel pretty..conventional, but the customization is nice. Basically, you unlock a set number of customizations - for instance, different scopes (Those pre-ordering from Steam get a nice low bulk scope along with a machine pistol. Generally, I think the scope is the best preorder bonus in terms of actual function. In addition, the Hockler Machine Pistol is very nice for a light bodytype, though someone said its stats are identical to another MP) have different effects on your vision, but its a balancing act - a bigger scope zooms you in farther, but also obscures your peripheral vision more, and weighs your gun down so you swap to the weapon slower. Do you choose an extended clip, or duct-tape clips that make every other reload near instant? Underbarrel grenade launcher, or a front handle to increase stability? Silencers keep you from being shown on the minimap when you fire, but reduce damage around 7%.
Abilities - Each character levels up and gets points to spend on talents, a la Battlefield BC2 and whatnot. There are general pools and those specific to each of the 4 traditional Splash Damage classes. These range from allowing you to toss a grenade when sprinting, to an engineer constructing heavier turrets, to a medic's "revive grenade" bringing everyone back to life in an AOE. Each ability costs 1 "point", but it is important to note that until you rank up (1 Star, 2 Star etc...) there are certain abilities that are locked to you. These ranks are not the same as levels, but it seems that every few levels (5?) you gain a new rank. I wish that there was more of a display of rank/titles in game - with persistent characters it would be nice to have different insignia applicable to any clothes unlock, or certain clothes that could only be worn by someone with a certain Level, Rank, and proficiency in a class (For instance, a gold wrench with laurels around it on your shoulder and collar is only available to someone who has totally spec'ed out the complete engineering tree, or someone at level X can choose a Lieutenant's bar for Security, or a hastily scrawled icon for Resistance). This kind of thing would be a simple layer of configuration that seems silly not to include.
Gameplay - Overall, this is an Enemy Territory heritage game, mixed with movement from Mirror's Edge. Definitely "skill based' and teamwork is required. The movement is fluid, and learning the best way to navigate various levels is important, taking into consideration the body type you're using. Wall jumps and whatnot are important, you "see" your arms and hands as you pull yourself up and much like Mirror's Edge, movement has the correct "weight" to it. I haven't decided if I like how the weapons feel yet, but I'm not a connoisseur of modern FPS. I can see how a lot of people are going to pan the game for what amounts to their own shortcomings - there's no "get a kill streak and hit the I win button" here, TEAMWORK is the name of the game. I like that. Nomatter your class, you have a job to do and Brink makes it easy to do - hold "F" to do whatever you're supposed to do to someone else, or X for some self-action. Soldiers replenish their own ammo or others, and plant det packs for destruction objectives. Engineers buff their and others damage (plus other features, such as armor, depending on talents), build turrets, fix/build/break objectives etc... Medics heal and buff others and revived downed allies through a relatively novel approach - they toss "revive syringes" to downed-but-not-dead allies, who then have to press X to use it and revive, stopping the whole "Shock paddles, I'm standing straight up, now I'm dead again" thing, Agents can don disguises from a dead enemy (with talents, doing so shows everyone on your team the enemy team's location, for a second), complete hack objectives, throw stickybombs, "firewall" control points, and "spot" enemies which creates a red outline of that enemy's location that your team can see even through walls,. Its important to note that classes do not restrict weapons unlike most games - body type does. Melee Attacks take skill and you can actually knock an enemy down, but I'd like to see a little more variety than simple smacks with rifle butts or pistol whipping - bladed or blunt weapons would have added another layer to the game. Work together or you'll find yourself out of ammo and getting blown to bits.
Multiplayer/ Campaign - Enemy Territory style, there is a campaign of around 12 multi-faceted maps with different objectives. Its what I expected for a Splash Damage game, but I admit I'm a little underwhelmed. I was expecting something a bit more comprehensive for a full price title, but then again I'm a bigger fan of Borderlands and Global Agenda (Planetside too!) than any other traditional FPS.
Single Player - This is where I have to say my greatest disappointment is found. There is no single player campaign. None. You can play any of the multiplayer campaign or challenges solo if you wish. There's a little intro and exit cinematic (not prerendered at least, game engine) to talk about the mission and how it relates to the story, but its quite terse. I was expecting a sprawling, Borderlands-like campaign - there was so much potential! The whole "Ark" thing had me envisioning walking through a slum and seeing the kids there, branching morality paths deciding if a Security officer like myself is going to let someone go even if they steal food (which will then help later, as that NPC would open a door for me etc..), or dispense "justice" with my nightstick (which would lead to another officer giving me a bandoleer for the entertainment) etc... I can't honestly believe they charge $50 for this. Even bloody Call of Duty had a better single player campaign. Inexcusable in this day and age. Had it been more like Borderlands, it could have been great.
Conclusion: If you're the type that cares about the single player game, this is not the title for you. If you focus mostly on multiplayer and like "traditional" FPSes, I'd rank it above all the Medal of Honor/Call of Duty/ Battlefield etc.. .clones in recent years. If you liked the old WolfET/ET:QW you're getting more of the same. Customization is good, but they really need to add a LOT of new content to make it worth $50. At the end of the day it comes to being merely "Good" , when it could have been "great". If Bethesda/SplashDamage doesn't drop the price quick and/or include a TON of free DLC, people will probably find it rather forgettable, which is unfortunate given its potential and setting. If you can pick it up for $25 or less or when it goes on sale, its probably a worthy addition to your FPS collection. I really hope the devs get on their ass to add everything under the sun, lest it be a flop.
Buy Instead: "Section 8: Prejudice" - Its amazing for $12-15 from Steam!
