Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, (3.5/5).
I can't stress enough how much better Brink would have been had it had no cutscene-heavy story, or if it had even scrapped the single player entirely. The plot is fundamentally solid; an isolated idealised city called “The Ark” is collapsing under its own weight with perpetual battles between rebels and security forces. The style of the character designs, and the way they can be shaped by grizzled tattoos, stylistically elongated facial models and vibrant outfits could have combined with the kitschy premise and - here's the cool part - had you fill in the blanks yourself to imagine the in-and-outs of this strange place and its inhabitants. Instead the story is bland, forgettable and unnecessary in what is in all but marketing campaign a purely competitive multiplayer shooter, albeit a pretty good one.
Brink's gameplay is SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain a Mirror's Edge style, though not on the same level, parkour system), borrowing from the roads less travelled in the multiplayer shooter space, but its design issues are divisive. SMART is a great idea. Not only does holding a single button to clamber over rubble in your path look and feel great, but the fact that different body sizes can free-run with different levels of proficiency creates a whole new stratum of strategic decisions related to mobility. Similarly, Brink offers a degree of character customization that's rarely paralleled. Want a heavily armored tank medic? What about a mobile healer that can take less damage? Brink allows that freedom. On the other hand, this ultimately means that there is very little definition between classes (between which you must constantly shift) and you never get the chance to master one specific, defined role.
A first level player can easily compete with a twentieth level (the cap) player. Again, this is divisive depending on whether you love the light but tremendously addictive RPG mechanics that advance your character's power quickly, or if you are like me and think that the competition should be determined by the degree to which one has mastered mechanics. It doesn't take long to reach the final level anyway, and is unlikely to leave the former brand of player satisfied.
Where most new shooter IPs draw inspiration from the insanely popular CoD BlOps and Halos of the world, Brink nobly chooses to pick its design berries from a more obscure bush. Its class variety is lifted from Team Fortress 2, and its parkour from Mirror's Edge and I really appreciate that freshness.
Brink
