Brink PlayStation 3

Released on 11/05/2011

• Brink Preview

  Waterworld

  Ten million videogames later, World War II appears to be over. Goodbye Operation Overlord, so long Market Garden, and good luck Barbarossa. For those of you worried about how developers will plug this gap though, don't be - it's not the end of the world. In fact, the end of the world is the new World War II.

  Bethesda Softworks is something of an end-of-the-world specialist. The developer of Fallout 3 and soon-to-be-publisher of post-apocalyptic Rage, it's also the company behind Brink. In Brink's version of the end of the world, the last dregs of humanity crowd together for comfort on a floating city called The Ark, while the rest of the planet slumbers beneath millions of tons of floodwater.

  Developed by the appropriately named Splash Damage, Brink sees authoritarian Security forces clashing with the tramps and survivors of the Resistance, and players are invited to join either side of the fight from the first-person perspective and shoot their way to freedom or wide-scale oppression.

  Rather than just blasting away for the usual eight hours of single-player fun and then shooting a few people online though, Brink blurs the line between the usually separate campaign and multiplayer modes.

  Tinker, tailor, soldier... err, operative

  After designing a custom avatar, you take part in huge battles in locations like a disused airport and city built out of shipping containers, and even though you're unlocking new bits of the story and making single-player progress, all the players on your team and the opposing one can be real people playing online.

  Missions involve securing or defending a range of objectives in a number of different guises: the Soldier, who is all about brute force; the Engineer, who can set up turrets and take over spawn points; the Medic, who fixes everyone up; and the Operative, who hacks terminals and does sneaky things behind the lines.

  Similar to Team Fortress 2, Brink also seeks to be as accessible as possible, and Splash Damage has a couple of unique ideas here. The first is an "objective wheel" that you use to keep track of what you and your team are doing. By pressing a couple of buttons at any time you can choose a new objective and the game will immediately point you in the right direction for the appropriate tools and locations.

  The second is called Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain, or SMART, and it's a new way of moving around a first-person shooter environment. Rather than worrying about jumping, vaulting and ducking around crates and gangways, players can hold the SMART button and do that automatically, leaving thumbs free to manoeuvre and brain free to plot and shoot. Advanced players can add additional moves to make even faster headway.

  The customiser is always right

  At the end of each match, you can buy upgrades for your character that give you the edge in future battles. Some of these are obvious, like being able to reload while sprinting, but others are more imaginative, like an on-screen indicator for when somebody has you in their sights, which appears just in time for you to duck or take other evasive action.

  Brink looks gorgeous too, with a distinctive cartoon art style that allows for a mass of detail and character within its diverse environments, and the character designer - such an important part of getting you involved in the game - is tremendously versatile and inventive. Where most games allow you to wear a funny hat and choose between leather and chainmail, Brink offers you car number plates as shoulder guards and bin-liners for sleeves.

  You wouldn't be caught dead wearing that sort of thing in Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield, of course, but that's kind of the point: Brink is trying a lot of new things, and on the evidence so far it's getting a lot of them right.

  This particular end of the world is not quite nigh, with the game due out in spring 2011, but it should be well worth waiting for.

• Brink stats overload: it a huge game!

  Eurogamer reporting that there are 102 quadrillion different character variations in Bethesda forthcoming FPS Brink. That a real number, apparently, and it one of dozens of stats that the Brink team has released ahead of the brilliant multiplayer shooter hitting shelves this Friday.

  Want more numbers? How about this, then: the game has 26,000 lines of dialogue, and 4500 different weapon sounds.

  Still want more? There are 4963 weapon attachment combinations, and 45 different ways to die in the game huge online matches. That a lot of ways to die.

  None of which comes close to summing up what an interesting prospect Brink is: an online shooter with an attitude, Brink has a natty mixture of parkour and combat at its heart, and its games are linked together with a smart mission system which allows you to pick from a range of objectives to aim for when youe already in the heat of a battle. Character customisation will have you replaying the game until youe unlocked every perk, while the guns and the shooting will have your ears ringing and your nerves jangling after each encounter.

  Brink is the business, in other words, and it hits the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this Friday.

• Brink Review

  Brinkin' marvellous

  The first-person shooter market may be over-saturated, with a slew of me-too titles nipping at Modern Warfare heels. But when it comes to team-based shooters, the pool is much drier. While Team Fortress 2 and Splash Damage own sublime Enemy Territory: Quake Wars have some of the most dedicated communities, there room for evolution and improvement in this niche genre.
  

  Into this market leaps Splash Damage newest title, Brink, a squad-based shooter in which a team of 8 players attempt to complete staggered objectives while an opposing team works to stop them. For players that have only enjoyed Call of Duty or Battlefield online, it an entirely different sort of co-operative experience - a kind of Capture-The-Flag mode evolved into a full game.
  

  There no neat split between online and offline here. The entire campaign can be played with AI bots taking the roles of your teammates, while real life players can drop in at any point to take their place (although it possible to take your game oloif you rather play purely with the AI).
  

  A class above

  At the start of each mission you must choose one of the four classes available in the game: the Soldier, a grunt class who rigs up explosives to blast through doors; the Engineer, who can deploy turrets, defuse explosives and repair heavy units; the Medic, who boosts the team's maximum health and revives fallen soldiers and, lastly, the Operative, a shadier character who can disguise himself as the enemy in order to hack terminals.
  

  Your team will be immediately presented with a primary objective, such as blowing open a particular door with a charge, or escorting a wounded soldier from one part of the map to another. Manage to complete this objective before the timer runs out and a new primary objective will be delivered to you, with more time added to the clock in which to carry it out.
  

  Many of these objectives can only be completed by one of the four classes. So, if you are asked to hack a computer terminal, youl need to switch classes inside your base to become an Operative. Alternatively, you may need to give cover to someone else who is going to try and complete the objective for your team.
  

  It a smart, engaging system and the classes have been finely balanced to make playing each one of them a joy. Beneath the team dynamics this is a straightforward FPS, with a slew of different primary and secondary guns to choose between. The guns you select remain consistent across all classes, so you can pick you favorites, kit them out with unlockable upgrades such as red dot sights, silencers and extra clips, and be sure theyl always be there - regardless of whether youe playing as a Medic or a Solider.
  

  Super Sprint

  Free running also plays a central part of the game. Holding down the L-bumper allows you to leap over obstacles, climb up the sides of rooms and generally take any path you can perceive towards the objective. It fluid and well implemented, ensuring that there are few choke points in the levels and providing an unusual sense of freedom and agency while playing.
  

  The unique, interesting art style is a boon to the game, with highly customizable characters that allow you to imprint your own style onto the world. Likewise, the environments set on the futuristic floating city of The Ark (a final refuge for mankind following an environmental disaster) are good-looking and expertly designed. The rather minimal story is little more than an excuse to pit two factions against each other (and there are 8 core levels for you to play as each), but in any team-based shooter, narrative is the last thing on your mind as you race to overwhelm the enemy.
  

  Upgrade A

  Everything you do in the game is rewarded with Experience Points, which can be spent on upgrading abilities for each of the classes. Most of these are small, specialized upgrades such as allowing you to shoot grenades while in the air, or lay two mines when playing as the Engineer. A few upgrades are crucial, such as the option to deploy auto-aiming turrets anywhere in the environment. On the whole these don upset the balance of the game, ensuring that beginners can play alongside experts on a relatively level playing field.
  

  The result is a slick, engaging team game. It best played alongside other humans, but the campaign is engaging even when played offline. The true value of the game will emerge in the weeks and months that follow its release, as the community engages and grows. But at launch, Brink is set to be a shining success, with all the strength of the developer previous title, Enemy Territory, and a clutch of design tweaks to improve upon it.
  

  

  Wink:
  + Well balanced squad-based shooter.
  + Free running works exceptionally well.
  + Exciting, idionsyncratic art style.

  Stink:
  - Can be tough to navigate menues.
  - Maps feel a little samey.
  - AI of bots is a mixed bag.

• The Best Games of 2011... So Far!

  The Best Games of 2011...So Far!

  Summer can be torture for us gamers. It's the slow season, when publishers hold back their biggest releases for Christmas and we're forced to venture outside, blinking and confused, in the hope of a few days of decent sunshine.

  It doesn't have to be this way though. True, July may not bring much in the way of blockbuster releases, but why not take advantage of the lull and catch up on some of the great games that have already been released? Here's our pick of the year so far.

  

  Killzone 3

  Sony got 2011 off to a bruising start with this hefty, punishing first person shooter which surely ranks as one of the most visually stunning games of this console generation. Trapped on the toxic planet of Helghan, you'll battle your way through some of the most memorable action set-pieces in the genre as Guerilla Games shows you just how high the FPS bar has been raised. Also playable in 3D and with PlayStation Move, Killzone 3 is a taste of the future of shooters today.

  "One of the most visually stunning games of this console generation."

  

  Brink

  If you prefer your shooting action a little more fluid and team-based, this striking multiplayer mash-up from Splash Damage hits all the right notes. Playing as either Security or Rebel forces on a ramshackle floating city gone to ruin, the ability to run, scramble and leap over scenery with a single button press opens up the traditional deathmatch action in fresh new ways. Add in some of the best character customisation ever seen in a shooter, and the option to play offline against AI bots, and you've got one of the smartest genre refinements in years.

  "One of the smartest genre refinements in years."

  

  Mortal Kombat

  How do you expect to FINISH HIM if you haven't even started yet? OK, so the Mortal Kombat series hasn't been in the best of health in recent years, but this blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right you can safely start over with this one. It's simply a blistering one-on-one fighting game, with an array of well balanced classic characters, but it's the ridiculous gore that makes it stick in the mind, like a ruddy big kitchen knife. Bodies are sliced, diced, crushed and skewered with savage abandon, so even if you're getting beaten to a squishy pulp it's impossible not to be entertained.

  "This blood-soaked reboot gets everything so right."

  

  Portal 2

  Maybe you prefer a little more wit and style in your gaming? If that's the case then the lovely polished geniuses at Valve have you covered. This sequel to their oddball Orange Box bonus game is a master-class in interactive storytelling, as Stephen Merchant's quirky robot walks you through another mind-bending series of space-warping puzzle rooms. Effortlessly building on the potential of the already brilliant original, Portal 2 even offers a completely separate series of co-op multiplayer puzzles, making it an unmissable package.

  "A master-class in interactive storytelling."

  

  L.A. Noire

  Rockstar takes us back to the Los Angeles of the 1940s in this critically acclaimed adventure, which benefits from the most stunningly realised characters in gaming history. As Cole Phelps you move from beat cop to homicide detective, uncovering conspiracies and solving serial slayings in a city that's drowning in sleaze in L.A. Noire. Ground-breaking facial capture techniques mean that catching the culprit is only half the job you then have to outsmart them in nail-biting interrogations where every twitch of the lips or flicker of the eyelids can be a clue. Truly a game that has to be played to be believed.

  "Ground-breaking facial capture means that catching the culprit is only half the job."

  

  3DS

  Feeling a little flush? Fancy treating yourself to a whole new gaming system? The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library, with must-haves like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time now reworked in astonishing glasses-free 3D. The wireless StreetPass lets you swap game data with passing strangers, there are built-in Augmented Reality games, and it can even take 3D photos. Just like its predecessor, the DS, this is a handheld that will only get better with age. Jump aboard now and ride the wave!

  "The Nintendo 3DS is now amassing an enviable software library."

• Brink - Review

  
  

  

  Brinkin' marvellous

  The first-person shooter market may be over-saturated, with a slew of me-too titles nipping at Modern Warfare's heels. But when it comes to team-based shooters, the pool is much drier. While Team Fortress 2 and Splash Damage's own sublime Enemy Territory: Quake Wars have some of the most dedicated communities, there room for evolution and improvement in this niche genre.

  Into this market leaps Splash Damage's newest title, Brink, a squad-based shooter in which a team of 8 players attempt to complete staggered objectives while an opposing team works to stop them. For players that have only enjoyed Call of Duty or Battlefield online, it's an entirely different sort of co-operative experience - a kind of Capture-The-Flag mode evolved into a full game.

  There no neat split between online and offline here. The entire campaign can be played with AI bots taking the roles of your teammates, while real life players can drop in at any point to take their place (although it's possible to take your game solo if you'd rather play purely with the AI).

  A class above

  At the start of each mission you must choose one of the four classes available in the game: the Soldier, a grunt class who rigs up explosives to blast through doors; the Engineer, who can deploy turrets, defuse explosives and repair heavy units; the Medic, who boosts the team's maximum health and revives fallen soldiers and, lastly, the Operative, a shadier character who can disguise himself as the enemy in order to hack terminals.

  

  Your team will be immediately presented with a primary objective, such as blowing open a particular door with a charge, or escorting a wounded soldier from one part of the map to another. Manage to complete this objective before the timer runs out and a new primary objective will be delivered to you, with more time added to the clock in which to carry it out.

  Many of these objectives can only be completed by one of the four classes. So, if you are asked to hack a computer terminal, you'll need to switch classes inside your base to become an Operative. Alternatively, you may need to give cover to someone else who is going to try and complete the objective for your team.

  It a smart, engaging system and the classes have been finely balanced to make playing each one of them a joy. Beneath the team dynamics this is a straightforward FPS, with a slew of different primary and secondary guns to choose between. The guns you select remain consistent across all classes, so you can pick you favorites, kit them out with unlockable upgrades such as red dot sights, silencers and extra clips, and be sure theyl always be there - regardless of whether youe playing as a Medic or a Solider.

  Super Sprint

  Free running also plays a central part of the game. Holding down the L-bumper allows you to leap over obstacles, climb up the sides of rooms and generally take any path you can perceive towards the objective. It fluid and well implemented, ensuring that there are few choke points in the levels and providing an unusual sense of freedom and agency while playing.

  

  The unique, interesting art style is a boon to the game, with highly customizable characters that allow you to imprint your own style onto the world. Likewise, the environments set on the futuristic floating city of The Ark (a final refuge for mankind following an environmental disaster) are good-looking and expertly designed. The rather minimal story is little more than an excuse to pit two factions against each other (and there are 8 core levels for you to play as each), but in any team-based shooter, narrative is the last thing on your mind as you race to overwhelm the enemy.

  Upgrade A

  Everything you do in the game is rewarded with Experience Points, which can be spent on upgrading abilities for each of the classes. Most of these are small, specialised upgrades such as allowing you to shoot grenades while in the air, or lay two mines when playing as the Engineer. A few upgrades are crucial, such as the option to deploy auto-aiming turrets anywhere in the environment. On the whole these don upset the balance of the game, ensuring that beginners can play alongside experts on a relatively level playing field.

  The result is a slick, engaging team game. It best played alongside other humans, but the campaign is engaging even when played offline. The true value of the game will emerge in the weeks and months that follow its release, as the community engages and grows. But at launch, Brink is set to be a shining success, with all the strength of the developer previous title, Enemy Territory, and a clutch of design tweaks to improve upon it.

  GAME's Verdict

  The Good:

  • Well balanced squad-based shooter.
  • Free running works exceptionally well.
  • Exciting, idionsyncratic art style.

  The Bad:

  • Can be tough to navigate menues.
  • Maps feel a little samey.
  • AI of bots is a mixed bag.

  Published: 11/05/2011

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