First, I have been playing Brink on the PC. Not too long ago, I decided to play all FPS games on the PC, if possible. I know FPS games can be a lot of fun on consoles, but they really shine with the keyboard and mouse. If that weren’t the case, they’d more actively let the two co-mingle in online matches.
The quick summary of my opinion: Brink doesn’t deserve some of the negative reviews it’s been garnering. The overall Metacritic score of 71 for the PC version probably just about right. It’s worth nothing the disparity between the console reviews and the PC reviews, however. Joystiq and 1UP, whom I usually rely on for decent reviews, both gutted the game. But their reviews focused on the console gameplay, which I have not taken a look at. I’m tempted to buy a copy, just to see if there’s as large of a difference as I suspect there to be. And why do I expect there to be a large disparity in gameplay? To me, the game looks and feels as though it was designed to be played on the PC.
First, the gun control and aiming takes finesse. There’s no spray and pray and you have to adjust your aim rapidly. The sniper rifle CAN get 1-shot headshots, but the speed of the characters running and jumping around requires you to be a helluva shot. There’s even a perk you can get in the game, which allows you to shoot your own grenades to make them explode early… So much of the gameplay seems as though it would be greatly watered down with the slushier movement and accuracy of controllers…
Second, the gameplay mechanics are already greatly familiar to PC gamers. While not quite as refined and brilliant as Team Fortress 2, Brink does take a page out of the TF2 book. The objective based, class based gameplay is something the PC audience has grown into, while I don’t know that the same love for these mechanics exists on the console. But Brink also adds some fresh ideas into the game, especially with how rapidly you have to change classes, the weapon and body styles and the specializations you can unlock within each class. So I don’t mean to imply that Brink is just the same old, same old on the PC – there’s some freshness there. But it’s not entirely alien, or irrelevant.
Third, I don’t even know how I’d play the online version of the game effectively on a console. Someone will have to share with me how this works – but I’d have to assume it works much differently than the PC version. But before I got into how I now play the game, I want to share the story of how I got that far.
In the PC version, I played 3 solo missions and all of the challenges before deciding to go online. Once I did go online, I tried using the mission selector, which would automatically connect me with other people looking to play that mission. This went fairly well, I think. I’m pretty sure I was playing with and against real people and it wasn’t TOO laggy. It did take a few minutes to get the session going, but we won our match and it was fun. So after that worked out ok, I decided to check out the last game-mode in the menus: Free Play. That’s where I discovered how the game really shines – but I’m also not sure how it would work on a console.
Free play is basically the same thing as the server browser in TF2. You can update the list, find a server with low latency, connect and play. The lag is minuscule this way (25-35ms pings ftw) and you can be sure to find a server with a good bunch of people. So, after getting settled into using the Free Play browser, I’ve not revisited any other game modes. And I’ve now logged about 4.5 hours of multi-player game time, which I feel is enough to have a good sense for the game.
However, it’s definitely not a perfect game. There certainly are flaws. The largest drawback is the amount of content you get for the amount of money you have to spend. Team Fortress 2 is, without a doubt, a better game. Even after all these years. However, it only costs $10 and, even when it first came out, I don’t think it cost $50… Brink feels a little light for what I spent. The 8-9 maps do seem like they would have high replayability, but they certainly aren’t enough to warrant the high price tag.
The next drawback is the somewhat bland gameplay itself. It’s not TERRIBLY bland, but it’s not quite inspiring either. The freedom of movement promise from the early trailers, showing players jumping around on stuff in parkour’esque moves, is only partially delivered. The truth is, the maps aren’t exactly designed to encourage this sort of movement. Instead, most times, it’s more effective to play Brink like any other FPS. Sure, there are times when I have jumped into a space where I could guard something effectively, which I would not have been able to do if I couldn’t climb my way up there with the freedom of movement features. But I didn’t feel like a ninja, bounding across the rooftops. I felt like a heavy dude, slowly climbing up a box… And that “sliding across the ground is a good way to avoid enemy fire” tip that I read when a level was loading? It’s a lie. Sliding across the ground is a great way to look cool just before getting your balls shot off.
But one thing I have to strongly disagree with, in regards to the Joystiq and 1UP reviews, is that the maps are unbalanced. I’ve played most of them, from both sides, and won both ways. It depends entirely upon how well your team can gel together, work as a team, and push through or hold back the enemy. I’ve yet to experience any “draws” as they were described in the reviews I read. In fact, I’m not sure how you even have a “draw” since there’s no way for the game to end in a tie. That being said, I’ve also been very lucky so far, as I’ve only lost one match. So maybe that’s indicative of something.
So, overall, I’d probably give Brink an 7/10. It’s fun. I don’t feel entirely ripped off (only slightly) and I intend to keep playing it. The harsh reviews are a surprise to me, but I’m guessing the largest reason for them is that Brink may not translate well to the console. It’s a fun game, with tried and true mechanics that have a few new twists added to the mix.
