Review: BRINK (PS3/XBOX 360)

What do you get when you try to cross MAG or Team Fortress 2 gameplay with the look and feel of Borderlands and a futuristic Mad Max?  Bethesda Softworks (Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) and Splash Damage (Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars) hope its the next big franchise to hit consoles.  The impressive art direction in the advertising campaign originally drew me to this game, but does it translate to tengaging gameplay?  Now that it has dropped in price almost universally, is it something you should pick up now?  Is it even worthy of it's all CAPS moniker?

The premise in BRINK is not anything we really haven't seen before, but it centers around a man-made, eco-friendly, floating city, designated The Ark, that is on the brink (get it) of Civil War.  Since the oceans of the world have begun to rise to unsafe levels, The Ark has become a sort of haven for people affiliated with its original inhabitants, as well as other displaced people looking for a better life, who have to live on the outskirts.  It's basically a bunch of Haves versus Have Nots.  One group wants to break free of the overpopulation and desecrating conditions for the outcasts on The Ark (called The Resistance) and leave the floating city to see what the world is like beyond its walls, while the other group wants to keep the refugees in control and living in continued squalor, while they continue to benefit in The Ark (called The Security).

Upon starting the game, you have to first select and customize a character.  While the customization options are ample, they aren't exactly endless.  The character design is similar to Gears of War, with overexaggerated features and bulging muscles.  There are four different classes of characters: Soldier, Engineer, Medic, and Operative.  Obviously each has their own strengths and weaknesses and in this game you will be switching classes a lot during each level or mission, to complete objectives.

To move around, BRINK also uses whats been classified as SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain).  In this, a button can be assigned to to quickly traverse across different environmental obstacles.  Think of it as parkour influenced climbing, jumping, and sliding, reminiscent of Mirror's Edge.  The diagram below shows the various ways something like this could be accomplished.  Unfortunately, much of the time, I kind of forgot about SMART and did the regular old climbing and jumping, except for the occasional slide.

I've spent quite a bit of time with this game, beating both campaigns (a total of 16 missions, but they are long missions, which turns out to be a blessing and a curse), and utilizing both solo play, as well as completing levels online with human counterparts.  I get that the online component was designed to be a major selling point for BRINK, but the online community is pretty stagnant at the moment.  When starting a level online, I would say that only about 25% of the time did I have another human joining me.

Gameplay
This game is quite frenetic when you first jump in.  There is a lot of action going on around you and quite a bit of chatter from your teammates (which I liked initially, but then grew to hate).  Initially, only one or two classes will have an objective that are pretty basic (hack this, defend this, escort this person, etc.), but the objectives increase (both primary and secondary), as you progress through the game.  Just find a (or take over an opponent controlled one) command post, and you can switch classes.  There is an objective wheel that is easily accessed at any time, that highlights the objectives and classes needed, so it's not too confusing.  Select an objective and it'll point you in the right direction to complete it.

That's not to say that BRINK isn't fun because at times it really is.  Shooting people and is almost always fun... for a while.  Having the missions broken up by each side seemed like a really interesting idea, but they basically turn out to be the same levels, but just opposite objectives of each other.  If the Resistance was trying to destroy something, when you play the mission as the Security, you're trying to defend the same thing you were previously asked to destroy.  This doesn't flesh out the story as much as I would have hoped for, and really didn't make me pick a side I was rooting for, as if they had added totally different levels for each side.

There is a major problem with your teammates AI in the game.  They are basically worthless (but every now and then surprise you with a well-placed turret), and you constantly feel like you are the only one that is able to do anything.  For instance if you have to repair something and are playing solo, without human teammates, it seems like you are the only one of the class you selected that can get anything done.  You have usually around 10 minutes to complete the objective, but it usually takes all 10 minutes because your teammates don't help at all.  When they do decide to help, it's like a mad rush in the final minute or two.  The opponents know where to congregate to protect what's needed, but it seems as if your team gets bored rather easily and leaves their mark.

Which leads me to my next problem with the game.  If you die, or I should say when you die, because your opponent's ammo tends to be much more powerful than your own, you have to respawn

There are a few "what if" missions tacked on at the end, but they seem as more of an afterthought, than a critical part of the story, and are some of the shorter missions of the whole game.  I recommend playing through some of the Challenge levels early on, as by completing them, you earn some upgrades for your weapons.  There are 3 different types of challenges: fulfilling objectives, moving around with SMART to certain areas in a time limit, and defending, each with three levels of progressively harder levels.

Graphics
There are two distinct setting for the missions in BRINK.  One is the futuristic Ark, which kind of reminded me of something out of Mass Effect.  Lot's of plexiglass, neon, etc.  Once the action moved away from The Ark, to Container City, I became re-interested in the game again.  It's a totally different kind of look that really made me push through to finish my first half of the Campaign.  There are lots of little crevices and creative shortcuts to find.

I didn't really experience any lag, when playing online, but only really connected with one other person at a time when playing the campaign.  The multiplayer was solid and much more fun than playing with bots, but by the time I tried multiplayer, I was kind of burned out by the game.  Sometimes when enemies died, parts of their body would be underground, or if they were standing on something and killed, seemed to be floating in mid-air.

Sound
Throughout the game you have a Commander basically talking in your ear the whole time.  He gets very frustrated when things aren't going the planned way.  Considering that you feel like you are a one man show on many of the levels, it get very annoying quickly.

I did find the chatter between teammates amusing.  When you give supplies to another teammate, they always respond with some form of thanks.  Additionally, when you have some supplies and they are needed by someone nearby, they will let you know.

Replay Value
There is a planned DLC coming soon (free for the first two weeks), which may increase the number of people playing online.  Currently, there are 8 maps available for multiplayer skirmishes.  I fear, however, that most players originally interested in the game have either moved on to something else or sold/traded in their copy.

Once the campaigns are completed, there is not much incentive to return to those missions.  Especially the ones where your teammates seem clueless.  There are some audio logs to collect, which supposedly add more to the story (or unlock a trophy/achievement when all are collected) but I didn't have an interest to find more.

There is a cap at level 20.  When I finished both campaigns, I was at level 16, so I played multiplayer and replayed missions to reach the cap.  There are bonuses for completing missions online (which I didn't know until about halfway through the game)


Honestly, I really wanted to like BRINK.  Blending solo, co-op, and multiplayer into one somewhat seamless experience seemed innovative and intriguing.  However, in the end, it wasn't done well enough to grab my interest for extended periods.  Each mission is quite long, and if you don't succeed, feels arduous instead of energizing at the challenge, that you have to relive 15-20 minutes all over again.

Rating
6.5

I spent over 15 hours with BRINK, completing both campaigns, including what-if  missions.  I also completed all three 1-star challenges, two 2-star challenges, and one 3-star challenge.  BRINK is currently available for $34.99 from Amazon and $39.99 from Gamestop.

*Backlog Buster* Review: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)

Kratos returns, but this time, in a prequel to his adventures which first were released on the PS2 and later re-released as part of the HD God of War Collection on the PS3, and the acclaimed God of War III.  Sony added Ready at Dawn Studios (Daxter) to help, which after playing for a while, seems like the right decision.  Originally released in 2008, this game still looks and plays great today.  Being that I have owned a PS2 and PS3 since launch, and never played a God of War title (shame, shame), and this was chronologically the first adventure, it seemed like the proper place to begin.  Does it live up to it's console predecessors?  Can a portable version of classic series make the grade?

The game opens on the shores of Attica, and Kratos is serving the Gods of Olympus, by defending the city from the attacking Persians.  Armed with his trusty Blades of Chaos attached to his arms, Kratos is thrust immediately into action, battling a combination of men, ships, and a huge basilisk.  While the battle is no easy feat, after the Persians are defeated, Kratos' adventure really begins.

Kratos happens to see the sun falling from the sky, and does what any self-respecting hero would do: investigates and signs on to retrieve it.  Following the bit of light he can see takes him to the city of Marathon, where it seems Morpheus (God of Dreams) has put the land under some dark spell.  Kratos must now, not only ward off dark beings, but must grab Helios' Sun Chariot to ride to the Underworld to end the madness and return the sun to it's proper place.

In the Underworld, the game really shines and the plot becomes more than just a fetch quest.  The subtle differences in the locales and enemies kept me plugging through when the game had gotten a bit repetitive above the surface.

Gameplay

The combat is action packed, with a variety of enemies, from small Harplings, to various medium sized Satyrs, to much bigger Death Knights.  That's not even including the bosses, who are quite cool, in their own right.  Kratos' Blades of Chaos really feel responsive and can do a couple of different attacks, based on the buttons pressed.  There is also a magical-type attack that Kratos uses, and all of his acquired weapons can be upgraded to more powerful versions.  The deaths of enemies are actually quite gratifying, whether with weapons or fists.

What would a God of War be without blood, and there is plenty to speak of here.  The game really earns its M rating (but probably more for a particular mini-game).  Some of the bigger enemies can be finished off with a Quick Time Event (QTE), which involves pressing the correct buttons within a certain time frame, while others can be grabbed and disposed of quickly.  I enjoyed the close-up fatality views (who doesn't love stabbing a cyclops in the eye) and thought they were well done,  but any that involved moving the analog nub in a certain direction, usually took a few tries to master correctly.  That was a big drawback for me.  I dreaded seeing the arrow, instead of a button to press, as I knew that it would most likely take me some time to do correctly, and the loss of precious health.

I also at first enjoyed the vagueness of some of the puzzles, as I tried to decipher them, but on a couple of occasions was completely stumped on what to do or where to go next.  Luckily, save points were strategically placed and if I did die exploring or mis-jumping, I didn't have to repeat much.  The prevalent use of "invisible walls" around cliff and in areas, usually led me to the right spot (but I still wish I could have thrown enemies off of cliffs).  Though, I sometimes tended to forget that Kratos could destroy pillars or walls to open up new areas.

The Underworld was my favorite section of the game, and especially thought that the representation of the Titans and Charon's boat was magnificent.  Additionally, the enemies not only become more difficult as the game progresses, but also a tad smarter.  If you do not time your jumps just right, the archers' aim follows you.  If you do not break shields, enemies use them wisely.  Random button mashing typically won't yield the results you're looking for.

The final battles were just what I'd hoped for.  The weapons I'd procured throughout the game were not useless, but necessary, and the Bosses were legendary, not just some overgrown guard or creature.  The plot also get a bit poignant at the end, which was a bit of a welcome surprise for me.

Graphics

Amazing for the PSP.  I almost went out and bought the PSP component AV cable, just to see this game bigger.  Both gameplay and cutscenes are engaging and you don't feel like you're combatting a bunch of pixels, there is quite a lot of detail for the tiny PSP screen.  Load times are virtually non-existent and the whole experience was very smooth and seamless.

Sound

Being that this is my first foray into God of War, I must say that Kratos' voice kind of bugged me.  I realize the guy is intense and extremely angry, but every word out of his mouth was way too dramatic for me.  I found it kind of cartoonish, instead of passionate.  The other character voices were much better and not so much over the top.  The background music blends well with each situation and adds to each scene instead of overpowering it.  

Replay Value

The game is somewhat short, I finished in just over 8 hours on Hero (Normal) mode, but surprisingly didn't feel too short.  I probably wouldn't go back and play the game in one of the harder modes, but there are different costumes to unlock, as well as some Challenges of Hades levels to unlock more Treasures.  I'm definitely ready to move onto the God of War collection on my PS3.

Rating

8.5

I completed God of War: Chains of Olympus on Hero (Normal) difficulty in just over 8 hours.  The game was purchased for $19.99.