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I'm looking to buy Brink but am not so sure about it. I heard the customization is great but are there any other values it has? I would like to know what the multiplayer, campaign, and controls are like. Thanks for any and all info and suggestions. ADDED:: btw, I have an XBox 360, and I can't care less if it had 8-bit graphics, all I want to know is if it's fun to play. ty again.

Controls are pretty easy.
Campaign was fun IMO with a decent story, obviously nothing incredible but passable.
Multiplayer is fun.
It's good but not worth £40, I'd wait until it's a touch cheaper...

First of all, I have to recommend the game for the PC. I imagine that everything but the aiming would be better on a gamepad (keyboard controls are a little hard to get used to), but ultimately, the game will run and look much better on the PC (it's incredibly well-optimized; I'm even running the game at 30 fps under minimum specs), the game is cheaper, and dedicated servers make all the difference during online play (the netcode is pretty badly suited to player created servers, which is all the console versions have access to).

I've already played the game for 60 hours, so I'd like to think that I'm fairly qualified to review it. The first thing you must keep in mind if you decide to pick up Brink is that the game's various elements combine to make Brink a completely different game from any first-person shooter you've played before it. You must 're-learn' certain elements of the FPS in order to be truly effective at it, and the game has a very steep learning curve for the genre. Thankfully the HUD is incredibly well designed, giving you literally any information you might need exactly when you need it, and allowing you to make dozens of tactical decisions at any given moment based on that information.

Brink is incredibly well-balanced. Never once have I felt that a specific weapon was overly powerful, or that I couldn't handle a certain ability that a player had access to. The maps (though there are only 8) are some of the most well-designed maps out of any FPS game I've played; I'm still finding reasons for admiration even after this much playtime (There are no camping spots, every single location has at least three available access points, and everything is designed with SMART in mind). You will never suffer a one-shot kill, and this makes mobility just as integral to Brink's combat as the gunplay itself. The game's classes all compliment each other and are entirely necessary, and team cooperation is more important than any FPS before it. There are tons of opportunities for creative and rewarding teamwork, and the game does a great job of rewarding you for playing to your strengths and never forcing you into a specific playstyle.

SMART will change the way you think about first-person shooters forever. I can't play most FPS games anymore because of the frustrating lack of freedom of movement. Escape is always an option if you play it smart, and figuring out new ways to move through the environments is rewarding. SMART is incredibly fluid (so much so that I don't even have to think about using it anymore), and it creates intense multiplayer experiences that you literally can't find anywhere else. Actually being able to escape an outmatched gunfight is just as exhilarating as scoring a kill, and in ways it can be even more rewarding. Being creative while using SMART is key.

Customization is fairly good when all of it's elements come together. Every class is a perfectly viable choice that are each suited to different playstyles. The choice of weapons and customization of those weapons, along with a choice of body type further drive home the fact that Brink lets you play exactly how you want to play. Though there are less character appearance options than I would've liked, it is basically impossible to make a bad looking avatar. Everything is very well-designed and consistant. These character customization options are meaningful rewards for your achievements, unlike most other games. I couldn't quite call it an RPG, but it has the reward system of one.

The graphics are beautiful and unique, and the game world is a much more realistic depiction of a post-apocalyptic dystopia than most other games in similar settings, and it succeeds in showing the state of the whole world (despite it being fairly vague). Though they shouldn't have sold it as 'bringing single-player experiences into multiplayer', it's still a step up for a purely multiplayer FPS, and it gives some meaning and weight to your actions, unlike most multiplayer games which drop you in the middle of the action with no rhyme or reason.

I've found a few bugs, but ultimately nothing that has detracted from my enjoyment of the game.

Basically, if you are a fan of Counter Strike and Team Fortress (or either of the Enemy Territory games), and like the idea of free-flowing movement across the environment, character customization that caters to your playstyle, and team-based tactical gameplay that makes room for an entirely new sense of achievement that you can't find in your average FPS, then you need to buy this game as soon as possible.

For better or for worse, there is literally nothing else like Brink. All of the game's flaws (which I find few of) are easily overlooked because you simply can't get the same experience anywhere else. Every element meshes together into an extremely enjoyable and addictive experience. If you come in with an open mind, you'll find a game that shouldn't be missed. Even 60 hours in, I'm still learning new tricks, working on my tactics, and generally still getting a better grasp of the game. You won't even be able to accurately judge the game after 20 hours; a lot of the excellent design decisions don't begin to show through until you're already deeply rooted in the game.

My game of the year so far, for sure.

I have heard about the great customisation and the great theme as well as the seamless inclusion of parcour. However, I have also heard from a friend that it really isn't a "marvel of technology" (I'm talking graphics here).
If you want to get it, I would recommend waiting until the price drops, because I just don't think its worth its price for now.

Why are graphics suddenly so imortant?
They are pretty decent.
Good enough to keep you in the game and not vomit when things get fast.
They aren't anything special but they suit the style of the environment in the game.

Grapics are always important.

How fast paced the game is? (UT>TF2>BFBC2)

Graphics are a nice thing to have but they don't make or break a game unless they are really terrible. They are a component in the game just like any other game but they shouldn't be a mark for or against a game unless they are spectacularly bad or good.

It's pretty fast paced but slowed down by the wave respawn and sometimes by the more maze like maps.
I'd say... just below TF2.

illuknisaa wrote:Grapics are always important.

How fast paced the game is? (UT>TF2>BFBC2)

It's kind of hard to describe the pace.

Mobility is extremely important (moreso than any other FPS), but people take a lot of shots before they go down (so firefights go much quicker when you travel in groups). Also, the pace of the game depends on exactly what you're doing, how you've customized your character (esp. body type), and how many people you have helping you or how many buffs you have at the time.

I'd put it at about the same pace as TF2. It's a little too deliberate to be as insane as UT, and the maps are more constrained than BFBC2 (in a good way). It has some similarities to the strategic elements of TF2. It's a bit less 'sudden death', but the fluidity and focus on the movement system bring it back up to speed. Patience is more of a virtue here than most FPS games (waiting for a medic to revive you can seem to slow things down a bit, for instance). The numerous tactical decisions you have to make at any given time give you plenty to do even when you're not in the middle of a firefight, though.

EDIT: I don't understand the negative reception of the graphics. The game is extremely consistent, very well-modeled, colorful, and completely unique to itself. The extreme depth of field and bloom add a slightly surreal atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the proportions of the characters. Costume pieces are all designed to fit well with one another, the weapon models are extremely detailed, and the animations are incredibly awesome and realistic (I'm really glad that the death cam is in third person). It may not push the technical envelope from a graphical standpoint, but that was never Brink's intention. Some may not be a fan of the art style, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the graphics are bad; they just don't suit some people's taste. Personally, I think it looks amazing in it's own right, without treading on the same ground that so many fps games have.