Brink has certainly become a niche game, and I often have to find myself recommending people rent it first... because responses have been very split down the middle; people either really love it, or are incredibly disappointed.
A lot of the negative feedback can basically be put down to "it's not *insert other shooter name here*", and otherwise be heavily opinionated rather than factual; don't be put off by any statements of the game being straight-up "bad" or "trash". Brink will be wildly different to any other console shooter experience you will ever have had, with a totally different approach to gameplay... and a learning curve to match. The game is full of new and out of the ordinary design choices for an FPS, something a lot of people are struggling to accept. Save for the odd, to-be-expected, and usually ignorable bugs (there is some Borderlands-esque texture pop in), there are some legitimate concerns and worries...
First off is the lack of a straightforward lobby. The current system is fine for casual drop-in, drop-out play, but it's difficult to maintain any form of organisation with large groups of players. Then there's the unreliable match-making. I believe it works off ping, and never seems to connect you with anybody who will give you less than a near-perfect connection... this means that you'll find real players no more than you'll find bots.
A major issue at release was terrible friendly AI when playing solo. The developer toned down the intelligence of bots on your team so that they didn't "steal your thunder", which made solo runs and the challenges incredibly difficult. This issue has been addressed with patches, but even though the AI has a lot of information to process (with the gameplay even being complex for a human) they still perform quite lacklustre at times. Somewhat of a small personal fix is that both friendly & enemy AI can be balanced evenly, by selecting "Versus" rather than "Co-Op" or "Solo" - you have to be connected online to access this option, but can still play privately.
The game does feel quit lacking in terms on content when compared to other shooters, considering the fact that campaign and multiplayer share the exact same levels. You're going to have to get used to seeing the same places repeatedly, and it doesn't matter that the maps are great and complex, there will eventually come a point every now and then when you tire of them. The various DLCs released for the game (including the pre-order bonuses) greatly increase the amount of content, and thus your enjoyment; adding two new maps, a multitude of new customisation options, as well as raising the level cap - you just have to be willing to pay extra.
Despite the issues, what the game does well, it does very well. If you're like me, then Brink just pushes all the right buttons, and the good elements of the game overshadow the bad and make it an overall incredibly enjoyable game to play. The game has a gorgeous art style and overall appearance, with beautifully-designed maps and a simple, easy to follow UI/HUD. The audio is commendable, with some impressive and satisfying gun sounds, and the whole game being backed by an interesting and fitting soundtrack.
One of the main selling points for me was the fact the game offers some top-notch character customisation for a PS3 game, let alone a shooter... as well as a respectable range of weapons, and great weapon customisation to tinker with them to your liking. To take the character customisation further, there are clear differences between the three available body weights; Light, Medium & Heavy, each with their own pros/cons. A well-balanced rank, class & skills system rounds off the personalisation - OP isn't a word you often hear in Brink. Fully-mappable controls are a huge plus, too.
The revolutionary SMART movement system opens up the environment to exploitation as a tactical element... more so than any other shooter I've ever seen. Playing other FPS games after experiencing SMART, they just feel so lacking and sub-par. The game doesn't entirely revolve around parkour like some were expecting, but SMART still allows for huge freedom of movement. Sliding around corners or into cover and freely vaulting over obstacles become a staple in the gameplay.
The gameplay itself is very objective-heavy, usually with a multitude of tasks available for the various classes to pursue in order to open up tactical opportunities or advantages to their team. Unlike some other team-based shooters though, Brink executes it without sacrificing the fun of fragging. Even for a game with only 8 players a side, it can get so fast-paced and chaotic that I've had a fair few around-100-kill games.
Brink requires a large leap of faith when coming from other, more familiar shooters, and isn't without flaws. It really does come down to how much you enjoy the good elements, in order to outweigh or help you deal with the bad or confusing. But if the above listed reasons sound exactly like what you look for in a shooter, then Brink may be your new favourite game.
Brink (PS3)Released: 2011
Developer: Splash Damage
Publisher: Bethesda
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Official launch trailer
