First Glance:
Objective based FPS that incorporates a parkour movement system which should change the way battles play out.

Short Story:
The objective based combat system has been hit or miss in the past and is a gamble on its own but now Bethesda and Splash Damage are throwing in a level based class system and the parkour movement scheme. Battlegrounds are confined to running in a straight line and in multiplayer, the team that doesn’t have a decent mix of classes played by people who understand their skills are going to suffer. A big risk game in a market flooded by CoD and Battlefield clones.

The Score:
A lot of people have come down really hard on this game for a variety of reasons. Chokepoints that are reportedly “insurmountable??? and being “forced??? to change classes during single player missions in order to get past a level are two of the major ones in regards to gameplay. There are still some lingering issues in regards to online play with friends with lag being a major issue in some games. There’s definitely some polish needed here but what we have at the heart of this game is everything Bethesda promised us.

Even in single player, this game is a bit of a time investment. Online matches can be quick and to the point in some cases but drag on and on depending on the mission objectives in others. Escort missions can be especially time consuming in the right circumstances. That being said, if you’re looking for a new FPS that doesn’t follow the “run for 30 seconds, get shot in the face with a pistol, respawn, repeat??? philosophy, you might just be interested in this one.

Due to the potential for drawn out matches even in single player and an iffy matchmaking system in multiplayer, Brink slides in with a Busy Gamer 3.

Body of Review:
The Reckon Crew has been waiting for Brink since we saw it at PAX ’09. We’ve watched the videos wondering if the game would live up to its promise and our admittedly high expectations. As other gaming sites began reporting in on the issues they were having, we started to despair.

Then we played it.

I’m not saying this game doesn’t have its issues. It has some and they can be doozies. But all of the reports coming in saying Bethesda shipped a “broken??? game are badly exaggerated.

Character creation is a major part of any game for the Reckon Crew. As Crutchboy stated in his article about Daggerdale, we’ll spend hours tweaking the way our character looks until we have it just right. While there are some limitations on how much customization you control in regards to your character (notably color combinations), there’s a fairly good likelihood that you’ll be able to tweak your character to look different from everyone else if the mood strikes you.

One of the complaints that I haven’t been able to agree with in this game has where the gun sounds are concerned. I’m suitably impressed when I hear the whir of the gatling gun spinning up or the thump of the grenade launcher firing. When I run around with a submachine gun, I don’t expect it to sound like a cannon when it fires. Even with a silencer, many of the guns sounded impressive to me when they fired. Perhaps it’s the surround sound system giving the effects some oomph.

I would have liked to have seen some more customization with the weapons in regards to the cosmetics but there’s enough that I’m satisfied when I’m building a load out for my character.

The three body types (heavy, medium, and light) will modify how you play. Personally, I prefer the light body type on my Soldier. While most of the world likely wants to use the heavy weapons as the workhorse of the Brink classes, I like being able to move quickly, getting into spots the other classes can’t. Being able to scale a wall quickly at a point where resistance is light can change the outcome of a battle quickly.

The Heavy body type is particularly suited for my Medic in Brink’s gameplay. Slow and plodding but with substantially more health, I hang back with my heavy weaponry and help support my teammates with a hail of lead and move up to heal as I am needed.

The engineer is particularly deadly in this game. Where the class is often portrayed as a support class in many other games, a frontline Engineer in Brink can be very successful, particularly since there are machine gun nests that require an Engineer to build them before they can be used. With the turrets they have available, as well as the landmines, an Engineer can help quickly advance the offense in any type of match.

Last but not least, the Operative introduces a bit of chaos into the matches. Able to disguise himself, the Operative is able to often slip behind enemy lines as he doesn’t trigger enemy landmines or turrets unless another operative marks him as an imposter. Combined with the sticky, caltrop, and EMP grenades, as well as the ability to hack enemy turrets, Operatives can overcome a stalemate rather quickly when played by an experienced player.

Sadly, the single player campaign isn’t nearly as fun as playing with friends. The AI on your team seems intent on performing as poorly as possible until the last moment, causing matches to drag out for as long as possible. Even the enemy AI seems less polished even with the difficulty cranked up.

There have been some serious lag issues since the launch of the game. They seem to get better with every patch and the Reckon Crew saw very little lag in matches where we played cooperatively against the AI in matches where there were four people on each team.

The story isn’t going to win any awards but the concept is just enough to keep my interest. I would have liked to have seen more of the Ark’s Council ordering around Security or Chen interacting with the Resistance rather than having them as bodiless voices present only through the comm system as I performed my mission tasks.

The AI is a little chatty for my taste but it does make the battles seem more intense with the comm chatter that goes on during firefights. Hearing someone yell across my comm that they’re wounded adds an element of intensity when I am playing my medic and I’m pinned down behind cover.

Many reviewers felt the weapon damage was insufficient but in conjunction with the parkour system, it means that a moving target is harder to put down. You might do some damage as someone slides behind cover but there’s definitely a feel of fierce combat when you are facing off against the enemy in Brink.

There are some things that need polish here. The multiplayer is still a bit underwhelming at times but when you land in a lag free match, Brink begins to shine. I’ve always enjoyed objective based FPS games and Brink did a lot of things right in this regard. I’m hoping the early DLC we see come from Bethesda will expound on the objectives currently in the game, building beyond “capture this point” and “escort this guy over there”.

My most sincere hope, however, is that Splash Damage and Bethesda don’t give up on this title. For a first outing into multiplayer territory, Brink is a good example of what can be done when you stray from the tried and true formulas of a genre. I don’t want to see this game degenerate into a Deathmatch downward spiral but rather stay true to the ideal set forth in its launch, building on team based combat and the parkour inspired movement I’ve begun to enjoy so much.

Gritskrieg – End of Line

Well, we have been back from Seattle a bit over a week now and I still haven’t completly landed. It was a great time up there, sure beats Texas weather, but I think we win on alcohol because we brew Shiner beer! And Shiner is one of many, many cool things that come from the Longhorn state. So since I’m talking about things I like, I’d like to talk about some of the highlights of the trip for me. These are totally one sided but that’s what makes them kick ass. Yes, crutch in the ass. Take it.

My top 5 Games at PAX09:

1. Mass Effect 2 by BioWare – This title is fantastic. The graphics and re-skins look even better than its predecessor. The addition of the heavier weapons is a nice boost to your arsenal. The look and feel is dark, very ‘Blade Runner’-esque. It appears there is still a lot of dialogue going on so if that was didn’t catch your fancy before, then maybe skip this one again. I’m not all about tons of lines of boring stuff but the story was great in ME 1 and we want to know what happens to our Shepard now. So let’s go and ruffle some feathers, maybe we get another sexy alien scene, who knows? I’m down.

2. Star Trek Online by Atari – I’m a straight up pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies fan and that’s what this Star Trek MMO reminded me of. The look of it may heat up your graphics card a bit but if you can run this baby (even on low res settings), I’m sure you will lose a large chunk of your life to it. It’s a hard choice choosing between Star Wars and the Trek but, considering what we have to work with in Sci-Fi MMO’s, I really want to give this one a go. You can combat on your ship (and with your ship), land on planets, team up with other players in co-op play (as with all MMO’s), pretty much all you expect in an online massive multiplayer. Play as a Klingon or other alien species, all in a very polished interface. Now I really couldn’t dig into an MMO in a 20 minute demo but this game is going to pack a solid punch. Sci-Fi nerds will play because of what it is and how it will immerse us in the Trek-Verse. The character design at the beginning is awesome. The screens literally gave me chills.

3. Brink by Bethesda – Guns. Chiseled tough guy soldiers. FPS. And more GUNS. Oh, plus some role-playing levelin’ up action. Bethesda really put on a spectacular demo for this game. Just their presentation had their booth filled and others standing watching from the back. I am such a sucker for stylized art and in depth character creation. And Brink has both. You can take on the role of a freedom fighter archetype or police riot trooper bad ass. Both with a varied assortment of weapons. With several types of classes available on both sides of the law, this game looks tough. You can co-op play online with friends through the missions and actually switch classes during gameplay via a command terminal (depending on what type of carnage the mission requires). My favorite is the unlockables. The outfits and customizing features change as you progress through the game. So online, you won’t look like every other mercenary mofo out there. Individuality and creativity are awesome in this game plus being a first person shooter/co-op make this a unique experience indeed.

4. Dungeon Fighter Online by Nexon – Arcade. Say it with me, arcade side scroller. Old skool. But let’s add a twist to it, RPG leveling system. You mean I can level up, walk away, come back and my character is still the same level and I can join in some dungeon pillaging with my friends? Yes. Several classes are available from summoner to brawler to priest, to specialty classes that open up as you progress through the game. Tough as iron this game looks and the system requirements look pretty sweet, too. During my demo they said any average laptop will run it fine. Up to four players online can rock this title out (co-op, player vs. player, and all out battle modes) with new dungeons being added, of course, after launch. Oh, and guess what? It’s free to play. Snap!

5. Last Night on Earth by Flying Frog – Did I say they all had to be video games? Well, Last Night on Earth is one helluva board game. Heroes vs Zombies bash it out or really try and outdo one another in this superbly done horror movie styled game. I demoed this game last year, and with the several new expansions that have been released since then, it makes a great way to spend your eve, Xmas or Halloween! Each unique character has its own perks and neat abilities. Whether it’s the Priest faith being able to cancel out a zombie’s effect cards or the Prom Queen’s hiding from all the action while the male characters around her gain pluses to their attack rolls (we all love that). Whatever your role is (ha roll, like dice), there is something for you in this game with cards, awesome sculpted pieces, the ever changing game board and multiple add-ons and game variations. Even being the zombies is great because there is pleasure in foiling the escape plans of the heroes and finishing the night off with a bucket of brains right? Yup.

So there you have it, I really could not go into the depth of what all these titles can offer, it’s just quick blast of my time in Seattle, and with all the alcohol we consumed during the trip (thank you Dead Space Extinction party, Eve Online and Hudson Soft for all the food and drinks we could down), I needed to write them down while I still remembered them.

Anyhow,
Crutchboy – Out