Brink Game Preview - 360/PS3/PC

Dark Times Are Coming - Brink Preview

Plenty of first-person shooters promise innovation and revolutionary gameplay. While there are FPS titles that manage to break the mold, many simply don’t deliver in terms of fresh gameplay. The result is a steady stream of FPS releases that aren’t necessarily bad, but certainly lack wow factor. Bethesda and developer Splash Damage are taking a shot at something new with Brink, a futuristic shooter that lets you play through two different campaigns, create your very own character, and team up with other players to clear story missions.

Brink Game Plot - Choose a Side

The year is 2035, and major technological strides have been taken to further the betterment of the world. Of course, this wouldn’t be a very successful FPS game if that betterment wasn’t deterred or, at the very least, faced with a massive problem that spawns destruction, death, and mass rioting. A floating city known as the Ark was created to test life if mankind attempted to live cleaner. The population quickly rises when Earth faces major destructive damage, and the Ark is soon spilling with far too many people.

Brink allows you to play as a member of either the Resistance or the Security. The Resistance is fighting for resources while the Security is attempting to restore order. Both groups want to take control of the floating city, so a bloody rivalry causes them to wage war against one another. You play the part of one of the members for either of these two groups, and it is your mission to lead the Resistance or the Security to victory.

Brink Game Customization - Create Your Character

Rather than giving you a preexisting character to play as, Brink allows you to create and customize your very own soldier. Regardless of whether you side with the Resistance or the Security, you have the chance to build your own personal protagonist. Your character starts off with a medium build. He’s well-rounded, has decent speed, and can perform certain physical feats. Once you level up, though, you can change your character’s armor, strength, and size. Bigger characters can carry massive weapons and take serious damage, but they’re relatively slow. Thinner characters can run fast and scale walls, but they’re weaker in terms of both physical strength and damage resistance.

Once you’ve completed the campaign as a member of either the Resistance or the Security, Brink allows you to go back and play through the other storyline with your modified character. All physical and aesthetic traits remain, so if you got really attached to your created soldier or just thought he was awesome-looking, you don’t have to worry about losing him or creating him all over again.

Brink Gameplay

Brink is a team-based shooter that pits you against other troops. Regardless of which side you choose, you’re going to have to get together with another group of characters and waste your enemies. As you take down opposing forces, hack into computer systems, and infiltrate your foes’ bases, you earn experience points which can be used to alter your character’s stats. Physical attributes can be improved, armor can be enhanced, and a primary weapon can be tweaked to match your personal play style.

While the game certainly seems like a strong enough single-player endeavor, you’re not restricted to playing through the story on your own. Up to eight players can team up online to tackle the game’s campaign. Just like in Mindjack, what this means is that you’ll be facing another group of eight players who have decided to play as your enemy. This will certainly add a great dynamic to the game and give the story a live feel. And due to the game’s character customization feature, every player’s soldier should look distinctively different.

Character Classes

There are four character classes in Brink. Soldiers are, as you would probably expect, excellent combatants and can supply their teammates with weapons and ammo. Operatives are spies that can hack into computers and invade enemy camps by dressing up as the opposition. Medics are healers that can revive fallen comrades as well as provide a necessary health boost. Lastly, engineers can improve weaponry and repair damaged machinery.

Brink Preview - Join the Resistance or the Security

Brink certainly looks like an interesting new IP, and this is both evident in its graphic novel-inspired visual style as well as the many unique gameplay elements that Bethesda and Splash Damage are melding together. The character customization, RPG elements, shooting gameplay, and cooperative campaign all make Brink a title to watch out for if you’re a fan of FPS games. This new shooter is set to launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on April 12.