FuryAC3 takes it to the Brink in this preview.

 
This September, get ready for Brink, a brand new FPS from Bethesda and Splash Damage, which is heading to the 360, PC and PS3. Brink is going to be a bit like if you were to cross Mirrors Edge with Battlefield and Shadow Run, and a pinch of Team Fortress 2 for good measure, so you can expect team based combat over vast complex levels and lots of different skirmishes along the way. Let’s look under the hood and see what is really going to make Brink tick.

 


 
London based developer Splash Damage have a good past record when it comes to multiplayer games, as the team who brought Quake Wars: Enemy Territory to the console, and they have gone all out and assembled a dream team to bring Brink to life. The team reads like a who’s who in the development world. There’s Chris Sweetman, who worked as audio director on Black and Burnout Paradise, Neil Alphonso, a level designer on Killzone 2, Dave Johnson, who designed Dust – the most played Counter Strike map, and Tim Applebly, who is lead character artist and also the man who made Captain Shepherd from Mass Effect. There are also people who worked on the likes of Heavenly Sword and Prince of Persia. So on paper, the Brink team are a bit like Chelsea, as they are the best of the best at what they do. With this power house of talent, Brink is going to be something a bit special.

 
Brink is set in 2035 and the planets sea levels have risen to the point that all land is lost. The only city left is a floating megalopolis called The Ark, in the middle of this vast ocean world. The game puts you in the shoes of the security forces of the Ark, where you must fight to keep the peace, or you can play as the resistance, who want to break the stronghold the government have over the people. Both factions will have their very own campaigns which will tell the story from both angles.

 


 
The game has a very distinctive art style, which is a bit like the sterile, glass and steel aesthetics of Mirror Edge, but with the chunky colourful look of Team Fortress 2. There is also one of the most in depth customisation systems in any game, let alone a FPS, allowing the player to change their character with infinite possibilities. This has the feeling that it will be best harnessed by clans and will add a camaraderie to the game, with people being able to fight with their own specific gang symbol showing their allegiance.

 


 
Brink is bringing a new concept to the world of FPS which Splash Damage have code named SMART (Smart Movement Across Random Terrain). It will offer an athleticism to the player which has never been unleashed in a FPS before. Though following in the footsteps of Mirrors Edge, SMART is taking it a whole lot further. An example of where SMART comes into play is if the player is faced with a doorway laced with security beams, you have three choices. First is to walk in and trigger the alarm, second is to stand and fight your ground and finally the SMART option is to get some speed up knee slide under the beams and pass undetected. For SMART allows the player to run, jump and climb on virtually any surface in the game, in a free running style. This will add a fast and furious feel to the game in that you are never truly trapped and that game play is constantly free flowing.

 
Brink also allows you to customise your weapon layouts, which you can switch dynamically during game in a Battlefield style. You also get the chance to choose your own sub-missions with context-specific goals for you to achieve, which will help the overall game and will award you with bonus experience points. These missions will vary from securing a perimeter to locating and interrogating enemy and destroying specific targets on the map. Using this system players can play the same map over and over again, but it will never get stale due to the variety of sub-missions.

 


 
So that was a quick glance at how BRINK is shaping up. For the full and in-depth review be sure to check back this September.

 
Brink and you’ll miss it

 
FuryAc3