First of all I would like to make it known that I am no hater. I have been looking forward to this game since the teaser trailer at E3. So before anyone tries to tell me to stop hating on this game they should know, I've been anticipating this one for weeks and I love games especially Bethesda! I should also start out by listing what I personally think was done very well in this game;

+I'm in love with the art style (at least when it would actually render properly)
+Of course the SMART system is just an amazing idea that I think still holds limitless possibilities.
+I truly like the idea of blending multiplayer and single player. While this function could probably be better utilized I have to give them kudos for having the balls to try something new.
+Not enough shooters these days have in depth character customization. This is something I would love to see more of.
+I like that there is no clear "good" side or "evil" side. To many games rely too heavily on this distinction. I think its more natural for everyone to think they are doing whats right.
+I like the sci-fi premise. I think they have the makings of a truly epic war and a great setting for it.

Now for the things I wish they would have spent more time on. Like I said I'm not a hater. I'm just an avid gamer who is really disappointed when games that do so many things so well let the ball drop in so many other areas. Please don't just reply to this to burn me for my opinions, after all I'm stating right up front that these are only my opinions and you probably all have your own opinions. I still think their wrong but I respect the fact that their yours and I can't change them.

- The graphics always tended to slow to load and, at times, made the game downright ugly. Even in offline mode.
- A lot of the menus feel like Splash damage went in at the last minute to change things without really thinking too much about what they were doing. They lack that professional touch and it really makes me think "what were they thinking" when at the character select screen you can choose to customize your character when you can also easily customize your character from the main menu.
- I don't mind the fact that you can switch between security and resistance in between levels, but wtf is the point of them asking you to pick your side when you first make your character? This just seems rushed and silly too me.
- None of the levels really seem all that unique too me. You could probably line them all up together and most people wouldn't be able to tell where one ended and the next one began. They have a great setting with the ARK. If they had spent more time and afforded more creativeness I'm sure they could have figured out ways to incorporate all kinds of epic locations. The tight indoor levels feel really closterphobic for these epic fire fights, and the color scheme gets really tiring after a while. I just wished they had more maps, and more variety between the maps.
- I honestly was expecting more customization options. I figured with the big deal they had made about it, and after giving the female characters the shaft so that the male characters could have better options, it should have had many more options + the ability to edit the color schemes manually.
- I know your all sick of hearing this one but... after seeing the number of customization options I feel strongly that "it would have been too difficult." Is no excuse for not having female characters. No it's not about having six symbols in the game and I don't care how ugly the heavies would have been. It was a mistake to forgo them, this game deserves so much more effort than they were willing to put in.
- It truly perplexes me that you can change your side and body size on a whim but tattoos and skin color are made permanent. They should have either made all body modifications permanent to give us a sense of loyalty to our character or let us have full control at all times over how it looks for versatility.
- The in game character animations never looked natural enough. The way they were moving always reminded me of how things looked as far back as the PS2.
- Melee attacks felt extremely nerfed. I'm used to being able to rely on melee as a life save when encountering an enemy but in BRINK I just couldn't rely on it when I was in trouble. I know people will hate this but I do wish they had at least a small assortment of melee weapons, I'm not asking for anything as far as swords or bats but it would have benefited from like a small lead pipe or bayonet with a lunge attack. Just something to make melee feel like something more than a rushed after thought.
- Some more acrobatics would have been nice. Something like the backwards dives from Mirrors Edge, and dodge rolls would have been great (at least for light classes).
- I've heard this one argued about on these forums pretty constantly. I've been told bullet penetration has ruined shooters and I honestly tried to give those who have said that the benefit of the doubt but after playing the game I have to say it is extremely disappointing to not have it. I know Black Ops ruined it for everyone but come on. They don't have to make the same mistakes Call Of Duty did. They can do it better, they just need to add it in with a light touch. Shattering glass and small destructable objects would have made my guns feel like they actually had some power. The way it is now they feel more like cartoon guns.
- Grenades svck! The explosions do not look good at all and they are useless when trying to save your ass while reloading. I don't want them do be so good that people spam them but sheesh they feel more like you shook a can of root beer and threw that at them!
- I would have liked to have named my characters even if it was just in the form of simple tags. It really seems like they went out of their way too detach me from my characters.
- Any one who says that they were truly immersed in the story line is a hardcoe liar. I hate that the story takes place over eight days. This could have been such an epic war but instead it was scaled down into just a few vaguely militaristic power plays. Hell the guys talking during the loading screens talked way more than the ones in the cinematics did. And seriously wth is up with making my character just a set piece? They already have done a good job of keeping me from caring about my character as it is, why should I care any more about the handful of bots that actually get speaking lines in the grand story? The resistance should have been fighting for control of the ARK not to escape it. All the voice actors sound like they are trying really hard to talk in corny accents making them difficult to understand. (not aided by the fact that there is no subtitle option)
- Objective based combat is only good if the objects remain interesting over time. In BRINKS case the objectives all feel really lame and get extremely boring by around the fourth or fifth time challenging it. This also means that most of the levels even when done online will only end up having a finite number of ways that they can be done. The game really should have had a well balanced team death match type mode to offer something a little different.
- The bots are terrible. They stand around, they ignore me, they cill me out of nowhere with no warning, and whole teams will bum rush you while your entire team is off doing unimportant secondary objective and you try to hold down the main objective.
- Enemies take far too many hits before going down. Heavies are the only ones who feel like they take an appropriate amount of damage. Everyone else feels like they take a super human amount of damage.
- Abilities just don't feel that rewarding to use or unlock. And I still wish your character could grow in their chosen class instead of just letting you buy a handful of upgrades. I also wish that the abilities felt like they were actually worth it (especially for the operative and engineers, my personal favorite classes).

During the weeks of anticipation I had been expecting something along the lines of Modern Warfare with free running and customization options, instead I got a game more like Team Fortress with free running and customization which isn't necessarily a bad thing but in the end is just extremely disappointing. When a game does so many uniquely great things like this, it really svcks to see the ball get dropped in so many other areas. I know some people aren't going to agree with me and personally I'm glad for it. It means that this game may hold on to its online following. Unfortunately it seems just as likely that this games online following will end up going the same route Team Fortress has. If you took the time to read all of my complaints and don't harass me for my opinions then I appreciate it. I especially appreciate it if any of you actually work at Splash Damage and take some of my ideas to heart (that would be both ridiculous and amazing at the same time) I want to hear more about what people think Splash Damage has done right here, and what people think has been done wrong (mostly I'm interested in seeing what people think could be done better) I find it hard to believe that anyone who has been anticipating this game hasn't been somewhat disappointed in one or more areas of it, so please constructive criticism is important when testing out new game ideas, and I don't want this game to fade into obscurity. I really do hope BRINK does well enough to warrant a full fledged sequel. Hopefully the second time around they have a better handle on what a good shooter needs to be. It's only been out for a day or two and I'm already ready for the sequel. If it ends here then all my expectations for this game are going to leave a very bitter taste in my mouth. In summation I do think that this game was deserving of far more attention than anyone at splash damage was willing to give it. Anyways thanks for listening!

"During the weeks of anticipation I had been expecting something along the lines of Modern Warfare with free running and customization options, instead I got a game more like Team Fortress with free running and customization which isn't necessarily a bad thing" How in the name of all that is good could you EVER get the vibe that this was going to be something akin to MW?

Also, when making a post like this, especially with the way this game is, you should tell us what platform your playing on.

I voted heartbreaker only because it has the potential to be so much more yet fell extremely short of its own ambitions. I'm still happy with the game but realize that it is greatly flawed. At this point I simply cannot recommend it to my friends as the online has rampant lag issues and the offline has bot issues. I honestly feel sorry for the PS3 players as even Easy is quite frustrating to play.

Sounds like extremely bad research on your part.

Considering I've played it for a few hours in challenge mode I cannot rate it just yet. The challenges have been fun. A few of my Xbox friends pre-ordered but did standard shipping (Derp). Hopefully when they get it (5 more days) a patch will be released to iron out the issues (lag / graphics). Eventually, SD will release a patch that fixes all the big issues. I can wait it out. I spent good money on the game so I want the play it as it was intended.

I have no hard feelings with SD or Bethesda. They will do what is right and release a patch that'll make the game playable. I hope Brink is a success for SD and they keep the Brink universe going. The story could become an amazing tale.

Keep up the good work SD. There are people out there that appreciate how much work you've put into the game!

I had responded to everything you said constructively and I agreed in a few places even but... "During the weeks of anticipation I had been expecting something along the lines of Modern Warfare with free running and customization options " basically killed any ground you might have had to stand on your points. We all know they're coming from a misinformed place.

You expected Modern Warfare with female characters with swords and lead pipes? Aw man.

NIX, I agree with everything you said about the game. I was expecting so much more than 4 total hours of gameplay before I beat the entire campaign, both sides. The game is good but could have been GREAT. If I am going to spend $60 for a game, at least give me more than 4 FRICKIN hours of total storyline gameplay. Yes Brink is an MP only game but that doesnt mean that it cant have depth of story, like we were promised. If its a revolution in games, its a revolution I dont weant to be a part of. Overpriced, content lacking, quick shipped crap. I have been waiting for this game to come out since the e3 trailer as have most. I have seriously let down. After I saw how short the game was going to be, I intentionally delayed playing it because I didnt want to see the end that fast. Just call me SERIOUSLY DISSAPOINTED until we get some FREE DLC to make up for the lack of content in the game that shipped. 8 DAYS of war is not worth $60 IMO.

:nono: Don't bash someone's thread. You don't like it, don't post in it. :toughninja:

8/10 for now, when they fix the tech issues it'll be a 9.

Research doesn't play into it. I've been playing it constantly since it was released and I've had the opportunity to play it on both Xbox and Playstation. Just because my experience with the game doesn't match up with yours does not mean that my hopes and expectations thus far are any less valid than yours. I started of this week with bias in favor of this game expecting to adore it but in the end some people just don't enjoy this games execution. I've seen ratings everywhere from three to ten so I already know this game can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I'm just giving one side of the story, the only one I can give. One that's based on my actual experience within the game. Instead of just telling me my "research" is bad why don't you talk about the game from your experience with it. After all thats what I'm interested in here why or why not people give it the scores that they do. Talk about what you like and dislike about the game instead of trying to subvert my opinions. After all they are just opinions...

I never said that I wanted swords, in fact I think I said the opposite. And COD used to be a great shooter, that was just an example. The truth is after all the videos I watched and forums I read I couldn't be sure what to expect. I would have been satisfied if the shooter elements of this game had held up to any other great shooter out there, but sadly they don't which is the main reason why I was disappointed with this game.

I do some researching BEFORE I buy my games, you certainly did not do yours.
I don't even have the game yet.The only experience I have with the game has been through thebrink.tv's streams yesterday and I feel this will live up to the expectations I have gotten through my research on the game.

Sounds like you just bought the game on a whim and hoped for the best, maybe you learned your lesson. *shrug*

Cool story, bro.

You're fail, not Splash Damage.

The only negative I have is not being able to play a non-laggy match. Other than that, I'm hooked.

Again most people have a good idea of what Brink was supposed to be delivering which is why it's being met with a lot of disappointment.

• The story is meager, the cut scenes are contrived
  
• The net code is absurd on 360
  
• The loading of the graphics was a let down
  
• There are a few game play issues w/ bots, guns, etc... (which can and will be easily tweaked because of Splash Damages server side variable tweaking technology)

To say they dropped the ball for not having boobs, lead pipes and not letting you change every single color on every little thing is nit picking. The potential is there. The question is if Splash Damage can and will take the opportunity to pick themselves up and make Brink all it can be NOW.

We shall see.

I've spent days in the forums and watching videos on this game. I was just as informed about it as anyone else. Maybe COD was a poor choice of words (it seems to always set these forums off) but the fact is the shooting elements in this game cannot hold up to any other good shooter on the market. I was really expecting this game to be good enough to replace all other shooters in my life. (at least until it got a sequel), but it just isn't. In the end when I started to see poor reviews pop up on the internet I tired to convince my self that my experiences would be better than that seeing as I usually flip for even bad games that have decent amounts of character customization. For me this game was worse than if it had been truly bad, it's disappointing. It's a decent enough game but the places where its lacking, it's lacking hard and the places where it offers greatness just feel too few and far between. I wasn't expecting it to be exactly like COD I was just expecting it to be addicting the way other online shooters are. Instead I find myself at times having to force my self to keep going once the charms of SMART wears off.
Like I said they are only opinions and I'm well aware that anyone still posting in these forums is most likely an advocate for this game, and I am too. I'm trying to be an advocate for what this game could have been. I like SD and I think the have something amazing on their hands they just need to polish it up and take some notes from other more successful shooters.

"- Enemies take far too many hits before going down. Heavies are the only ones who feel like they take an appropriate amount of damage. Everyone else feels like they take a super human amount of damage." This one part of the OP is just stupid, the players don't have enough health. The fights are ridiculously one dimensional because we're all using high DPS, all purpose automatic weapons while we can't even even straft properly. The movement speed in this game is so ridiculously slow with every opponent dying almost instantly, we can't even really use SMART while shooting and we are forced to use gimmicky and overused ADS to get the maximum amount of damage from out weapons. What floors me is that SMART was one of this game's selling points when we have to be slow while shooting; hip firing svcks. Also, when we inevitably get downed, we either need to wait for a person who close to be a Medic or we choose to respawn with a ten to fifteen second respawn timer and a sure fire [censored] chance of a twenty second walk to get back into the action. Screw balance, that's just not a fun gamelay mechanic (see: knockdowns).

Other than that (and the MW2 comment which has been picked apart by mindless cry baby defenders of a subpar game.), the OP is right. Brink isn't worthy of being a fully priced game because it's basically a work in progress. The story and characters are laughable, customization is ridiculously limited and we're getting a few bland maps that all look the same with [censored] objective game modes for a game that is purely multiplayer.

People are picking at the same things I said they would. Wanting females is not always about having boobs and six appeal. For me its about feeling like the world is more of a real place, a place where due to economic hardships everyone has to fight to protect the quality of life they value. I'm sick of shooters focusing on only masculine combatants. It severely limits the variety of opponents available. They could have had so many more option just by including them. Bust size has nothing to do with it.

As for lead pipes, I can't make everyone like what I would like in a game in the end not having small bludgeoning tools would be no big loss to me as long as It felt like I had a reliable melee move but like I said the melee here just isn't very useful.

also as for color schemes I really don't care if I can change the color scheme, I usually could find one that looked good enough. I can just imagine other people getting upset that their color preferences aren't quite right. I mostly just wanted to point out that I had really been hoping for a lot more clothing options for both sides. With all the hype that had gone up about the customization and what I've become accustomed to from playing endless hours of fallout and oblivion I had hoped for a lot more control over what my character looks like, and being a lot more dedicated to my characters.

I would have been satisfied if it had a campaign mode more akin to cod or battlefield bc2. I'd like an actual story that pulls me in if I'm paying $60 for a game. Multiplayer rocks in Brink but I would have liked a story mode that let me wind down from the feel of multiplayer. But i digress.

Honestly I think you are playing the game with the wrong mindset. Playing it like any other shooter simply makes it fall short (experience from SD's previous games with same gameplay). Try be more of a teamplayer, be a medic and focus on keeping people up. Revive them, heal them and support.
This game can be as addictive as other games (SD's games is still my most played games, both of them.) just in a different manner.

Edit: If you want some melee attacks then start playing with a pistol to get a knife melee attack.
Grenade damage can be enhanced through soldier abilities, but grenades was never designed for being a tool of mass destruction but a crowd control tool and it seems to do it's job well. Do you cook the grenades?

I've been trying to cook them better. I'm sure I could be utilizing them better but I don't like soldier classes so my grenades always feel weak. I've also had issues with grenades that just never go off. I wonder if anyone else has had that issue 0.o I usually don't play as a medic because my friend almost always plays as a medic when we play together, but I'll try it more next time I'm playing single player.

Singleplayer is just downright horrible in my eyes, it's just something thrown in so they could say the that the game has singleplayer too and not just multiplayer.
In short, full human multiplayer is where it is at. That's where the game shines, not against bots.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1188620-an-update-on-brink/

I agree. I'm sure being a PS owner will earn me just that much more contempt around here. I can only play online with my friend on my roommates Xbox, when he is watching movies I am sol. When I play offline I'm pretty much just running around thinking about the things that should have been done to offer a richer single player mode. And when I play online I can't get into it because I end up wanting to play other more satisfying shooters.

Nix, I don't know what sort of problems others have had graphics or lag wise. There have been none to mention for me. I do agree with you on some of your points. It definitely is way too hard to down and kill someone. The realism doesn't exist in this game on that, shooting someone in the head should kill right? Lack of realism holds true with the grenades to 100% agree there. The first time I threw a grenade "Wtf was that!?" I also think that the multiplayer could be expanded to accommodate more people. 8 on 8 has been done since Halo and should by now be 16 on 16 at the very least. The more the merrier is without a doubt true in my opinion. I like the customization options in Brink, Though it would be nice to see a lot of DLC soon on everything including weapons.