It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay article! This is the series where we head backward in time to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of some of the most significant moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this May 10 edition of Retro Ad Replay, we’re heading back 10 years to when Brink initially launched on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. That’s May 10, 2011. Developed by Splash Damage and published by Bethesda Softworks, Brink aimed to be an immersive first-person shooter that merged single-player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay into one single experience. The game told the story of the Ark, a floating city that is on the brink of all-out civil war. Players would pick a side and try to end the fight. The parkour system, named “SMART,” was a key highlight, allowing easy traversal of the environment. This includes running along walls.
GameRevolution awarded Brink a 7/10 in our review, praising the “pew pew pe-retty satisfying,” “SMARTly leaps and bounds over terrain,” “classes are balanced,” and “objectives direct the action succinctly.”
Here’s a snippet from the GR review:
BRINK is a first-person shooter with a heavy focus on multiplayer, almost to a fault. The developers behind the game, SPLASH DAMAGE, know multiplayer shooters too, having crafted WOLFENSTEIN: ENEMY TERRITORY, ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS, and a handful of the most amazing multiplayer maps you’ll ever frag on. BRINK’s class warfare and SMART movement system blend together to feel like MIRROR’S EDGE meets TEAM FORTRESS 2.
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Wait, story? You probably noticed I haven’t mentioned it once. There’s a reason TEAM FORTRESS 2 features two teams locked in battle for God-knows-what reason. BRINK’s story bookends the beginning and end of matches but is utterly stupid and a waste of time for me, you, and the developers. If you can tell me the point behind all of it, you’ve probably got some strange autistic genetic defect in you and belong at the Pentagon cracking codes.
Check out the Brink launch trailer below:
