Amazing experience:
Since the storm is calming now that E3 is over, it gives the staff here at the hiphopgamershow a chance to share with our readers, some of our unbelievable experiences. If I had to choose one game that captured my heart at this year’s E3, it will have to be Bethesda software’s newest project called, Brink.
On the road to see Brink:
On Wednesday June 3, I had a 1:00pm scheduled set up with Bethesda to see the first in-game footage of their upcoming first person shooter title Brink. Accompanied by my good friend MattG, we headed over to Bethesda’s booth. When we arrived, we were escorted up the stairs to a small theater room. From there we witnessed one of the best looking games at this year’s E3. Unfortunately they didn’t let us take video coverage of the game, so let me explain what we witness.
Ladies and Gentleman introducing….. Brink:
The story in Brink takes place in the year 2035, on man-made floating city called, The Ark. The rapid rise of the Earth’s oceans has forced The Ark to become a refuge for all man kind. Due to this disaster a conflict between two factions called the Security and the Resistance arose. When the final product is released, the game will allow the player to ply through the campaign mode for both Security and Resistance. CEO of Splash Damage Paul Wedgewood was our host when the demo brink started. The demo begins in abandoned airport, with absolutely no targets to shoot at. This left a perfect window of opportunity to introduce the S.M.A.R.T. system. Mr. Wedgewood explained to the audience that S.M.A.R.T. stands for, Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain. In other first person shooters this would be a sprint mechanic, but in Brink it’s something far more deeper.
For example, in the demo there’s an area in the airport that is guarded by some security lasers, now the player has the choice to point the cursor down and hold down the S.M.A.R.T. button to automatically slide under the lasers or point the cursor up to automatically have the character jump over the unit that contains the lasers. Mr. Wedgewood showed the audience another example, where he wanted to reach a platform on a higher level across the courtyard. He simply held down the S.M.A.R.T. button pointed the cursor up and the character automatically jumped on the ledge to reach the higher platform, easier as pie. But one has to wonder, how will this mechanic will effect the gameplay in the heavier battle sequences. The player will be able to utilize the S.M.A.R.T. button throughout the entire game. The player will be able to flip over tables, jump over guard rails, etc.
The other half of the demo was more action-packed. It contained a battle sequence that took place in an old abandoned dockyard. Mr. Wedgewood chose a security team and their main objective was to secure the area and to prevent the enemy from progressing forward. What was interesting about this section of demo, was how the player could select a mission at any point in time of the game. By accomplishing the mission, the character will gain experience points, yes that’s right Brink will have some RPG elements. For instance one mission that was shown was an interrogation mission behind enemies lines. By selecting this mission a G.P.S. indicator pops up above the screen (arrow) that directs you to your target. After blasting through hordes of enemies, Mr. Wedgewood finally reaches his target. From there he pulls out a device that looks like an iphone (I’m not kidding) that transform into a taser, that sends out crazy amounts of electricity until the enemy talks. After completing the mission successfully, the character gains experience points. From here, the player can choose a new task and move on. Another cool aspect is that multiple people can choose to select the same mission, and these will in turn create other missions for other players.
Brink is beautiful:
Brink’s art style is beautiful. While the style may look similar to Team Fortress 2, it’s definitely more grittier. Graphically Brink was on par with Killzone 2. Brink will be supporting proprietary technology and Virtual texturing that will break new ground on consoles and PCs.
Final comments:
Brink was full of surprises and even though I went into their presentation skeptical Mr. Wedgewood made me a believer. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Edward Stern, Senior designer for Splash Damage.
