We're promised real online team-play as we take on Brink

When we first saw Brink back at GamesCom 09, there was a definite feel that this was no ordinary FPS. Like some kind of cross between Mirror's Edge and Killzone, and with plenty of personality and customization to boot, this was one that had a firm spot on our gaming radar.

Under or over, it's your decision

Just over a year on from that first look, and Brink is looking even more tasty. The SMART control system (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain - how long do you reckon it took them to come up with that one?) works wonderfully, allowing casual players to get around easily, while supplying more hardcore players with the necessary tools to get in and get out post-haste. What really had us gushing, however, was Splash Damage's take on team-play. Brink doesn't just give the option to play as a team - it really demands your stick together and serve your cause, then rewards you well for doing so.

But first - the SMART system. With a single button held down, players can then run at an edge, wall or rail, and their character will make light work of it, navigating any obstacle with ease. Depending on where you look as you reach your destination, your soldier will head in your preferred direction. Look up, and he'll vault over that rail as if it wasn't even there. Focus your view downwards, and he'll go into a slide, leaving the rail in the dust.



And those slides - wow. At any time you can drop to the ground and slide along the floor, guns blazing. Your accuracy takes a severe hit, but it feels seriously cool. That's the essence of Brink in a nutshell, really - everything feels so effortless and cool, and you'll be diving off walls and sliding under obstacles as a means of showing off to other players.

We had a hands-on with the multiplayer, and came away very impressed by how Brink handles team-play. Many online team games claim to force you to work with your team-mates, but you still see plenty of players going commando and forging a one-man army path with no regard for the rest of the team. Splash Damage has realised how to make players behave and work in a team as they are meant to - simply throw tons of XP around for the best team-players. Killing enemies gets you a decent amount of experience, but completing tasks and assisting your team is where the real points can be earned.

Deciding which class to be is very important too. There are four classes in total - Soldier, Medic, Operatives and Engineer - and each has their own purpose on the battlefield. Soldiers are your frontlines blasters, giving covering fire to the rest of the team, supplying team-mates with extra ammo and clearing the way for escort missions. Medics hand out health packs, and rush onto the battlefield to help downed comrades back to their feet.
 

Teamplay will be a huge part of this experience

The Operative can interrogate downed enemies, learning the positions of nearby enemy weapons caches, and then disguise himself as one of the enemy and infiltrate. The Engineer is there to disarm bombs, deal with various bots and buff his team-mates up for the battle. It may sound like only a small selection, but this makes each class far more focused and compact. Each class is there for a purpose, and you'll most likely find yourself switching tactics and classes, rather than sticking with one favourite class as you might in other team-based titles.

Along with a class, your character also needs a type - the part that determines how fast you move, and how much damage you can take. It's your classic balancing act between health and speed. The Heavy has more health, but moves very slowly and can't take much advantage of the SMART system. Your Agile type goes down in only a few hits, but is seriously speedy and can use the SMART functionality to reach areas that other types cannot. Then there's your middle of the road Normal type, with average speed and health. The most interesting part of all this is that the Agile characters will have far more luck when trying to retreat from a Heavy, but a serious problem with actually killing the guy. Hence, you'll most likely find that the players looking to rack up the XP from objectives will go for the Agile type.

So how does Brink differ from your average team-based shooter? When you take all the different classes into account, and the XP earned from objectives, suddenly every type of player has a role in the game. You know how much you HATE those people who camp and sniper from a distance in other shooters? Those guys will now have objectives that suit their gameplay style, be it holding back and taking positions on different parts of the map, or providing covering fire on a convoy mission. And what about the guys who build sentry guns, then sit around with it for the rest of the mission? Now those guys will earn XP from running around sorting machinery and the like for their team, and hence be useful while still having fun.

What it all means is that there is a gameplay type for everyone in Brink. If you're the rushing type of player, that's great - grab the Soldier and let's do this. If you like to hang back, that's fine too - the Medic and Engineer position is yours. Looking for something a little different and tense? You're an Operative now! Whatever you choose to be, it's a simple case of bringing up the objective menu, choosing a mission that works with how you want to play the game, and getting your XP.
 

Looks painful, but don't worry, he'll respawn again soon!

We were already looking forward to Brink, but now we've drawn a big circle around in on the Strategy Informer calendar and coloured in loads of little stars next to it. This may well be the multiplayer team shooter that breaks the barrier between teamplay and real teamplay. Brink will be dropping sometime early next year on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

Most Anticipated Feature: Using the Agile type to leap and swing into areas that other players cannot.