Brink looks pretty interesting. I work at a GameStop, so I've got a lot of promo materials to look over (mostly so I can pitch the game well to customers). From what I'm reading, the freerunning stuff is tied to what they're calling the SMART button; whatever button it's mapped to, it's how you interact with the environment when you choose. So outside of using that tactic, the action is similar to most other FPS titles. I dig the visual aesthetic I've seen so far, and while it doesn't really appeal to what I look for in the game, what I've heard about how crazy detailed the character customization is I find impressive. The thing that sort of worries me is the big leap they're taking in gametype mechanics. The character you make can be used in single player, co-op, and multiplayer, all adding towards the same experience level (making me think they're probably going towards a MW2/Black Ops thing, where leveling up gets you new weapons/abilities/whatever). Beyond that, though, they're making transitions from one game mode to another completely seamless. I honestly have no idea how it's going to be done, and I feel like it's going to make my head spin. The learning curve there is going to be huge, I think, but if it works, it feels like it could be one of the new staples for future multiplayer FPSs.
I really like Bethesda, and I'm impressed with the previous work Splash Damage has done, so I feel pretty confident about this one.
You got me there.
Funny, because I have absolutely no idea why L.A. Noire should be worth my time or money
The thread's about Brink, so I'll try to be brief here. Rockstar's making LA Noire. Sandbox game in 1947 L.A. where you play as a cop, starting out on traffic detail, working your way up to detective work (homicide, etc). Case work is really, really in-depth; you work it completely start to finish. They're using a brand new type of mo-cap for the game, which creates the difficulty of part of the detective work. This mo-cap is a complete 1:1 transfer of movement; the characters are actually acting. Part of the awesome factor there is the depth of interrogating suspects/witnesses, to the point of having to watch facial features to tell when someone is lying. If I had the money, I'd already have it paid off. Looking forward to it
so hard.