Currently sitting at the top of the Steam wishlist chart, you might have played The Finals, an upcoming, multiplayer shooter with lightning pace and a stylized aesthetic. What you probably won’t have played is Brink, a 2011 FPS from Gears of War and Halo co-developer Splash Damage, and Starfield’s own Bethesda. As of this writing, Brink has a grand total of 12 players on Steam – it looks and feels a bit like The Finals, but even when it launched, Brink struggled to attract more attention, or rather, any of the right kind of attention. Nevertheless, the shooter from the team that brought you Fallout and Skyrim has its defenders, including one person who is now on a mission to buy copy after copy of Brink until Bethesda makes a sequel.
Brink was an exciting prospect. In a colorful, quasi post-apocalyptic world, you’d choose from two factions and battle it out using free-running, fast movement, and stylish kill chains. Four character classes, inspirations from Mirror’s Edge, the same id Tech 4 that powered Doom 3, Prey, and the 2009 Wolfenstein – Brink had a lot of FPS game pedigree.
But it might have come at the wrong time. Call of Duty’s grey-brown brand of war shooter was riding high, and Brink’s May 2011 release date was flanked on either side by LA Noire and a little game called Portal 2. Given the reception to The Finals, if you launched Brink now, it might have a better chance. As it stands, the Bethesda-published FPS has sunk into history.
But not for everyone. Writing under the incredibly apt username ‘Brink2,’ one devotee of the erstwhile shooter is on a mission. For over a year, they have been amassing copy upon copy of Brink as part of a solo campaign to incentivize a sequel. It’s not easy. Games cost money, and Brink2’s local game stores only stock copies from time to time. Nevertheless, the mission continues – as of Friday November 10, Brink2 has collected precisely 31 copies of the forgotten shooter.
“So far I just buy them from second hand stores in my area or places I travel to,” the collector says. “People seem quite concerned I’m going to go broke, but the movement knows no fear and I won’t be slowed down by something like money.”
Brink2 also shares some hopes for a sequel. “For the most part, I’d keep the core gameplay. I’d want plenty of progression options for engagement along with lots of customization.
“Unfortunately, that would likely be linked to microtransactions which I suppose helps them call it a success, but I do miss the days of unlocking stuff from playing, and that doesn’t mean battle pass. But yeah, for the core of the game I’d keep it the same. Just add some new options and optimize for the new generation.”
If you want to try Brink for yourself, it’s now completely free on Steam. Overlooked? Underloved? See what you think. Maybe one day we’ll all be playing the sequel.
Alternatively, try some of the other best free Steam games available right now, or perhaps the best multiplayer games on PC.
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