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"Brute Force"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Brute Force'.
Sat 05/07/03 at 22:12
Regular
Posts: 787
I decided it was high time I actually played Brute Force; for it was getting to the point where people were convincing me it was something other than a below par game. So earlier today, I nipped down to the local Blockbuster and picked up a two-night rental for £3.75. Returning home, I sat down and played it for a solid two hours with as open a mind as possible.

Well, lets start with the positives. Aside from a lack of anti-aliasing in places and some repetitive textures, the graphics are fantastic, with smooth animation and great effects. In addition to this, the sound is sharp, with team-mates barking orders at one another among crystal clear explosions and gunfire. All in all, it’s a brilliantly presented game that enhances the playing experience.

Unfortunately, that’s where things start going downhill. The basic premise of each objective is to make your way to a yellow dot on the radar, shooting through waves of enemies boasting varying weapons and appearances. Aswell as these enemies being incredibly stupid – they stay rooted to the spot when attacking and have little idea of what teamwork is – the weapons you can retrieve from them hardly vary in technique, aside from the sniper rifle and grenades.

As you may or may not have guessed, this becomes rather tedious rather quickly, due to the incredibly repetitive nature of the game. The interesting special abilities, and nice feeling when you pull of something particularly impressive do little to salvage the gameplay considering there’s also the frustrating, closed-in landscapes, linear structure and awful camera to take into account.

Whatsmore, despite this primarily being a squad based game, I never felt as though I was part of a team – just someone mindlessly shooting aliens. Four way play cannot rectify this either, with the positive aspect that you can work with your mates counterbalanced by the terrible visibility being multiplied tenfold.

From the praises that have been sung on this site, I was incredibly disappointed with Brute Force. You’d be fair to say that I may have already pre-formed opinions, or cannot judge so harshly on just a two hour play but really; shouldn’t such a great game have bowled me over? I didn’t enjoy this, but it’s not awful – more like average. GamesTM were wrong to give it 4/10 – but only just. Personally, for me, this a 5/10 game; better than the atrocity that was Ghost Recon, but a lot, lot worse than the excellent Conflict: Desert Storm.

[I will play this later tonight for more confirmation or, hopefully, a pleasant surprise. I doubt it though. My mind isn’t completely closed however, so feel free to counter-argue if you wish; this is just my opinion after all, and if you can convince me otherwise, you shall win a cookie]
Mon 07/07/03 at 19:10
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
It's not the PS2 yet! Not by a long way (slide).

And I like Whacked, Fuzion Frenzy and Azurik. All of which are exclusive titles which many have deemed shoddy. You're wrong. They're all good fun.
Mon 07/07/03 at 19:02
Regular
Posts: 13,611
It seems to me, that Microsoft have signed an ever increasing list of shoddy, exclusive titles.
Sun 06/07/03 at 23:58
Regular
"Oi you- sort it out"
Posts: 2,969
If you were expecting a Halo clone or in depth tactical squad shooter- this will disapoint.

As it stands as an arcady fast action shooter with some nice squad inclusions, I think it's hard to fault as long as you accept thats the way it is. I

And you were right, I've played the Xbox C:DS and the AI is very poor, much worse than Brute Force(which I think has good AI). Thats probably why it was such a priority to improve upon for the GC version.
Sun 06/07/03 at 21:09
Regular
Posts: 45
you r right this game is terrible! Halo wanabee!
Sun 06/07/03 at 15:35
Regular
Posts: 13,611
Mantis wrote:
> The camera? Its always behind and you have a clear view of the
> action. The draw distance is also great, so I don't know what your
> gripe is.

Aswell as being far too close to the player, it sometimes seems to take on a mind of it's own which can makes things incredibly frustrating. When you're in a darkened room, for example, with enemies shooting at you from all angles it's amazingly hard to get a good visual on them as the camera darts around your player.

> And 4 player co-op is good, I've tried it and had a blast (except for
> one of my mates who moaned about how rubbish Hawk was). Squad
> Deathmatch is also a good laugh and can be quite stratigic. I'v spent
> 4 hours playing that alone.

Nah, I just didn't like co-op. As I said, as well as my gripes with the single player, the reduced visability is the icing on a very bitter cake. I am yet to try Squad Deathmatch.
Sun 06/07/03 at 15:29
Regular
Posts: 13,611
Mantis wrote:
> Much respect for going out and trying the game, through I don't agree
> on some of your points.

You were right; despite the fact that I still more or less stick to what I initially deducted from GamesTM, it was wrong to base my opinion on one review and some screenshots.

> The AI for one, is really bloody good. In Conflict Desert Storm,
> which you said was excelent, the AI is very dumb, they just run
> directly in front of you and shoot. They never use the environment to
> their advantage or work in teams to take you down. Brute Force has
> great AI, especially your computer controlled team mates who are very
> competent and can hold their own.

Bad example on my part, I'm afraid. I've played Conflict: Desert Storm on GameCube (I presume you're a Microsoft man), and that version is alledgedly far better than the PS2 and Xbox ones. The criticisms you have made are clearly not apparent in the updated game, proving that the improvements are not just on a graphical level. But still, I can't imagine the more primative versions being that much worse.

I hated the enemy AI in Brute Force. When shooting, none of them move - turning them into sitting ducks ready to be picked off by a simple aiming and strafing technique. The fact that NPC members of your team quite frequently have a tendency to get stuck behind scenery aswell as this worsens the issue.

> I agree witht the liner aspect of the levels, but I don't really see
> that as a drawback, just part of the game which is fine.

You're completely closed in. There's one direct route, and very little margin for different techniques - you could try using stealth, but in the end, it turns into a complete bloodbath anyway. Frantic shooting in a tight area; that basically sums up the entire game.

> I think its good fun, but I still don't know where GamesTM got 4 out
> of ten from. I'd give it an 8, its enjoyable and was better than I
> expected.

I can see where they're coming from quite clearly now. I have no idea why anyone would give this higher than a six, but you seem to really enjoy it. All I can say is good for you :).
Sun 06/07/03 at 01:23
Regular
Posts: 21,800
Mantis wrote:
They never use the environment to
> their advantage or work in teams to take you down.

They do in the Cube version, but then it did have a lot of AI upgrades.
Sun 06/07/03 at 00:01
Regular
"Oi you- sort it out"
Posts: 2,969
Other point you said which baffled me.

The camera? Its always behind and you have a clear view of the action. The draw distance is also great, so I don't know what your gripe is.

And 4 player co-op is good, I've tried it and had a blast (except for one of my mates who moaned about how rubbish Hawk was). Squad Deathmatch is also a good laugh and can be quite stratigic. I'v spent 4 hours playing that alone.
Sat 05/07/03 at 23:55
Regular
"Oi you- sort it out"
Posts: 2,969
Much respect for going out and trying the game, through I don't agree on some of your points.

The AI for one, is really bloody good. In Conflict Desert Storm, which you said was excelent, the AI is very dumb, they just run directly in front of you and shoot. They never use the environment to their advantage or work in teams to take you down. Brute Force has great AI, especially your computer controlled team mates who are very competent and can hold their own.

I agree witht the liner aspect of the levels, but I don't really see that as a drawback, just part of the game which is fine.

I think its good fun, but I still don't know where GamesTM got 4 out of ten from. I'd give it an 8, its enjoyable and was better than I expected.
Sat 05/07/03 at 22:12
Regular
Posts: 13,611
I decided it was high time I actually played Brute Force; for it was getting to the point where people were convincing me it was something other than a below par game. So earlier today, I nipped down to the local Blockbuster and picked up a two-night rental for £3.75. Returning home, I sat down and played it for a solid two hours with as open a mind as possible.

Well, lets start with the positives. Aside from a lack of anti-aliasing in places and some repetitive textures, the graphics are fantastic, with smooth animation and great effects. In addition to this, the sound is sharp, with team-mates barking orders at one another among crystal clear explosions and gunfire. All in all, it’s a brilliantly presented game that enhances the playing experience.

Unfortunately, that’s where things start going downhill. The basic premise of each objective is to make your way to a yellow dot on the radar, shooting through waves of enemies boasting varying weapons and appearances. Aswell as these enemies being incredibly stupid – they stay rooted to the spot when attacking and have little idea of what teamwork is – the weapons you can retrieve from them hardly vary in technique, aside from the sniper rifle and grenades.

As you may or may not have guessed, this becomes rather tedious rather quickly, due to the incredibly repetitive nature of the game. The interesting special abilities, and nice feeling when you pull of something particularly impressive do little to salvage the gameplay considering there’s also the frustrating, closed-in landscapes, linear structure and awful camera to take into account.

Whatsmore, despite this primarily being a squad based game, I never felt as though I was part of a team – just someone mindlessly shooting aliens. Four way play cannot rectify this either, with the positive aspect that you can work with your mates counterbalanced by the terrible visibility being multiplied tenfold.

From the praises that have been sung on this site, I was incredibly disappointed with Brute Force. You’d be fair to say that I may have already pre-formed opinions, or cannot judge so harshly on just a two hour play but really; shouldn’t such a great game have bowled me over? I didn’t enjoy this, but it’s not awful – more like average. GamesTM were wrong to give it 4/10 – but only just. Personally, for me, this a 5/10 game; better than the atrocity that was Ghost Recon, but a lot, lot worse than the excellent Conflict: Desert Storm.

[I will play this later tonight for more confirmation or, hopefully, a pleasant surprise. I doubt it though. My mind isn’t completely closed however, so feel free to counter-argue if you wish; this is just my opinion after all, and if you can convince me otherwise, you shall win a cookie]

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