Brute Force

Published by Microsoft Game Studios
Developed by Digital Anvil
Platform: Xbox
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

Brute Force has been a highly anticipated Xbox title. Since it's release in the US it's become one of the best selling Xbox games to date. There could be a few reasons for this. The game has been described as Halo in the third person perspective (and whilst this isn't strictly true it isn't too wide of the mark) but I honestly feel that it's the first game on the Xbox to fully capture the magic of four gamers playing co-operatively.

Whether you play the game on your own or co-operatively, the key to success in Brute Force is to harness and combine the special abilities of each member of your team. Tex, a human male, who is a heavy assault trooper and has a berserker special ability which allows him to fire two weapons at once; Hawk, a female human, who is a scout and has a stealth special ability which makes her virtually invisible; Flint, a human synthetic female, who is a sniper and has an advanced targeting ability and finally there is Brutus, a male Feral, who is a shock trooper and has the Spirit of Vengar (a supernatural ability that allows him to charge his enemies) as his special ability. Their special abilities are all very useful and when used in the correct manner will always get you out of a sticky spot.

The game introduces each character to you one at a time and in doing so enables you to appreciate the abilities of each one. To begin with there's just Tex then you rescue Brutus before acquiring Hawk and Flint. Of course the single-player can only control one character at a time and you can give simple orders (stand ground, move to, fire at will and cover me) to your squad members to help keep them in check. Giving orders is easy; you simply press and hold the d-pad in the relevant position (Tex = up, Hawk = left, Flint = right and Brutus = down) followed by the appropriate button to issue the command. You can also use the d-pad to switch between the characters should you want to control someone else. It's a simple system and it works well without fuss.

Whilst Brute Force is an enjoyable single-player game it's the multiplayer game that is attracting all the attention, and deservedly so. As well as being able to play the single player campaign co-operatively (on one Xbox or via system link, no Xbox Live play is possible although you can download additional content via Xbox Live), you can also play a deathmatch and squad deathmatch game. Whilst the deathmatch games are good, it's the co-operative campaign that really steals the show and it's worth the price of the game just for this feature. If you don't have four gamers it's possible to switch between characters too. Players can even join mid-game which is a very welcome feature should friends make an unexpected visit.

Graphically Brute Force looks excellent. The game's campaign has 18 missions that are spread over 6 different worlds and they all look great. Not only do the controls make the game feel like Halo but the quality of the visuals are also equal in quality to Halo too. The framerate has definitely improved upon Halo though and remains wonderfully smooth throughout the game. The squad members, and the enemies, all animate splendidly and it's particularly impressive to see the way that Brutus manoeuvres himself around. Whilst the enemy AI is quite good, it's pleasing to note that the AI of your squad members is impressive and you never find that any of them have got themselves los,t which is so often the case in a game of this nature.

Brute Force is not as deaf gamer friendly as it could be. The cutscenes are not subtitled and various hints from your teammates are not shown in text. Brutus and Hawk will often remark on the fact that enemies are nearby and this is not shown in text. Thankfully mission objectives are shown in text (and can be recalled) and tutorial messages are shown in text to help introduce you to the game. Your radar will help you out too. Yellow markings signify mission objectives, red ones signify enemies, green signifies allies, and gray signifies neutral characters. Combining the radar with the mission objectives make the game enjoyable but it would be incorrect to say that the game is fully accessible because your squad members provide valuable, verbal, clues which you simply will not get.

If you're looking for a great four-player game, or even a game to fill the void whilst you're waiting for Halo 2, then Brute Force should be on your wish list. The game might be in the third-person perspective but it feels so much like Halo that it feels like a FPS. There are some difficulties for deaf gamers but overall it's a good game that is made great when you play it with friends.

Overall Game Rating: 8.0/10
The first game on the Xbox to really be enjoyable as a four-player game. If you have Xbox Live then you'll also be able to download plenty of additional content.

Deaf Gamers comment:
There are some problems, as mentioned above, but overall it's still an enjoyable experience.