"Yesterday I explained why Ars Technica would not be publishing a review of the Brink code we were given, and I still believe that was a good decision. However, the PC review code arrived and we have played for a few hours. This still isn't a standard review, not with the short amount of time played, but we can happily report that the technical issues found in the Xbox 360 version pre-patch are nowhere to be seen.

Brink is part of a growing trend for games that seek to blur the line between single-player and multiplayer. Since Halo 3 extended a lobby system and support for four players across its entire campaign in 2007, and Valve turned a simple survival shooter into the endlessly replayable standard-bearer for co-op gaming a year later with Left 4 Dead, developers have started to question why they needed two methodologies to make one game. Even the conservative heartlands of the Japanese industry have started to explore the idea - see Capcom's Lost Planet 2, out next week.

We speak to Richard Ham, creative director at Brink developer Splash Damage

Multiplayer has become the reason many people invest in a game - is Brink’s ambition to marry single and multiplayer a reaction to this?
Actually, our fusion of single and multiplayer gaming came about for the opposite reason. We think there are still too many players out there who love solo shooter gameplay, but never go online once they’ve finished their single player campaign, and therefore are missing out on some of the best action videogames have to offer.

"A new cinematic Brink trailer by CGI wizards Blur might not be representative of Enemy Territory developer Splash Damage's latest class-based shooter but it is very attractive. Brink is scheduled for a PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release this fall, published by Bethesda. To see the actual game, check out last year's trio of gameplay trailers."