8 Genius Ideas Wasted On Bad Video Games

Brink is one of gaming's all-time great missed opportunities, because dammit, the potential was definitely there.

Released in 2011, this multiplayer-centric first-person shooter was sold almost entirely on the eye-catching appeal of its parkour-infused combat, with players able to sprint around the map, vault onto platforms, and balletically leap back to the ground in fluid motion during shootouts.

This was governed by Brink's Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain System - or SMART for short, which with the press of a single button would attempt to anticipate the player's next move and seamlessly execute it without complex button presses.

And honestly, it was both a neat idea and one that proved pretty damn fun in practise. It's just a shame that Brink's art style, story, and characters didn't amount to a hill of beans, and the community was immediately hobbled by persistent bugs and lag during the launch period.

Given the prevalence of the hero shooter today, Brink can't help but feel a bit ahead of its time, even if it was clearly also too rough around the edges for prime time.