After many brutal delays, a seemingly brutal endless time in development, and many brutal fans waiting in anticipation, Brute Force is finally on store shelves. With many hoping for the next best thing to Halo, does Brute Force deliver the goods? Yes, in many ways, and no in a couple, as long as you stop trying to compare this to Halo. The only thing that Brute and Halo have in common is the control scheme, other than that... this isn't Halo or meant to be its brother... more of a second cousin.

You play as the Confederation, 4 members who are very skilled in their own abilities. Each member is unique, with one being a sniper, another and assault trooper, another a scout, and lastly an Alien warrior. Each member is defined as a deadly killing machine and the best their divisions have to offer, together they are sent out to be the saviors and bring piece to the planets.

Visually the game looks very good. The player models are very detailed, each looking different from the next. This is especially true for the main characters. The enemies, while different for each terrain, show only a handful of unique creatures per planet. The backdrops are gorgeous, each also unique to its particular world. The only problem is that over 20 missions, you visit the same worlds multiple times, making the game a little stale towards the game's end. Also, there are no real big boss battles to mention, so the enemy models mostly consist of the same throughout the missions. There are some brilliant special effects displayed, mostly on explosions, and the character's unique abilities. The game is a third person shooter, which is a sad affair, as the game should have an option to switch to 1st as well. The game's design feels like a first person shooter, so the option being omitted is a shame indeed. Throw in solid frame rate, even in split screen, large draw distance, and some great bump mapping on the textures, and Brute Force looks better than average, but far from the equals to the best the system offers.

Brute Force's audio is pretty good, but tend to become quite repetitive once played for 6 to 8 hours. The audio is presented in Dolby 5.1, and uses the effect pretty well. The individual weapons have their own unique sound, and the explosions are done with great bass and impact. Brute Force also displays some pretty good voice acting, especially in the cut scenes. You are even treated to one lines spouted by each group member which appeals to each member's personality. The game's orchestrated score is also decent and serves for some great background fodder. All in all the game's audio is good, but isn't totally new. Brute's pure enjoyment comes in the game's wonderful game play. Played Halo? If the answer is yes, then you know the control layout from the start, with a few exceptions on the special moves and character switching that is. The controls, like Halo are tight, responsive and easy to pick up, play, and master after a few hours. The squad member switching on the fly is reminiscing to other squad tactical shoots, with the d-pad allowing you to change members... provided they are still alive. The enemy A.I. while tough, will never get annoyingly difficult. This is a good thing as there can be as many as 30 guys gunning for you at once. While Brute Force is good alone, just like the members of the Confederation, this game was meant to be for playing with a friend or 3. Co-op in Brute Force is a complete blast, and was really the developers thought on the game's main focus. The downside is there are no vehicles or special gunner weapons to man, so it's a strictly ground attack with the weapons in your hand. Overall the game plays exceptional, and will keep your interest high for quite some time.

With all the focus on Co-op and multiplayer you have to wonder why Xbox Live is only a downloadable content only option. Why leave this out? This is one thing that will turn many fans off and really hurts the lasting appeal. On the plus side, there is split screen multi play, while the resolution drops the more people join in, the feature is still an option. Thankfully you can do the system link option, which means all the Xbox Live fun, with a few of your closest friends... or at least friends 20 feet away. This is the best way to play Brute Force, and if you have the means... I highly recommend it. The game does have 18 missions, some deep, while others not so deep, but all enjoyable. Other levels will become downloadable in the future, which should keep fans happy once the rush dies down. There is also the options to get some death match on, whether it's solo or squad death match the choice is yours and up to 8 players on system link. Many hours of your life will disappear I assure you.

The is much fun to be had by Brute Force, and if you just don't get wrapped up in the hype of hoping for the next Halo, you will have a great time with Brute Force, Xbox live or not.