I'd say that the braking plan-of-action if you know you're going to exceed brake energy limits is rather type dependent. One type I was involved with a long time ago had no nosewheel steering, so a big concern if landing above brake limits was keeping enough brake efficiency to keep the aircraft straight once the rudder lost effectiveness. So I'd say if you have no NWS (either by design, MEL or due to failure) and have a Xwind you might have to try to keep some brakes to at least go off the end, not the side, of the runway.
if you do have NWS it would seem to make sense to use as much of the brakes as you can, but it still makes sense to delay if you can to maximise your aerodynamic braking contribution.
And I agree, with new brakes you're better off; but in today's economy, who thinks brakes aren't replaced at the last minute ....