Perhaps one of the most under rated games i have played in a long time brutal legend was a pet project of game designer tim schafer, and it quickly turned into a game the likes of something you have never played before. its bizarre quirky and packed full of unique experiences that will have you playing for hours, if not days. for fans of metal it really feels special, not only does it address newer metal but also old or classic metal with well known characters like ozzy and lemmy playing pivotal rolls in the story. sure the main protagonist is voiced by jack black which for some people is reason enough to snap the disc in half but you would be missing out on a fun packed game.
You play eddie riggs a roadie for the latest in nu metal a band called kabbage boy (more like blink 182) during one of their shows riggs puts his life at risk to save one of them from a fatal accident, after being killed he finds himself transported to a brutal world ruled by demons who are bent on extinguishing the torch of metal music. he is not alone in his fight and he soon recruits troops to aid him in his quest, along the way he makes friends and enemies but his real foe are the legions of bondage loving demons who look like something from a clive barker movie (hellraiser much?) wish to rid the world of music and will kill anyone who gets in their way, now riggs who was used to a life behind the spotlight soon takes centre stage.
The style of game is unique and it advertises itself as a RTS (real time strategy – game) of course it has these elements but not at all like you would expect. you use your powers of rocking out to recruit an army of headbangers that can be used to tear down and destroy demons and those who want to cleanse their mythical world of metal. this is done by selecting what you want to attack, then sending a specific unit over there to get the job done. you can beef up your units by collecting the souls of loyal fans and by playing rocking guitar solo’s that appeal to the metal nature of your recruits. at first i found the RTS parts extremely difficult but once you figure out what unit to send into battle its gets easier – its also helped by the fact that you too can jump in at any time and dish out your own demon pounding powers. the game is about much more than RTS stage battles but you need to perfect the RTS to get ahead.
The world riggs ends up in is unlike anything he ever imagined, as a metal loving guitar playing headbanger it really appeals to his nature and to fans of metal it will too. its open world and its done beautifully, grotesque yes but it feels vivid and alive with uniqueness. the landscape is a mix of forests/frozen valleys/swamplands/jungles and even a sort of tim burtonesque dead world inhabited by all manner of ghouls and demons that i really liked. getting around the world is easy for riggs as he can summon up a deuce car at any time, the car can then be brought to a motor forge where the guardian of metal (ozzy osborne) resides. ozzy offers upgrades to your car and to your guitar, these upgrade can be used to kit you car out with weaponry and the same goes for your guitar. eddie carries a guitar with him which he uses to fight demons, it has many magical powers that result in devastating ways of destruction.
The game certainly lives up to its name it is extremely brutal and doesn’t shy away from violence or gore (though it gives you the choice at the start) but that’s to be expected. what i didn’t expect was a world full of stunt jumps and collectables all of which build up your experience points in the game unlocking new items and powers. using the guitar can at some times resemble guitar hero because the button pressing is very similar but it usually only takes a few seconds. the game also features a fun and intelligent online multiplayer mode that pits player against player, you get to choose what faction you want to be but if that’s not your cup of tea there is also an offline battle mode that serves as great practice.
Being a musically inspired game i did expect some good well known tracks but i was completely blown away by how many tracks feature in the game.. and how good they are! if you are a metal fan the music will seem like the best game soundtrack you ever heard and in a way it is. packed into the cars stereo are over 100 tracks by over 70 different bands, these include the following: black sabbath/judas priest/slayer/motorhead/children of bodom/inflames/marilyn manson/ministry/emperor/megadeth/dimmu borgir.. rob zombie! and much much more. the tracks are some of the bands best work and they perfectly blend into the world of brutal legend. some of the characters seem to be inspired by certain tracks as are some of the levels, “ghost in the fog” by cradle of filth plays during a dark and gothic battle with an evil female foe and yes there is fog. its this perfect blend of music mood and gaming that really makes the game shine and its not a once off either, i found that just when i thought the game couldn’t get any better it did. its not all RTS styled, there are so many collectibles to hunt out, tons of side missions that can easily be started and are all fun.
Not being jack blacks biggest fan is a terrible reason to not play this game, even not liking metal that much is another reason. it does grow on you and after a while you start to admire eddie riggs and what he is doing, he is not as i thought he would be a macho loud mouth demon killing death machine – he is just a guy on a quest and at times will surprise you. the voice acting in the game is fantastic with some of the main characters being voiced by the likes of tim curry/rob halford and lita ford but curry steals the show every time with his role of the demon leader doviculus. brutal legend is a solid playing fun packed and utterly unique experience, if you were considering playing it or are just not sure it would be any good then i’d recommend picking it up.
I love metal and i can tolerate jack black so i assumed everything else about it would be mediocre. what i didn’t expect was a great game that had gone under the radar of most open world fans for so long. there is DLC for the game but with the psn being down i have yet to purchase it. i’m giving brutal legend an 8 out of 10, two marks off for being a little frustrating when the RTS kicks in and not having good enough AI. Brutal legend is brutal and a metal lovers mash up of all things heavy and metal, if your head is not almost always banging up and down and your fingers not in the shape of devil horns then you probably won’t respect what its done but if you are.. prepare to have your world rocked!.
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