Brutal Legend Review
I have to start this review letting the reader know something… I was completely biased towards this game from the moment I saw the metal setting, Jack Black, Tim Shafer, and panthers that shoot lasers out of their eyes. Now, since that’s out of the way…
Brutal Legend is a story of Eddie Riggs, a roadie for a modern day “metal” band. After an accident at the start of the game, Eddie is transported into a mystical age, where metal influenced everything from clothing to architecture. Within the first few levels, you will experience two of the three core mechanics to Brutal Legend, Driving and Hack `n Slash.
After building “The Druid Plow” (a vehicle which later can be upgraded to best even the Batmobile), you get to spend your first time behind the wheel. It doesn’t control as well as some would like, but it gets the job done. While you’re only able to ram enemies at first (a grisly display of flesh, if you have gore on) you soon get to upgrade The Deuce with cannons, mines, etc.
The Hack `n Slash portions of the game are limited, with only a few combos and weapon upgrades available. Battles normally take place on a large field, where the third tier of Brutal Legend (and what is also the multiplayer portion) take over. “Stage Battles” involve you creating units from your stage, and ordering them to take control of fan geysers around the map. Fans are used as the games resources, and allow you to upgrade your stage, as well as build more units. This mode is genuinely a lot of fun, both offline and online, but some will be taken by surprise when they first try it. It’s not exactly an RTS, but more of a combat / strategy mixture.
The graphics in Brutal Legend look great, from environments to enemies, although there is a case of frame rate issues and pop in that can be attributed to the open world. Tim Schafer really outdid himself with the creativeness of each faction and their units, and while they may serve the same role, no two units look the same. This all carries over to online, where you can control one of three factions, in 1v1 up to 4v4.
The soundtrack in the game is composed of over 100 metal songs, both new and old. For fans of the genre, it will undoubtedly be the best videogame soundtrack ever. The voice acting is also top notch, with Jack Black, Lemmy Killmister (Motorhead), Ozzy Osbourne, and more adding their voices to the game. Each of these characters’ matches their real life persona visually, so you can easily identify them. While the VOs are great, it is frustrating having to listen to the same banter over and over, whether it be when listening to a pre-mission brief, or after killing a demon.
Brutal Legend is an awesome foray into a metal world, and while the singleplayer will only clock in about 9 hours (more if you do side missions / collection), you can still have fun with the online mode, even if the population is dwindling already due to the sheer complexity to it at first glance. To sum up, this game is an extremely enjoyable experience that any metal head, comedy, or game fan should check out.
10 - Presentation: Awesome main menu, solid controls, and a good story to boot.
9.0 - Graphics: Great color palette, awesome enemy design, and good visual effects. Frame rate drops at times, though.
9.3 - Sound: Reused VOs lower the score a bit, but simply put the best soundtrack ever.
8.7 - Gameplay: A little bit of everything. Driving and combat don’t stand out as well as strategy.
8.0 - Longevity: Over rather quickly and online doesn’t look to keep too many enthralled.
- Overall: 9/10
Afterthoughts (no effect on final score): Purchased for $41, and that’s a fair price for the amount of singleplayer in the game. I really wish people would take notice of the online, as it really can be an enjoyable experience. Achievements are well done, except for the obligatory online wins.