Brutal Legend , since its inception, has been one of my most anticipated game of 2009.  I've watched my hopes for it grow and grow with every new piece of media released for it and it was up there alongside Modern Warfare 2 among my "must buys" for this back half of the year. 
That is until I played the demo for it.  Approximately three hours ago, I downloaded the (quite massive actually at 1.6 gb) Brutal Legend demo and am, for the most part, was very underwhelmed by what I experienced.  Now I KNOW all of this is just a demo, so techinically it doesn't represent a final product of any sort, but I feel like the game only succeeded in providing doubts for the scrutinizing eye on the quality of the final product. 
My nitpicks include:  

1.) Janky Framerate:  Even when the game didn't have all that much going on on the screen, the game's framerate took numerous notable dips.  Now, I'm not usually one to complain about framerate or anything, especially when it's only occasional, but this happened quite often, making me wonder if there is something wrong with my save file for the demo or if the game is REALLY just that prone to become a slideshow. 
 
2.) Same Old Same Old:  This is more of a personal gripe than anything.  The thing is, I've already seen this part of the game far too many times.  I blame myself for watching too much game media for Brutal Legend, but I still feel like the folks at Double Fine could have provided us with a fresh slice of the pie instead of just rehashing the same demo they've already done a video on. 
 
3.) Unsatisfying Combat:  From the second I took control, I just felt like something wasn't quite right with the way the combat controls.  I don't think it's an inherently BAD combat system, but I do think it could have stood to handle a little bit more like some other action games, IE less with the lock on system and more with the free changing combat.  Maybe it's because the game is going to need controls like this later (as it is supposedly going to play more like an RTS than an action game) but then that only serves to prove my point that the fucking demo shouldn't have BEEN that part of the game! 
 
So those are my nitpicks.  By no stretch of the imagination does this mean that I've completely written off Brutal Legend, and on the contrary, I still intend to pick it up this holiday season.  However, I've adjusted my expectations and, to my chagrin, I don't feel as if this is a day one purchase any longer.  I look forward to the game proving me  wrong.