For some reason Brutal Legend became one of the most anticipated games of the year.  I was eager to play it, as I had been hearing about it since the E3 convention earlier in the year.  I thought it was creative that Jack Black was playing the main character Eddie Riggs and that the game revolved around the music of Metal.  Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, Lemmy Kilmister, Rob Halford and Tim Curry also leant there likeness and voices to this game which made it even more incredible.  The demo was excellent so of course I purchased the game and it was beaten in its entirety.

The game starts off with Eddie being a roadie for an emo band that refers to themselves as a “metal band”.  He hates his job and refers to metal music being dead.   A quick series of events brings Eddie into a fantasy metal world that is completely open for you to roam about as you wish.  He has three weapons to use throughout the game; his guitar Celementine, an axe called the Seperator and his hot rod car named The Deuce.  Each has the ability to be upgraded throughout the game by visiting the Guardian of Metal (Ozzy Osbourne).  Upgrades simply make each weapon stronger or allow you to add guns to your car.

Once Eddie enters this fantasy metal world he comes across Ophelia (his main love interest throughout the game) and begins an epic story with her and a slew of other characters.  The main point of the game is to help Ophelia and the others, defeat the Emperor Doviculus, thus saving the land and it’s people.  It’s a fairly typical storyline, however with Jack Black lending his voice and likeness, the story takes on a life of its own.  It’s funny, creative and visually stunning.

I don’t want to give away the plot, but I will touch on the game play itself.  The controls for weapons and driving are extremely easy.  You are reminded throughout the game how to complete tasks (press the Y button, etc.).   Throughout the game you will be unlocking certain “Solos” to play on your guitar that each do a different task (one summons your car no matter where you are).  There are also mini-activities you can complete that will give you extra health, etc.  These don’t disappoint, but get rather repetitive.  One of them is hunting, you have to kill a certain amount of one of the creatures on the land.  Once you kill them all, you get to summon those creatures at any time and they fight for you (or you can ride them, which is friggin awesome).

There are also a few other elements of the game that do not have to be completed but are good if you do.  Much like the Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row series, there are car jumps and hidden items located all around the land.  When you find them you get rewarded.  ***HINT:  I suggest you try to find as many of the Baby Dragon Ball Gag Statues and Complete as many Side Missions as you possibly can while going through the game***

The game visually isn’t like your Assassins Creed or Call of Duty video games.  It isn’t built to look realistic, however the design of the land and creatures is visually stunning.  It is an extremely artistic game and you will not be disappointed by what you see.

Now for the bad stuff:

Throughout the game you will be forced into about 6 “stage battles”.  You will erect a stage and fight against another stage for “fans”.  It sounds a little weird because it is.  During this gameplay you have to control your armies of headbangers, rock crushers, etc.  It has sort of a Command and Conquer feel to it, as you literally have to control where your people are and what they are doing.  I did not like this aspect to the game at all.  It almost makes this game unplayable. However, once you get a grasp of how the battles go, it makes it a lot more tolerable.  There is a strategy behind controlling your armies, once you figure it out you will golden.  ***HINT:  Keep in mind that the battles shouldn’t last forever.  They should only take about 10-15 minutes to complete, so if they are taking longer than 10 minutes, you are missing something.  Pay attention to what Eddie says to do***

The battles are literally the only part of this game that sucks.  Some of the side missions are quirky but none of it is extremely hard.  Some of the creatures are difficult to kill, but don’t worry, you pretty much can live forever in this game.  The battles get easier if you finish the side missions and find the baby dragon ball gags.  You can locate all of them by putting up the achievement map here.

The game took about 10 hours to complete, it takes longer if you end up trying to find all of the extra stuff.

Overall, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys an epic adventure.  Jack Black is funny and the characters are excellent.  I really enjoyed the storyline and the ability to roam the open land.   It’s not supposed to be the greatest game in the world, but it definitely is one of the most fun.  The multiplayer isn’t really worth mentioning.  I guarantee you will love metal music after playing this game, as the entire soundtrack is metal and sucks you in.

Also FYI, the game is exactly the same on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Happy Game Playing!

If you have a game you’d like for me to try, please let me know!  Contact me!

Jamie