Brutal Legend is the long awaited game from developer Tim Schafer. While most people will have no idea who Schafer is, he is best known for his psychedelic humorous games ‘Full throttle’ and ‘Psychonauts’.  Brutal Legend not only features the imaginary design work of Schafer, but the main character is voiced by none other than comic wildman Jack Black.  If there are two things that this game promises to deliver, they are originality and fun. While the visual style may look like something the Pixar artists came up with after an acid trip, don’t let the cartoony visuals fool you. This game is neck deep in profanity, gory violence, and a raging metal soundtrack.  The real question is: Is this game any good? We’re about to find out.

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are awesome. while they may not feature the texture detail and grittiness of some of the more visually arresting games this generation, they are definitely beautiful. The backgrounds are insane, as if dreamworks decided to create a cartoon version of Salvador Dali’s works.  The character models also look awesome. All of the characters look and move very smoothly without any rough edges. The art style of the characters is a bit reminiscent of  “The Boondocks” or the animation found in the Guitar Hero series. The bottom line is that everything looks great and its easy to become immersed in this fantasy world based solely on graphics alone.

STORY (8/10)

The single player experience is rather short. The story is actually quite good, with a few twists along the way. In a nutshell, you assume the role of Eddie Riggs, a roadie for a rock/pop/metal band. In the middle of one of their concerts, the monter on Eddie’s pendant awakes and kills all the band members. eddie himself is then transported to an alternate Rock universe in which everything looks like it was plucked straight from an album cover. He finds himself caught up in the midst of a civil was between ‘real’ rockers against every other incarnation of metal heads (glam rock, hair rock, emo rock, they’re all here).  What ensues is an original journey that takes you from one end of this surreal rock world to the other.  The game is often times hilarious as they poke fun at just about every type of rock except for the hardcore.

GAMEPLAY (7/10)

The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag in this game. For those of you who have played the demo, let me just say that the final game is not much like the demo at all. The demo featured a combination of driving and hack and slash gameplay that seemed to have a nice flow to it all, in addition to some pretty slick visuals. The demo takes place in the very beginning of the game. As you progress, you meet different kinds of rockers: headbangers, rocker chicks, biker dudes, etc. Each group has different strengths and weaknesses. You wind up not only controlling the main character, Eddie Riggs, but also controlling the different groups of rockers you will come upon. The result is a combination of hack and slash gameplay mixed with some simple Real time Strategy (RTS) elements.

While the groups of rockers are pretty cool and very funny at times, this style of gameplay got old to me pretty fast. You are commanding these groups to either stay and defend or go forward and attack. At the same time, you are battling the same baddies that the squads are going against. Not only do you have to fight your way through the enemies, at the same time you ahve to instruct the various squads on what they need to do in order to be successful. I am not a fan of RTS games at all. To be quite honest, I felt this was an amazing game up until the point where the RTS elements became more and more forced upon you.   While the RTS elements seem to work fairly well, I just don’t like those types of games and I had no idea this type of gameplay comprised so much of Brutal Legend.

SOUND (8/10)

The sound for this game is excellent. Jack Black offers some of the best voice acting seen in a long time. Its refreshing to see such a big celebrity lend his voice and likeness to a project like this.   Every yell, wisecrack, and scream by Black all serve to bring the character of Eddie to life.  The sound effects are great also, as every collision, crash, and guitar riff really seem to stand out with crisp detail. Another huge sound bonus is the killer soundtrack. While I wasn’t familiar with some of the songgs on the soundtrack, I found myself humming them after nearly every play session. Black definitely knows what rocks and what doesn’t, and you can be assured that only the choicest rock cuts have made the soundtrack list.

REPLYABILITY (7/10)

The single player campaing is very short. Once you are done with it, there is not much incentive to go back and playthrough, unless you really enjoyed it the first time around. The multiplayer is comprised mainly of RTS gameplay, with you pitting armies of rockers against another. While I’m sure there are people out there who will dig this game, there will be an equal number who will hate this game due to the inclusion of RTS elements. I played through the game once, and afterward I had no desire to try it again right away. The multiplayer portion doesnt get much love from me either, as I really can’t get into RTS games, no matter how well made they are. 

OVERALL (8/10)

While I don’t care for the RTS elements, even though they are a huge part of this game, I can certainly appreciate the level of polish and creativity that went into this title. If there is one thing to be said about this game, it is definitely a unique experience. Fans of Jack Black, or just metal in general, will find somthing to gravitate to with this game. The RTS elements are handled perfectly, and while I dont care for the genre, I must admit that the controls they have implemented are very smooth and responsive. With the X-mas gaming season upon us, I can think of a number of other games that offfer a more engaging experience. However, I can’t think of one that is as freash and original as this one.  For those looking to try something new, this may be the game for you.