Brutal Legend

A Collaborative Effort From Mnofdichotomy and Brad O’Neill

Ok I’ll admit it; I was skeptical.  In fact, skeptical isn’t even a strong enough word.  I was absolutely convinced I was going to hate this game.  It appears, on the surface, to be aimed directly at 14 year olds.  And it is;  what this game does is remind you just how much f*cking fun being 14 years old was at times.  Damned if this wasn’t a couple of the most entertaining video game playing hours I have ever spent.  Good god is this game a blast…  A car that kicks ass, Ozzy, an army of headbangers, flying, demons… in an era where so many games just take themselves far too seriously, here’s a flashback. 

I know what you’re thinking… I thought the same thing.  “Cheesy games like this are always done half assed.” It isn’t. Not only did they do it right,  but they did it better than could be expected.  Maybe the fighting isn’t as smooth as a really top tier hack and slash, but the story and the visuals take is so far beyond your typical smash and collect game that I can forgive them for not being perfect.  I loved the car…. What could possibly be more fun than a souped up hot rod loaded with weapons that basically only dies when you take it off a cliff? ( and this will happen when you start to get cocky.)  

The one knock on this game is duration;  It only took me 12 hours, and a hardcore gamer could probably do it in 8-10.  In it’s defense, it does have multiplayer mode,  and it is entertaining enough that you may want to go through it repeatedly with your buddies. 

What may be the game’s biggest draw, though, is the soundtrack.  Simple as this;  if you are a fan of metal music, the list is unparalleled in the gaming world.  There are epics and classics: Sabbath, Accept, Def Leppard, and Judas Priest amongst them.  New Metal?  How about Cradle of Filth, In Flames,  and Rob Zombie?  Prefer hardcore metal?  Slayer and Deathklok got ya covered.  There are even industrial bands here!  Ministry!  KMFDM!  The list just goes on…  Anthrax, Static X, Dragonforce… the metal just doesn’t stop.

I found it interesting that the game was already in production before  Jack Black got involved.  The title character fits him so well I  just assumed he was part of it from the beginning; but apparently the designer (Tim Shafer) had the idea for this game 15 years ago and began work on it before they even completed his last game, Psychonauts.

If this game isn’t already on your Christmas list for either the metal head or gamer, put it there, especially if they’re both.  You will be blown away by the depth in a game that easily could have sold just as many copies if it had been done by a lesser design team.  If you love games  that care more about making great games that will please their core audience while still being above average and great fun for everyone else, or miss the days when games kicked ass simply for the sake of doing so,  this is a game is a must have.