Xbox 360 Review: Brutal Legend

Remember the glory days of Metal, where you could just kick back, worship a demon and still know that all was right with the world? The days before Metal became a fad. Back when wearing a skull was a symbol of individuality, pride, and rebellion against the machine, instead of a symbol of how ‘emo’ you were? Well one person remembers those days better than any one else, and his name is Eddie Riggs. You won’t find Eddie stage or hear his voice on a CD or mp3. Nope. Eddie is the man behind the band. He’s the guy who makes sure things get done, no one dies doing it, and that the band performs to the fans never ending adoration. Eddie is the Roadie and star of Brutal Legend. Pull back the magic curtain, and you’ll find another unsung hero, Tim Schafer. He’s the creator of “Brutal Legend” and one of the unsung heroes of gaming.

When the marketing blitz hit the street about a game that made the symbolic world of Metal a reality, many wondered if it was just a gimmick. The only thing that kept that nasty brand at bay was the knowledge that Tim Schafer, the man behind “Psychonauts,” was helming this Brutal creation. Thankfully, “Brutal Legend” is anything but gimmicky, or cliché for that matter. This game is downright fun, amusing and surprisingly filled with an awesome multiplayer real-time strategy (RTS) experience.

You begin “Brutal Legend” as Eddie Riggs, the forgotten Roadie of a band that gives Metal a bad name. When Eddie dies in a stage accident, he wakes up in an Oz like world of Metal. Everything from the instrument-inspired stone landscapes to the character races, scream Metal. For instance, there is one race in the game that is the literal incarnation of Headbangers. They have been imprisoned and forced to bang their heads against the wall at a rock quarry. Luckily when Eddie comes by to rock out a tune on his axe, he gives the Headbangers a chance for freedom through a life of Metal. It’s every kids dream. This fantasy world couldn’t have been better if J.R.R. Tolkien had created it.

One of the best things about this game is the Voice Over by Jack Black. Eddie Riggs is pretty much the digital embodiment of Jack. Each off the wall situation in the game gives Jack a chance to dip into his sarcastic takes on life. When Eddie frees the Headbangers, he declares “No Headbanger Left Behind” to mock the 2001 “No Child Left Behind Act.” You’ll hear Jack throwing in little side jokes from time to time that never seem to get old. He’ll deliver witty remarks when falling to his death or when trying to acclimate himself to the medieval world he finds himself in. But Jack Black isn’t the only real-life person gone digital in “Brutal Legend.” Ozzy Osbourne also shows up as The Guardian of Metal, a weapons and upgrades dealer. Strangely, I actually was actually able to understand Ozzy the whole time. I’m still wondering how they got him to be drug and alcohol free to record his Voice Over.

The graphics are vivid and immediately draw you into this metal world. The characters, like the Headbangers or the ridiculously large and stupid bouncers, are colorfully stylized caricatures of reality. The animations in battle are engrossing. And, by engrossing I mean at times the game is beautifully gross. At the beginning of the game you have the chance to bleep out expletives or choose your gore level. Keep it bloody, and you’ll be in for a bloody-good mess. For instance there are several guitar solos (mini games that require you to press a button sequence correctly to execute) that you can play throughout the game. One solo allows you to melt the faces of your opponents. You also get to queue up favorites like Motorhead while you’re driving around - great fun.

“Brutal Legend” is an open world game filled with endless side missions. Unfortunately, these secondary missions all feel like three or four recycled missions. You’ll still find yourself playing through them in order to raise fire tributes, the games currency to buy upgrades and items from Ozzy. You can also upgrade your car, The Deuce, with different weapons. Luckily, there are enough varied primary missions that are challenging and filled with quirky storytelling.

The best parts of the game are the Stage Battles. These are RTS moments where you build a stage and organize several formations of troops to win fans over. You also build Merch Booths because, heck, fans like their merchandise. Each fan base functions as a control point. The more fans you have the stronger you are. You’re only allowed to create a limited number of troops at a time to do battle. So, gamers will need to strategize where they send which troops. These battles are even better in Multiplayer because you’re playing against real opponents. You can move different battalions of troops to different areas to either attack or defend. These battles can get extremely intense as the tide of fan control continuously shifts.

“Brutal Legend” is easily one of the best RTS games this year. Surprisingly, the game isn’t even designed as a full-blown RTS. It has an extensive action-adventure game too with a fun story. If it weren’t for the fire tributes, secondary missions would be a complete waste of time. Trying to get more points through these missions’ saps the game’s momentum. The multiplayer is definitely an excellent feature, one that any gamer can easily waste away several hours playing without a thought to the single-player campaign.