Wed 24 Aug 2011
Playstation
Brutal Legend - Review
What I did like about this game was the creative and original atmosphere and world, complete with all the metal clichés and idioms that one would expect to find in a game that has marketed itself on the fact that it is one of the few games out there that is actually based on a musical genre, albeit a genre that has risen in popularity again over the last decade, heavy metal.
So what did this game do right? Despite the fact that the RTS concept feels forced, I did feel it worked. Its presentation was sleek and felt very refreshing. I loved the way the developers incorporate items like magic guitar strings and axe (Guitar) enhancements into the game.
But no doubt the best part about Brutal legends was the voice acting which was done by none other than Jack Black, if you`re a fan Heavy Metal and I would think you are if you`re looking up the review on this game, this will have the greatest soundtrack ever made for any game.....if you’re a fan of metal genre.
The gameplay is mediocre at best. The combat system feels unfurnished and sluggish, not particularly well implemented, it just didn’t really do a good job of engaging me the way other games of its kind do. Even play as Eddie, a heavy metal character who shoots lightning bolts everywhere is stale, boring and extremely linear, I mean Nintendo linear.
But in all fairness, Brutal Legends isn’t a game that takes itself seriously and it really isn’t meant to be taken seriously. This is a game that’s ultimately built around Jack Black, whose become somewhat of a character actor known for his love of metal. This game is meant to be humorous, lightweight, somewhat of a parody. It’s not intended to be a game for the hardcore gamer whose looking for a world in which to invest himself.
The game mechanics are not perfect, but overall I found the environment and level design to be very engaging, the voice acting of Jack Black also helped to reel me into the story. What’s cool about Brutal Legends is it starts as an action adventure game where you are one axe wielding menace vs. everything to being a RTS game with large scale battles in which you eventually command large forces of your making.
Yes, the plot does become predictable, but again this isn’t a game that’s meant to be over analyzed, even a game critic has to have some perspective. I will say the developers attempt to half way through the game change the game into an RTS felt like one day Jack Black decided to bring a bong to the office and amidst the haze they discovered an “ingenious” idea. It just didn’t work in practice.
The bottom line is while this isn’t the greatest game in the world, this game was never intended to be the next Halo itself. It certainly is the greatest game out there that pays direct homage to the sub culture of metal. People will buy it just because it has the voice acting of Jack Black and is a game that deals with the music subculture.
The game is a fun and decent game overall, if you’re a metal head its worthy trying it out.
Rating – 78%
Pros:
Features the voice acting of Jack Black
Perhaps the only game of its kind currently on the market
Cons:
Very tedious Hack and Slash combat
Tries too hard to stuff RPG elements into what feels like an action game
So what did this game do right? Despite the fact that the RTS concept feels forced, I did feel it worked. Its presentation was sleek and felt very refreshing. I loved the way the developers incorporate items like magic guitar strings and axe (Guitar) enhancements into the game.
But no doubt the best part about Brutal legends was the voice acting which was done by none other than Jack Black, if you`re a fan Heavy Metal and I would think you are if you`re looking up the review on this game, this will have the greatest soundtrack ever made for any game.....if you’re a fan of metal genre.
The gameplay is mediocre at best. The combat system feels unfurnished and sluggish, not particularly well implemented, it just didn’t really do a good job of engaging me the way other games of its kind do. Even play as Eddie, a heavy metal character who shoots lightning bolts everywhere is stale, boring and extremely linear, I mean Nintendo linear.
But in all fairness, Brutal Legends isn’t a game that takes itself seriously and it really isn’t meant to be taken seriously. This is a game that’s ultimately built around Jack Black, whose become somewhat of a character actor known for his love of metal. This game is meant to be humorous, lightweight, somewhat of a parody. It’s not intended to be a game for the hardcore gamer whose looking for a world in which to invest himself.
The game mechanics are not perfect, but overall I found the environment and level design to be very engaging, the voice acting of Jack Black also helped to reel me into the story. What’s cool about Brutal Legends is it starts as an action adventure game where you are one axe wielding menace vs. everything to being a RTS game with large scale battles in which you eventually command large forces of your making.
Yes, the plot does become predictable, but again this isn’t a game that’s meant to be over analyzed, even a game critic has to have some perspective. I will say the developers attempt to half way through the game change the game into an RTS felt like one day Jack Black decided to bring a bong to the office and amidst the haze they discovered an “ingenious” idea. It just didn’t work in practice.
The bottom line is while this isn’t the greatest game in the world, this game was never intended to be the next Halo itself. It certainly is the greatest game out there that pays direct homage to the sub culture of metal. People will buy it just because it has the voice acting of Jack Black and is a game that deals with the music subculture.
The game is a fun and decent game overall, if you’re a metal head its worthy trying it out.
Rating – 78%
Pros:
Features the voice acting of Jack Black
Perhaps the only game of its kind currently on the market
Cons:
Very tedious Hack and Slash combat
Tries too hard to stuff RPG elements into what feels like an action game
