Brütal Legend

[Arcade]

Anyone has been able to play it?

[Senbei]

I don't think I've ever seen you make a topic, and the post is mostly coherent! Way to go.

It's pretty fun, but not as good as Psychonauts. Where the theme of each level in Psychonauts was the person's mental state, the theme of Brutal Legend is heavy metal, which I don't have much interest in. If I was more educated in the history and intricacies of the genre, I might better appreciate the many allusions and the cameos by famous musicians -- I can pretty much just name Ozzy -- but I can appreciate how much love Double Fine seems to have for the source material. In particular, I love how the landscape looks like the crazy fantastical art that graces heavy metal album covers: the sky grows dark with black clouds spewing thunder, then transforms into a collection of black and red maelstroms; giant metal trees grow chrome exhaust pipes for foliage; and roaming the deep green jungles are panthers that shoot laser beams from their eyes.

That said, the game concept doesn't hold a candle to Psychonauts because Psychonauts was a purely original idea with lots of variety for levels. Brutal Legend's variety consist of different types of metal. I guess it's kind of unfair to compare the two games because they're so different. My point is that no one should approach this game expecting another Psychonauts.

Gameplay is tricky because the game tries to be five different games at once. It begins as a hack'n'slash, adds some off-road racing, changes combat from solo to squad-based, introduces mini-games (each with their own rules), then throws you into an RTS campaign. It's bewildering and annoying to have to relearn how to play at the beginning of every mission, but once you get used to the new rules it becomes fun again.

It also delivers on the trademark Tim Schafer humor, though the part I'm at around the middle of the game feels a little melodramatic. I'm not really in either the pro- or anti-Jack Black crowd, but my opinion is that he has a presence without being overwhelming. It's not a Jack Black game, it's a Tim Schafer game, says so on the box.

Definitely worth the purchase if you're on the fence about it. Even if you don't like the theme of heavy metal, it's still a fun and inventive game with a good sense of humor.

[Delphine]

I don't think I've ever seen you make a topic, and the post is mostly coherent!

Anyone has been able to play it?

...

No, I haven't played it yet -- I haven't played ANYTHING recently, moving across the country takes up a lot of time -- but my roommate works at GameStop, so we're going to borrow it at some point.

[Senbei]

I don't think I've ever seen you make a topic, and the post is mostly coherent!

Plus he gets points for the accent marks in the thread title.

[Opa-Opa]

I played the demo and found it most entertaining. The dialogues are great, as usual with Tim Schafer, and it's greaqt to see him back with something Full Throttle-ish. Jack Black is fun and fits like a glove. Definetly not one of those parts where you think "Maybe Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be better there.". Still trying to buy it for a fair price.

[Green Gibbon!]

I actually really liked the demo despite similar apprehensions - I have no interest whatsoever in the theme or the hack & slash genre, but the game managed to make me like it nonetheless. They very clearly cared about what they were doing.

[G.Silver]

Mine still hasn't arrived yet but I bought it specifically for the Metal Fantasy environment, and I don't even really like or know anything about Metal. Since I'm making a fantasy comic and have been reading all these Sword & Sorcery books (Fritz Leiber, Robert Howard) an alternate take on that kind of fantasy just seems really relevant to me. The thing that I really get a kick out of is that this is a game that is apparently so Western in its concept that they aren't releasing it in Japan (and yet it's completely unlike any other distinctly western game, ie western RPGs, FPS genre in general, etc). The shoe's on the other foot now!

[Xyton]

I actually heard this from a couple places but Gabe from Penny Arcade sums it up pretty well:

-I also picked up Brutal Legend. The game is funny but not especially fun in my opinion. I bought it based on the demo which I loved, but it quickly morphs into about three different types of game and I didn't really like any of them.

I plan to rent it; I doubt I'll get more than one playthrough out of it.

[M.C.Dillinger]

Am I the only person who likes running over people/animals with the hot Rod?

[gr4yJ4Y]

Am I the only person who likes running over people/animals with the hot Rod?

No.

I'm not particularly into metal and yet this game seems oh so appealing to me. Like G.Silver said the unique environment and theme have still been able to catch my attention on their own, regardless of the gameplay. When I played the demo I liked it quite a bit.

The thing that I really get a kick out of is that this is a game that is apparently so Western in its concept that they aren't releasing it in Japan (and yet it's completely unlike any other distinctly western game, ie western RPGs, FPS genre in general, etc). The shoe's on the other foot now!

I'm sure there's a niche group of Japanese who are really into Western culture discussing the obscurity of it and drooling over it just because it's slightly further out of arm's reach than a homeland release. I wonder how many other games there have been like this, getting a lot of hype in the West, but not released in Japan.

[Senbei]

Am I the only person who likes running over people/animals with the hot Rod?

This is a silly question, I think.

[Kogen]

I think the main character should have been a metrosexual and the music should have been J-Pop.

[Zeta]

I'd play it.

[Arcade]

Senbei this game was not suposed to be Psychonauts 2, now, next year I am going to get the small playstacion 3 whatsitsname, and this game is top on my list...