I just have one question, are you ready to not only blow your mind but blow your entire world? This is one of the greatest rock video games out there and you don’t even need an instrument. Some might have pictured themselves jumping into one of those rock album covers with fire trees, corpse mountains and of course hot women in S&M attire. The best part is that the game is played by one of the best Rock Entertainers, Jack Black. So thank the rock gods and plug in for this review of Brutal Legend!
Check out the rest of the review after the jump…
The story is about Eddie Riggs (played by Jack Black) who is an example of a super “Roadie” staying in the shadows and doing what he does best making the band look good, no matter how horrible they are! After a horrible accident you are transported by Ormagöden the fire beast and destroyer of the ancient world to save this world from demon enslavement. Upon landing on this awesome world you begin by laying waste to demonic priest, also hot yet scary looking nuns with your battle axe and your “flying V” guitar which holds electric powers. However the game takes a nice twist when you meet an ally sporting daggers and sharp hotness to boot named Ophelia. Soon enough she gives you the low down and you find yourself by her side taking on Lord Doviculus (voiced by Tim Curry) to save the humans from his rule. The only problem is they are not sure if you are here to save them or bring them to utter doom.
Now being a sandbox game kind of gave me a frown because the endless travel and discovering new areas. The good news is you can summon your “Druid Plow” or “Deuce” at will which can speed up the travel time. An added bonus if you discover you’re first “Metal Forge” I would suggest upgrading the “Deuce” with the radio so you can have the in game soundtrack to customize and switch between some awesome rock hits. The list of music is huge just to name a few bands: Bishop of Hexen, Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, Children of Bodom, Motörhead, and Skid Row. So you have 75 different bands to listen too while dominating the world in Brutal legends and I have to say that is an amazing list of tracks. Same as any sandbox game you have side missions; of course you have the choice to run through them or after you completed the story mode.
The combat system is pretty simple and easy to chain combos together for the ultimate kills. However going back to the “Metal Forge” will unlock special attacks and grabs; also upgrade your weapon from flames to lightening. I recommend the lightening axe upgrade, you will see why when you do because hitting one opponent will chain a lightening attack to any near by foe. Besides having your battle axe, you have your enchanted “V wing” guitar which generates electric strikes or flame attacks. One combo I will give away is hold down the guitar attack to launch the enemy in the air and then start strumming the guitar to electrify the enemy while in the air.
Moving on in terms of combat remember when having a stage battle team work is key. You have to know your squad and what you are going to do with each one of them. The head bangers are a great bunch of kids that form a mosh pit around you that can destroy enemies in one cluster. Your group “Ironheade” is a fierce one if done correctly while maintaining your “Fan Geysers” and calling on your troops to dominate the playing field in hopes to get to the other opponents stage and then LAY WASTE TO IT! Your D-pad gives off commands for the whole group to either charge or attack, regroup, hold positions or defend. However depending on your console you can use one button for example on the X360 “Y” will give you an option to control one particular group to go on their own and attack certain things. To be honest they needed to fine tune that a bit, but when it works it works really well.
The main thing that is discouraging is the multiplayer; here is the thing about the battle system. It works in the single player but has a hard time translating to the multiplayer battle grounds to keep up the interest. Also why can’t Eddie use any attacks in flight mode? That would have been a great touch while trying to fly to other parts of the battle ground to stop enemies before your crew comes to back you up. Or give us a drop ground attack while flying in the air when you land to blast the enemies away from your fan geyser. Suggestion for DLC if not thought of already a nice racing mode would be cool.
My final analysis for Brutal Legend is that it’s a buy, I am definitely with this game because of the fun factor and interesting metal concept that is rarely scene. The game gets my vote to put in your collection to play and rock to for a long time. So ff you are a metal fan or if you just want to have good laughs then pick up Brutal Legend out now for the PS3 and Xbox360. As usual check out other post from my fellow writers’ right here on Bifuteki.com and as always stay frosty gamers!
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