"Decapatation!!!"

 Brutal Legend is the latest game from Tim Schaffer, the man whose body of work is well known and revered by game enthusiasts and journalists alike. Like many of Schaffer’s previous games, Brutal Legend is truly a labor of love. The game itself has been over four years in the making, and is the first game by Mr. Schaffer to be released on the next-gen consoles. Brutal Legend tells a grand tale of mayhem and metal; of love, loss and loud music. The game itself is an amazing ride, even if there are a few speed bumps along the way.

From the opening cinematic and menu screen, I was instantly hooked into what the rest of the game had in store for me. The humor and dialogue throughout the game is done very well, with a great performance from Jack Black as Eddie Riggs, as well as many appearances from metal legends and diehard metal fans.  All through this epic tale, Schaffer’s great writing and comedic timing truly shined.  It is what made the game such an amazing experience. Sadly the actual game play for me was at times almost a burden. Although the game has been shown and marketed as an action game, the game as a whole had many different mechanics. Each mechanic was interesting to try, but I believe none were executed very well. There are secondary missions such as races and sneak attacks that will become very repetitive and uninteresting. The big surprise for me throughout the game was the “stage battles”, a RTS (real time strategy) battle of the bands.  My first stage battle was at times confusing and chaotic, where I basically stumbled and mashed my way to a victory. I often found myself dreading the next impending stage battle, since a battle would normally occur before or after an important cut scene.

Amazing voicework and animations throughout the game

 Normal combat throughout the world was solid and the driving was quite enjoyable, especially when listening to Brutal Legend’s amazing soundtrack coming through the Deuce’s speakers. I cannot speak highly enough about the music in this game. Not since Vice City has music made such a positive impact on a game, and I would often just drive around in the “Druid Plow" taking in the sights and turning my surround sound way up. Completing secondary missions and discovering all the secrets in the world such as the bound serpents and legends will give you fire tributes, which is the currency you can use to upgrade your weapons and vehicle. While finding all legends and upgrading Eddie’s gear can be enjoyable at times, the overall collecting did not give me enough incentive to complete many of the secondary missions.  I primarily played straight through the story of the game, which I easily completed in about six hours.

The Tenacious D guitar, which I got for pre-ordering. Pre-orders are so metal!

 The game was a great experience, and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. The game play did sometimes deflate my excitement, but only temporarily. Listening to the interactions between characters and watching the epic tale unfold really was worth the price tag alone. There is a multiplayer mode in the game, and while it may be a welcomed addition to the release it was not a selling point for me personally. The only regret I have about this game is that it was finished so quickly. I see myself playing through the game again on a harder difficulty in order to see all the cut scenes again, which is something I never do.  If you have loved Tim Schaffer games in the past, this is a must buy. Regardless of whether or not this game is on any must-buy lists, every game enthusiast must experience this title.  And to those about to rock, I salute you.