Brutal Legend [PS3] - It Kinda Rocked And Kinda Didn't

Decapitatiooooooooooon! Sorry, I just had to say that. For the past year and a half, Tim Shafer appeared to be promoted from game enthusiast's favorite idol to publicly awkward gaming icon. We want to root for people like Shafer and the creative minds at Double-Fine Studios. Brutal Legend was Shafer's baby -- and it shows. His game had the makings of a dark horse hit. On the surface, this was a game that is rife with witty one-liners from Jack Black and friends, metal infused and inspired ... everything, but with an unexpected real-time strategy underbelly. On the PS3, Brutal Legend has issues graphically, the online-multiplayer is -- at times -- has more than what the mode is worth. Unfortunately, there are a couple of key ingredients that keep Brutal Legend from being a full-fledged enjoyable experience.

I get the feeling that during Brutal Legend's development, there was a lot of focus on the game 'not failing' as opposed to trying to flesh-out the specifics as to why the game would succeed. Brutal Legend has vehicle combat, a comedic adventure binded together with side-quests; all of which require a certain degree of strategy. Unfortunately, these individual elements do not mesh well throughout a majority of the game. Mr. Tim Shafer, sometimes its okay to loosen your Kung-Fu-like grip on projects of this magnitude. If Brutal Legend was not this mix-tape gumbo of 'what could be', the game would not 'feel' so long and chore-oriented. Brutal Legend was already a niche title. The game was promoted as a metal homage adventure. Outside of the occasional metal head who games and hardcore gamers, Brutal Legend's demographic was dependent on what college student saw Jack Black during his hilarious ad campaign. This would further fragment potential buyers. But at the same time, pique an audience's interest to a game that has some of the best of intentions. Heck. I am not that huge a fan of Jack Black, but I really like aspects of Brutal Legend. Jack Black plays Eddie Riggs, a roadie unceremoniously banished to this metal land of mystery and caught between the turmoil of Doviculous and his new headbanging friends he has sought refuge with.

I am personally not that into metal. I think it is noisy, self-indulgent and kinda mean to women. Its a good thing rap exists. Honestly, I really liked most of the music in Brutal Legend [Angel Demon is still amazing]. I would attribute this to how well the song selection blends with Shafer's vision of a perfect metal world. Though some jokes and reference flew straight over my fitted-cap, a smarter gamer will at least recognize that references to another genre are being made. Aside from the funny, I was incredibly impressed with the character design. Character design is kind of an unsung hero in gaming, but so much personality went into Ophelia's 'emo-change' and Lyonwhite's flowing locks, this cast feels like a cast instead of static characters you can put a cursor over.

Mechanically, Brutal Legend has a strange feel. Though Beyond Good & Evil is one of my favorite games of all time, having no ability to jump adds little motivation to explore this boundary-filled open world. *Spoilers* There is even a certain moment in the game where you are granted the power of flight, but only in battle. Given, to what I am hoping was intentional, the stifling topographic design Brutal Legend forces you to drive a large portion of the game. Luckily the vehicle controls only suck a little. It is a step back when you realize you can't fly anywhere in this beautifully imagination-come-alive rock realm. On foot you will discover the plethora of not only combat techniques, but side-quests that the game offers. It is frustrating not having the ability to jump or climb to get to the nooks & crannies of the game.

Overall, I liked what Brutal Legend brought to the table. Not all the jokes and icon references hit me. Having Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford and my personal favorite Lemmy from Motorhead contribute to the already amazing voice cast tips this game in a more favorable light. They are key characters that help Eddie Riggs in his maturation and understanding of his importance in this new world he has unknowingly stumbled upon. Specifically, the funny dialogue and lip-sync animation capture is some of the best I have witnessed in video games. Having a couple Pixar employees as your animating staff proved totally worth experiencing this well thought out adventure.

This is a Tim Shafer game and though he may have been stubborn with the clunky outcome of the RTS elements of the game. The story is generally the focal point. With that said, the story is a bit of a bore. It is interesting going against Lyonwhites' hair band cronies and Deviculous's emo goons. Witty one-liners only go so far in this 9 to 12 hour epic. Had this been leaning in the direction of a God of War cloned action-game or even a Warhammer-style RTS, the game would get less credit. The fact that Shafer and Double-Fine tried all of these ideas simultaneously while selling the gaming community on the seldom touted fact -- games can be funny. It's horribly ironic that the game isn't fun in places where the 'video game part' counts.

I wouldn't trade this experience for a "War of Game" title, but recommending Brutal Legend comes with several caveats. Is it bad that I want people to buy this game so publishers don't lose faith in Shafer's ability to create a great piece of work?

I give Brutal Legend...

A 'Peace Sign From A Non-Threatening Rapper' Award