×

Warning

JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 92
JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 67
Print this page
Friday, 22 March 2013 20:40

Brutal Legend Review

Brutal Legend's heavy metal take on real-time strategy makes a solid transition to the PC, though playing with a controller is still the way to go. The most important piece of knowledge you need going into Brutal Legend has nothing to do with heavy metal music. Sure, a deep love of that genre can play a huge part in your overall enjoyment of the game's guitar-solo-fueled and star-studded story.

But it's easier to find satisfaction in what the game is when you're not expecting it to be something it is not. With this PC release of Brutal Legend coming years after its 2009 console debut, it's easier to prepare for the unique experience it offers while also enjoying it at a higher resolution.

Merely looking at screenshots or old prerelease marketing materials for the game can make it appear to be many things, yet it's not "Zelda with a guitar," and it's not "God of War as told by Black Sabbath," as cool as either of those things might have been. It's a real-time strategy game, even though that term may not accurately represent the first couple of hours of the campaign.

Brutal Legend follows Eddie Riggs, a roadie (voiced by Jack Black) with a profound love of classic metal who finds himself transported to an appropriately brutal fantasy land that's part The Lord of the Rings and part Iron Maiden album art. The game's strongest qualities lie in its writing, its characters, and its world. The magic (and much of the humor) is in how many fantasy tropes are twisted to fit into a heavy metal world. Basic melee characters, for instance, are literal headbangers who smash their craniums against anything in their way. Roadies are your strong but stealthy units; guitar solos can literally melt faces; and "fans" are your mystical, music-loving resource. This all combines with a well-acted cast of characters featuring voices from the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, and Tim Curry. The story does lose some of its whimsy toward the end, when the plot is in danger of taking itself too seriously, but the over-the-top nature persists through the six- to eight-hour adventure.

The first time you take control of Eddie, you might feel as if you're playing a rather standard character action game, since mashing out simple combos is your path to bloodily slaughtering groups of enemies. Soon, however, the world opens up, and you may get a strong The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vibe as you search the landscape for collectibles and play your magical instrument (a guitar, which is, of course, much more hardcore than an ocarina) to perform solos that can summon your trusty car or reveal hidden garages. Just when you feel like this might be what the game is about, Brutal Legend starts letting you give orders to small squads of units, which is when the strategy aspect becomes more apparent. This is a good thing, due in no small part to the fact that an entire game of nothing but Brutal Legend's on-foot combat wouldn't be the most pleasant of experiences.
It's a little while before you reach a point where this feels like a more full-fledged (if simple and action-heavy) real-time strategy game. In the game's stage battles, you are given a single stage (your base), which can be upgraded and which produces all of your units. Fans serve as your band/army's single resource, and controlling fan geysers spread across the map is key to victory. It's never possible to amass as large an army as you might be used to in other strategy games, and there is only one simple upgrade path to pursue, but there is a good variety in how each unit behaves, which can allow for many different strategies.

You always control Eddie directly and can get your axe bloody in on-foot battles yourself, but you need to spend a lot of time managing your troops from the air. A simple button press sends you flying into the sky, where you can quickly survey the land and order troops around. If you're serious about doing damage with your own hands, units at your command have double-team attacks that let you control them more directly, whether by marching with a mosh pit of headbangers, driving a vehicle, or operating a turret.

More:  http://www.gamespot.com/brutal-legend/reviews/brutal-legend-review-6404663/

Related items

  • EA SPORTS FIFA World to Launch a New Game Engine Later This Year EA SPORTS FIFA World to Launch a New Game Engine Later This Year

    Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) today announced that EA SPORTS™ FIFA World, a new free-to-play* game for PC, is set to launch a new game engine that will give fans an even better, more realistic, football experience.

  • Importance of Bollywood Movie Reviews Importance of Bollywood Movie Reviews
    Bollywood movies have a vast fan following capacity and there are countless people interested in bollywood movie reviews of the movies that are released. When a new movie is released, everyone are eager to know what the story is about. More significantly, you want to know whether the movie will be a worthy watch, or not. Definitely, you will want to spend your money buying tickets for a movie that is worth to watch. To make sure that the movie is a good one or not, you have to go
  • Truth about Abs Review Truth about Abs Review
    The truth about abs program of Mike Geary has been gaining great momentum for over the years. The success behind this best-selling book is providing authentic information to people who wanted to obtain the desired abs without buying diet pills or doing a boring cardio. This program focused primarily on achieving six pack abs with the proper way to eat right and the best exercise to burn fats and eventually lose weight. With this popularity, there are some
  • Get The Most Out Of Your PS3 With Wireless Headphones Get The Most Out Of Your PS3 With Wireless Headphones
    If you aren't using headphones when playing on your PS3, it's likely that you're missing out. Even if you're just listening to music on your PS3, it's great to be able to walk around your home without having to stop. While most gamers dwell upon the graphics, developers spend just as much money on the game's audio. With most of your favourite games being designed for surround sound audio, one of the best ways to enjoy this is with wireless headphones. Bargain Basement
  • Choosing The Right PS3 Bluetooth Gaming Headset Choosing The Right PS3 Bluetooth Gaming Headset
    Your PS3 will accept any Bluetooth headset so with the range of products available, choosing one can be quite tricky. The advantage of a non-wired headset is obvious; you gain freedom of movement and convenience. There are a wide range of features on different wireless headsets and you have to be realistic about the quality you can expect for the price tag. Let's look at ways you can pick the right headset for your needs.  On A Budget? You can buy Bluetooth headsets

Media