VideoGame Highly disappointing, poor controls, unfocused gameplay
I tried hard to like this game, but it's noticeably worse than Psychonauts in every way gameplaywise. The music and graphics are better, but that's hardly a consolation.
I think the problem ultimately comes down to attempting to do everything, resulting in Master of None. The game combines first person RTS (who thought that was a good idea?), vehicle driving, sandbox exploration, hack and slash, and even a mini rhythm game (while in the middle of combat with no pausing even!). Unfortunately, this results in pretty much every part being bad.
The RTS segments fall flat because without a birds eye view, it's impossible to tell how many units you have, where they are, or what they're doing. Controls are limited to attack, defend, stay, and follow, which just apply to all units in a poorly defined radius, so there's not much possibility for normal RTS strategy anyway.
The guitar solos are even worse since you're expected to quickly hold the solo button, select the appropriate song from a large radial menu, and then play the notes of the song, all without pausing and potentially in the middle of combat. At least on the PC, the radial menu is very difficult to navigate, no matter which control option is selected.
My main complaint with the hack and slash is the lack of a healthbar. The screen does turn red if you get hurt enough, but that's hard to see when the entire area is orange and black to begin with.
There's also a few Guide Dang It moments. For example, the onscreen hints tell you to play into a microphone, but there is no microphone. Instead, you're supposed to play into a little headset lying on the ground.
But hey, at least the dialog is funny and the music is kind of nice.
VideoGame Great, but not nearly as good as it could have been
Before you tear me apart, let me make this abundantly clear: I enjoyed this game.
I just didn't enjoy it as much as I could have if they had changed some stuff. The fact that it was actually an RTS threw me off bigtime. It's an interesting concept, and they could have kept it, but in return for this, it seems they decided to make the actual combat of Eddie much less fun. I was expecting it to be Devil May Cry meets God Of War with Heavy Metal. Instead I got something that tried to be half an RTS and half an action game, not really pulling either off tremendously well.
The story was very cool, but I thought it was almost insulting how the plot decided to suddenly go into turbo mode after you beat Lionwhyte, to barely give Doviculus or any of the Tainted Coil any characterization. Seriously, he was onscreen for like a grand total of two minutes. Not to mention, the only time you actually are in pitched combat against the coil is at the very beginning and end of the game, and both times, you're not supposed to fight them, but rather ignore them and run. That whole aspect brought the game down bigtime.
However, as I said, the game is far from unenjoyable. The two areas where the game shines, it shines with all the splendor of METAL. The jokes are funny, the voice acting is great, and Jack Black is hilarious as always, but more than anything, the game is epic. When they tried to capture the fantastical look of metal album covers, they succeeded on a level I've never seen before. Every square inch of the world map is awesome looking, and I would find myself driving around just to admire it, and see if I could spot any Shout Outs to specific albums (there are several), and just take in the epicness of it. All while listening to, as Ozzy The Guardian of Metal would say "Fucking beautiful music, man!" The soundtrack is absolutely killer, both the songs and the score for the game, and the integration of the songs into cutscenes and gameplay was awesome, especially the Ozzy and Black Sabbath songs.
Ultimately, are these elements enough to redeem a lazily done combat engine, and the plot deciding to go into the Cliff Notes version halfway through?
Yes. This is one of those games where the atmosphere just makes it all, and makes it metal.
VideoGame Pinchingly nostalgic
In my opinion, the true value of the game comes to light after the end of the campaign. And not the sense that the developers probably intended (with the multiplayer) but rather in the sense of the emotions that overcome you as you drive around the continent in your Deuce, listening to the Mouth of Metal and reminiscing of the past battles. Some things you see are not like they were the first time you've seen them, some have stayed the same, some have changed but reverted back. It's these memories of the past and this pinching nostalgia that is stitched so deep into the nature of rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, few even realize it's there. Just like the Titans were offspring of both Ormagöden and Aetulia, heavy metal is not only about epic battles and steel but also about the silent, mournful sorrow about the past glory. And if the campaign is primarily the Ormagöden stage of the game, the Wide Open Sandbox section that you are thrown into afterwards is the Aetulia stage. Maybe that's why Tim Schafer made it a sandbox game in the first place...
VideoGame The Greatest Tribute to Rock 'n Roll
Brütal Legend is the first game I ever got for the PS 3, and to say it influenced my taste in music and media would be a massive understatement. This title introduced me to so much about the world of rock and metal, and did so with memorable characters, a solid story, a world full of iconic designs, and some of the funniest writing I've ever heard in a game.
First off, the soundtrack is nuts. At a whopping 109 tracks of licensed music, you'd expect the majority of them to be by big names like Black Sabbath, Metallica, etc., but Double Fine went out of their way to include dozens of smaller bands and artists like Tvangeste, 3 Inches of Blood, and Mirrorthrone, using many such songs as BGM for the game's cutscenes and battles in a way that aided immensely in crafting the atmosphere of the story - my personal vote (and that of many others, I expect) for the best inclusion here would be Brocas Helm, whose two songs on the list are some of the best metal songs I've ever heard and who rightfully got tons of recognition and praise from their inclusion here. Now THAT'S how you give back to the genre you're paying so much homage to.
Then there's the world and characters. Very rarely have I seen a fictional setting with more heart put into every word and corner, but even with EA fucking them over with budgeting and deadlines, Double Fine absolutely knocked it out of the park. Every single part of the continent you play on is distinct from the rest in visuals and mood, with tons of iconography and references packed into the world without it ever feeling bloated or needlessly big; every goddamn character has a distinct design and personality, such that it's IMPOSSIBLE to confuse anyone for anyone else (even the grunt units you're ordering around!), and there's always an opportunity to hear new and hilarious dialogue from them as you progress through the story - seriously, just talk to anyone at any time you get the chance.
Finally, there's the gameplay. Now, I know the RTS focus is very, very divisive to people who wanted a hack-and-slasher...but I bought the game without knowing a thing about the gameplay or said controversy, so I enjoyed the hell out of it! As someone whose only experience with the RTS genre is this, it handles and controls well enough that I never really had issues with getting units where I wanted or dealing with big enemies. And when it comes to traversal, driving around in The Deuce while blasting your favorite metal tunes just can't be beat.
In conclusion, if you're anything approaching a rock/metal fan, buy and play this game! It's great! It's perfect! It truly deserves more fans! You WON'T be disappointed!