A Brutally Legendary Review
Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: Entertainment
By Gerry Martin
Rotunda Reporter
To paraphrase Francis Ford Coppella's character Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, "I love the smell of METAL in the morning." If you, like me, love the smell of heavy metal music or enjoy playing a fun hack-and-slash game with some real-time strategy thrown in for fun, then you will really enjoy Brutal Legend. This game has been in development since early 2006 by Double Fine Productions and has had issues with publishers over the years. Double Fine currently has a contract with Electronic Arts to distribute Brutal Legend. It arrived on store shelves October 13 , or "Rocktober 13th" as the Double Fine team, headed by Tim Schafer, put it.
Schafer has been in the game creation business for over 20 years. He started at LucasArts during their golden years of game development and helped work on such series as "Secret of Monkey Island" and the much-lauded "Grim Fandago," which was one of the first adventure games to use full 3-D graphics. Since that time Schafer and his team at Double Fine Productions have put out the highly rated Psychonauts and began work on what we now know as Brutal Legend. Schafer was not alone in this project though; he managed to recruit some very highly know talent across the heavy metal and film worlds.
Brutal Legend takes place in a universe where music has the power to alter the world. The main character Eddie Riggs, voiced by Tenacious D front man and Hollywood actor Jack Black, is a roadie here in our universe. During a show where a self-proclaimed "heavy metal" band called Kabbage Boy, who were in reality a band of tween pop stars, were playing one of the actors manages to bring the house down, quite literally in this case, as the stage itself collapsed. Riggs managed to save both the guitar and the band member playing it but is injured. After doing so he wakes up in this new world and quickly finds out he has the power to help save the small band of humans still alive.
This is where the player takes over. Using a third-person perspective that remains constant throughout all of Brutal Legend's modes, the player begins by hacking and slashing their way through the many denizens of S&M gear and poorly dressed hair metal minions. The first few missions help acquaint you with the characters and factions of the world and begin feeding you all of the weapons, vehicles, and powers you will gain over the course of the game. One of the first things you learn how to use is your axe that Riggs names "The Separator" and his beloved guitar "Clementine." Rocking out powerful riffs causes massive damage to enemies and can unlock some very powerful moves. Some of the major powers such as the "Facemelter" and summoning your vehicle "The Deuce, a.k.a. 'The Druid Plow'" require following a quick pattern of notes on your controller. If you have seen "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," you will be very familiar with this game mechanic.
Rotunda Reporter
To paraphrase Francis Ford Coppella's character Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, "I love the smell of METAL in the morning." If you, like me, love the smell of heavy metal music or enjoy playing a fun hack-and-slash game with some real-time strategy thrown in for fun, then you will really enjoy Brutal Legend. This game has been in development since early 2006 by Double Fine Productions and has had issues with publishers over the years. Double Fine currently has a contract with Electronic Arts to distribute Brutal Legend. It arrived on store shelves October 13 , or "Rocktober 13th" as the Double Fine team, headed by Tim Schafer, put it.
Schafer has been in the game creation business for over 20 years. He started at LucasArts during their golden years of game development and helped work on such series as "Secret of Monkey Island" and the much-lauded "Grim Fandago," which was one of the first adventure games to use full 3-D graphics. Since that time Schafer and his team at Double Fine Productions have put out the highly rated Psychonauts and began work on what we now know as Brutal Legend. Schafer was not alone in this project though; he managed to recruit some very highly know talent across the heavy metal and film worlds.
Brutal Legend takes place in a universe where music has the power to alter the world. The main character Eddie Riggs, voiced by Tenacious D front man and Hollywood actor Jack Black, is a roadie here in our universe. During a show where a self-proclaimed "heavy metal" band called Kabbage Boy, who were in reality a band of tween pop stars, were playing one of the actors manages to bring the house down, quite literally in this case, as the stage itself collapsed. Riggs managed to save both the guitar and the band member playing it but is injured. After doing so he wakes up in this new world and quickly finds out he has the power to help save the small band of humans still alive.
This is where the player takes over. Using a third-person perspective that remains constant throughout all of Brutal Legend's modes, the player begins by hacking and slashing their way through the many denizens of S&M gear and poorly dressed hair metal minions. The first few missions help acquaint you with the characters and factions of the world and begin feeding you all of the weapons, vehicles, and powers you will gain over the course of the game. One of the first things you learn how to use is your axe that Riggs names "The Separator" and his beloved guitar "Clementine." Rocking out powerful riffs causes massive damage to enemies and can unlock some very powerful moves. Some of the major powers such as the "Facemelter" and summoning your vehicle "The Deuce, a.k.a. 'The Druid Plow'" require following a quick pattern of notes on your controller. If you have seen "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," you will be very familiar with this game mechanic.
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