Brutal Legend

[Nisa]

Just had a "quick" two hour session on this and I've enjoyed what I've played so far. It doesn't really fall into any one genre as it mixes different elements from different types of games.

The overworld in which the game takes place is like a heavy metal version of Hyrule with GTA style side missions and stunt jumps scattered across the landscape. There are also several statues across the world that will grant you access to guitar solos which in turn allows you to do special moves during combat e.g a face melting solo which literally melts your enemy's face off. Combat is fairly simplistic however you can access more moves by visiting areas on the map known as motor forges where you can also upgrade your car and axe etc using points gained by successfully completing story missions and side quests.

As far as the strategy elements within the game go they haven't been particularly complex thus far. During missions you'll have minions that will assist you in battle and you can give them commands to follow you, attack, stop & defend using the d-pad. Commands will only be followed if the minions are within range ala Pikmin and I assume Overlord (never played it). Beasts that roam the world can be mounted to use against enemies as well.

Visually the game is great in terms of the art style and the world as a whole looks fantastic however I did notice some pop up at times and the frame rate can drop from time to time. The voice acting is top notch for the most part and the script is pretty funny. Jack Black is great and Ozzy is surprisingly coherent however Lemmy seems somewhat unenthusiastic during his voice over work. The soundtrack is also great but then again I'm a metalhead so it was inevitable that I would appreciate it. One of the biggest laughs I've had so far has actually been due to the ridiculous lyrics in one of the Manowar songs i.e. "I need metal in my life just like an eagle needs to fly". God bless those kings of "true metal".

[Spatial]

You're right about Ozzy Osborne. It must have taken them an absolute age / lots of clever editing to get him to sound as coherent as he does.

I'm loving the style but it does seem very overwhelming once you complete the demo part. It seems to throw mechanics at you quite a bit and there's too much info being tossed casually at you when you start (things like learning about summoning the Druid Plough and then also being bombarded with messages about journal entries and concept art). I don't think it helps that the game dialogue will still cut in to itself, so if you keep going instead of stopping and listening then you'll miss parts.

It is a lot of fun though and has me chuckling. The bit on the bridge

->Open Spoiler<-

where it collapses - I missed a jump and laughed hard as Eddie and Ophelia plummet do their death with Eddie shouting

"I'm Eddie by the way!"

to which she responded

"I wish I'd never met yooooooooooo..."

Stylistically (as you'd expect from a Tim Schaefer game) it's outstanding. It's a pure homage to classic metal. I love how the beginning of each level is framed as an album cover.

Gameplay wise - we'll despite me ripping the piss out of some peoples slightly hysterical reactions in the headlines thread, I can see how this is a marmite game. I'm up to about the same stage as Nisa right now so the RTS elements haven't really presented themselves fully to be able to comment. That said from the controls so far this is little more than RTS-lite. I can't see it turning into a full blown Command and Conquer because it just isn't that deep.

But if you aren't hooked on the style, and hate any kind of strategy or doing stuff that might require some tactics, then I can see how this won't be your bag.

As a child of the late 70's / 80's though, I'm loving it.

[Orgun]

This game even makes me laugh when I die Drove off the bridge near the start, Riggs "Hey, wanna make out before we hit the water?" Woman: "In your dreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaammmms"

[Spatial]

I particularly loved the Face Melter move. Does exactly what it says on the tin - and how!

[Lyris]

Just got mine from Tronix today, and I love it as much as I thought I would.

It has that lovely "living world" thing that Psychonauts had as well, especially when it cycles from day to night.

Jack Black is great and Ozzy is surprisingly coherent however Lemmy seems somewhat unenthusiastic during his voice over work.

Agree totally with that, I wonder what it must have been like for Tim Schafer and crew getting to meet their idols and then (presumably) direct them. Maybe they went soft on them as a result?

[Stormtec]

So this is sorta like... Ocarina of Time... but with a Flying V instead? Awesome.

[Dezm0nd]

Oh man I can't wait til tomorrow! day off work and picking up this game, woo!

[Lyris]

The people complaining about parts of it being RTS-like have totally lost the plot, IMO. There's been minimal "Go here, follow me" stuff so far for me, and when there has, it's been enjoyable.

And it has interesting colourful darkness too, instead of just "pee and poo colours".

[Akira]

can't wait to get this.Loved the demo.Theres just not enough humour in games these days

[Spatial]

Tim Schafer's very own tips for the games battle stages - might prove a bit on an eye opener for the narrow-minded `ZOMG it's an RTS!` brigade.

First, one thing to understand right off the bat?Br?tal Legend: Br?tal Legend is not an RTS game.

There you go, from the man himself, it isn't an RTS.

The end result is something much more action-oriented, and I think, totally unique. If you try to play the stage battles in Br?tal Legend as an RTS game then you will lose. First you will get mad, then you will scream, and then you will lose.

First, a note on the differences: In an RTS game you float high above the action, making one split-second strategic decision after another. You often command individual units to position them based on their heath and context. In Br?tal Legend, you make strategic choices once in a while, but then you jump into the battle and slug it out in person. You can fly, but it?s mostly for quick scouting and transportation. You will spend a few seconds every once in a while popping into a menu to build troops or pick a guitar solo, but then you should be right back in the action.

And the tips themselves

Get in the center of the action!
Use Double Team attacks!
Don?t stay in the air too long!
Use Double Team attacks!!
For the most part, keep your army together!
Use Double Team attacks!!!
Don?t think of it as an RTS game!
Always be building squads and spending your fans! Don't hoard fans!

http://www.doublefine.com/news/comments/battle_time/

[Nisa]

I put another 5 or so hours into this last night and I'm loving it. I've been doing pretty much every side mission in between the odd story mission and generally just driving about the overworld looking for secrets and taking in the great art direction.

The rts style gameplay has gotten a little bit more complex but not to the point where it's like a full blown Command and Conquer/Starcraft type affair. There's been non strategic sections during the story missions as well, meaning the gameplay has remained varied for the duration I've played. Also like Schaffer said in his blog, even though you spend a bit of time building and commanding units, you still have to get in among the battles with Eddie yourself to ensure victory.

According to the game's stats I'm about 70&#37; done with the main game and I've probably played for around 9/10 hours and I haven't even touched multiplayer, so the game's short life span has been overblown. I hope the game does well as it's one of the most original games I've played in some time and the whiners who moaned about the rts style gameplay really ought to give it a try. The rts genre and strategy games in general have never been something I've enjoyed or bothered with that much but I can honestly say I've thoroughly enjoyed playing Brutal Legend.

Special mention goes to Rob Halford for doing some great voice work, of the rock celebrities that have done work on this he's been the most convincing.

[Dezm0nd]

Been playing this since about 10:30am and it's incredible. I've spent so much time in the overworld searching for the hidden goodies rather than the main story which is not how I usually play these games. The thing Double Fine have done is create a really awesome and interesting world to explore, rather than just city streets like most sandbox games.

I go out my way to find the vistas, because the game looks so unique it's mind boggling, I love doing the side quests for extra fire tributes (currency) because of the humour and art style the game has.

So far so freakin' awesome. I can't wait to search every little rockhole this game has

The facemelter move is by far the most awesome thing so far, extremely useful for those ambushes!

[Lyris]

I kept dying in the early "Drive the car and avoid the pitfalls" scene because I was too buzy drooling at the landscape! Colourful darkness!

The best part sometimes is the sky. Especially when it goes all green and meteor-y and lighting flashes up the whole world.

[PeteJ]

The style is just incredible, like Lyris I did several times on the bridge because I was too busy spinning the camera around! It makes you want to explore, not just because there are things to find, but because there are so many things in the distance that look interesting. I do find myself just driving in completely random directions, occasionally uncovering another collectable (of which were are loads of different types). Have only uncovered a small part of the map too, it seems pretty big.

It hasn't grabbed me completely though - about 3 hours in having done four missions and a bunch of side missions - it's fairly repetitive even though it has several gameplay elements on the go. Most of the side missions are the same, but that isn't to say they aren't enjoyable. The gameplay isn't as slick as perhaps it should be, but it's good enough to keep me entertained while I enjoy it's awesome world.

Occasionally the game gets everything absolutely right though, and that's what made me lose the whole afternoon. Obviously the inspiration of Metal meant they had to put effort into the soundtrack, but I wasn't expecting it to be integrated so well.

[Dezm0nd]

Really enjoying the battle stages (RTS mode) and they're not overly hard like some reviewers made it out to be!