What do you get when you combine Tim Schafer, the gaming genius who created the Monkey Island series (plus other classics), with Jack Black’s love of all things metal and an inspiring collection of classic metal songs? The answer is simple, yet wonderful. You get a world that has been born of the fire and brimstone, the metal and smoke of the classic metal album covers, lyrics and lore. The world is Brutal Legend, the first Xbox game I have bought that doesn’t require a plastic guitar. Actually that’s a lie, I bought Resident Evil 5, but don’t tell anyone.

One glance at the front cover should indicate the kind of awesome this game will have, searing red-hot and rock’n’roll through its veins. Eddie Riggs, holding forth his axe in whilst holding his axe behind him. Ok calm down that sentence does make sense, you see. Eddie has a real axe, infused with fire and lightning and he also has a guitar (an ‘axe’) that he can rock out on and kill, slay and destroy. These are his two primary weapons and really…what more could he need? Ah yes, a car, thank you. Not long into the game – in fact this was in the demo which after one play through I was destined to buy the full game – well not long into the journey, Eddie builds The Deuce. The Deuce is a demon on wheels, built from the flesh of Ormagöden, the fire beast who was smote many years ago and remnants remain scattered about the land.

The Deuce has the Mouth of Metal which is basically the greatest car radio ever thanks to a superb list of classic metal songs handpicked by Shafer with the assistance of a record store owner whose knowledge of metal surpasses most mere mortals. With this soundtrack, the game manages to in some way mimic the enjoyment I had with the Grand Theft Auto games, except where I was running down people listing to Toto’s Africa, now I am burning through the world with some seriously awesome metal songs. This just feels right and is a great example of the dedication to the whole experience of this game.

The world is full of remnants of Ormagöden, and the fire beast’s touch seeps from every pore of the land. Giant swords have pierced the ocean, the trails and the mountains, sticking out where the Titans (the gods if you will, not sure yet really, as the game has some awesome animated history pieces) left them. Massive rock formations of the Iron Cross, a guitar and many, many twisted metal fixtures pop up to surprise, inspire and make me go “holy shit that’s awesome!” I have spent a great deal of my time in this world shouting out loud how awesome it is. One of the coolest features of this great land is Mount Rockmore. Oh yes, you know what it is. You can purchase effigies of characters in the game and launch them into the mountain from a devil-horn’s platform. It is all kinds of awesome.

Ozzy Osbourne, in a dramatic turn for the better, plays the Guardian of Metal, who sells you weapons and upgrades for The Deuce. He is the keeper of timeless secrets and nearly every time you go see him, he makes you laugh. Lemmy plays The Kill Master, who is oddly named that way, as he heals your troops with the gravelly bass tones of his motorbike covered in amps. Lars Halford is the leader of a tiny group of people that Eddie befriends in the town of Bladehenge. Honestly, that’s the best name ever. Bladehenge. Awesome! Eddie, through battling the 80’s hair-metal-king Lord Lionwhyte, recruits troops for his army, fighting under the banner of Ironheade – with an ‘e’ so people know they aren’t mucking about. But Lionwhyte is not the true enemy of this world, no no no. That is Doviculus, expertly voiced by Tim Curry. I haven’t faced him yet, only some of his minions but he seems like a real badass.

I am not sure what other awesome things I can mention as the game is just full of enjoyable elements. The armies you create include a bunch of grunt type units which are just heavy metal ‘bangers with massive necks that head-bang thing to death. Its so cool. The little touches like guitar leads intertwined within some of the bushes. Even more cool. And just the whole thing, is honestly, metal as it should be – fun, slightly tongue in cheek and a whole lot of rockin’.

TO BLADEHENGE!

morgsdebate is aware it has been slack of late. please forward all complaints to Jesus c/- the Pentagon

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 1:49 pm and is filed under games, music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.