Double Fine does it again!
Brutal Legend is a action-adventure game that's mixed with a RTS at the same time. At first I didn't think the genre blend was going to work, but the end product was absolutely delightful.
To begin, I love the art design of the game. It's a cartoony-dark setting, and it works perfectly with the setting of the game. From the surroundings, the enemies, landmarks, and units your able to control, the game just looks awesome. The art design is great.
The voice-acting and story-line are also awesome. Jack Black voices the main character, Eddie, and he is full of one-liners and punchlines. The game is hilarious. There are also some great cameos in the game from Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, and Lemmy. First and foremost this game is about metal music, and it highlights the genre in everyway possible. Eddie starts out as a roadie who eventually is dragged into an alternate world where he leads a rebellion against their oppressors. The story itself is nothing groundbreaking or extremely new, but the way in which its presented makes it an awesome story. To go along with the voice acting, the game has a great soundtrack that really makes the game much more enjoyable. I'm not even a huge metal fan myself, but I did enjoy the mix of songs in the game.
The gameplay is solid. It's primarily an action hack-n-slash game. The majority of the time you're driving around in your car exploring the world around you, gathering collectibles, and progressing the story line. There are combos that can be executed with one of your two axes: your guitar and an actual battle axe. Then all of the boss battles involve the RTS elements. You command various troops and gather resources with the ultimate goal of destroying your opponent's stage. The boss battles are pretty fun, and become increasingly difficult as the story progresses.
Even after the story line has finished it's progression, there are numerous ways to continue to enjoy the game. The most obvious is playing the game again on a different difficulty. However, you can also remain in the same game and work on collecting the 232 YES 232 different collectible that exist throughout the Brutal world. After my playthrough I had only captured about half of them. If you're working on them, I suggest this map from Achievementhunter.com: http://www.achievementhunter.com/games/guides/brutallegend/blacktears.php
The game also included a multiplayer system that mimics the boss battles. You can square off against your friends, random live players, or enemy AI in an attempt to control the resources and destroy their stage. There are also a number of achievement associated with the multiplayer so those are equally fun to get.
My only complaints:
1. This game is easier to get stuck in then any other game I've ever played in my entire life. Whether it's a tree, a random rock, or a rock monument, the car that you primarily use for transportation will get stuck like no-one's business. It's exceedingly frustrating to deal with. Exceedingly...
2. The RTS elements of the game are missing CLASSIC RTS factors. Primarily, you cannot increase the maximum number of troops that you can have on the field at once. This is the biggest problem in my mind. You are limited to only have 40 "units" on the field at the time, with different units actually being worth varying amounts of "units." Unlike other RTS games, there are ways to increase how many units possible to control at a time. I wish that they would have increased the number whenever the player executed a stage upgrade. The player can upgrade their stage 3 times during any given battle, but this only allows access to more powerful units. I feel that the stage upgrade should have also included a higher unit allowance. That is my biggest qualm with the boss battles/multiplayer.
Overall, Brutal Legend is an amazing game, and definitely groundbreaking in the way that it incorporated two genres which seem to not be compatible with one another. From the gameplay to the visuals, the multiplayer to the soundtrack, Double Fine Productions produced an absolute treat for the gaming community. I strongly recommend this game, and it will be one that will always remain in my collection.
Game Rating: A, almost A+