Brutal Legend – Review

g-brutallegend200Brutal Legend

(EA for Xbox 360)
By Mike Delano

If you ever wondered what it would be like to creep, Freddy Krueger-style, through Joey DeMaio’s dreams every night, have I got the game for you! Brutal Legend is the glorious realization of a world where heavy metal comes to life; a violent, vaguely Norse landscape where battles are waged with axes and swords and the great evils are demons and purveyors of false metal. It’s a gonzo concept, for sure, but what would you prefer? Maybe an open-world game based on Coldplay and The Shins, wherein you control a Zach Braff-looking dude as he rides his scooter around the suburbs in an ironic t-shirt? Nope: Here you get to control a wild roadie warrior (voiced with gusto by Jack Black) in his battering ram of a hot rod as he plows over nature and wildlife. You’ll travel from mission to mission doing everything from slaying giant metal spiders to igniting Braveheart-style battles with armies of headbangers in a bizarre brawler/RTS hybrid. This kind of absurdity could only be inspired by heavy metal, and it’s further proof that a metal world is the only one worth living in. You can use this game as a sort-of X-ray glasses: Hold it up to any gamer and ask whether or not they like it. If they say no, back away slowly, because you’ve seen into their soul and they’re empty inside. Leave them to their shallow existence while you transport your consciousness back to the more idealized reality of Brutal Legend, where it’s booze and bloodshed and nothing but open road in-between.
(www.ea.com)