The rest of the voice actors aren't too snazzy, either. Because this is a game about how cool heavy metal is, you can expect to hear a lot of familiar voices. I knew going in that I get performances by Lemmy of Motorhead, Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Lita Ford, but I had no idea that these rockers had so much acting range. Lemmy isn't going to win any awards for his acting chops, but he pulled off a few funny jokes and convinced me that he could do competent voice acting. The only rocker who doesn't have much range is Ozzy Osbourne, who has a teeny tiny role as the Guardian of Rock (a shopkeeper where you buy upgrades). I'm not going to say that he's the worst actor in the world, but anybody who has watched Ozzy knows that he's kind of the same character no matter what. That's not a complaint as there's something comforting in the sameness of Ozzy.
Not everybody in the game comes from a heavy metal background. Early in the game's development Ronnie James Dio was announced, but due to unknown circumstances he had to drop out. Thankfully his replacement is no slouch. The always versatile Tim Curry brings a lot of evil and dread to his performance as the game's main villain, Doviculus. The game also features funny takes from David Cross (Arrested Development, Mr. Show) and Brian Posehn (The Comedians of Comedy). They all complete one of the greatest lists of voice acting talent ever assembled for an action game.
And if you think the voice talent is good, wait until you check out the game's epic soundtrack. Tim Schafer wasn't messing around when he and his team went to license classic metal cuts. The soundtrack features a staggering 108 songs from 75 different artists, making it the most comprehensive list of heavy metal ever put into a video game. The songs come from heavy metal bands big and small, including everybody from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Kiss, Scorpions, King Diamond, Manowar, Megadeth, Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken, Riot, Anvil and, of course, Tenacious D.
Unfortunately not everything about the game is as epic as the soundtrack. There's no question that the game is of superior quality (especially compared to most of the games I've played this year), but I did run into a few minor problems along the way. The biggest complaint people are likely to have is the game's length, which runs around six hours. Now, that six hour time assumes that you aren't doing the side quests or exploring, but for some it may be a deal breaker. If you go around and do and find everything the game's length will easily double, so there is still a lot of value in the single-player campaign.
Another problem I have is that it's too easy to get stuck in some of the levels. I found several weird glitches where I literally couldn't move out and had to start from a save point. Speaking of saving, I also noticed that the game doesn't have any checkpoints. There were times when I accidentally died and then had to drive all the way back to where I was when I died. This isn't a huge problem, but it did make me thankful for all of those other games that think about adding checkpoints here and there.
While the checkpoint issue is likely to go unfixed, you will find that there's a lot more game to be had when you switch over to the spectacular multiplayer mode. This online component allows you to play a four-on-four battle using the real-time strategy elements I talked about earlier in this review. Surprisingly the simplistic real-time strategy works well online, allowing each team to assign tasks and make sure that the rounds are speedy. When you play online there are three different factions - the main Eddie Riggs led Ironheade and two other teams, Tainted Coil (death metal) and Drowning Doom (goth). Each faction not only has their own unique units, but also guitar solos that only they can pull off. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of different variations on the standard RTS mode, but at least you have eight levels to work on. Best of all, you can play this online mode with bots, just in case you need to practice up before taking on the world.
What I'm going to take from Brutal Legends is not the ridiculous story or even the kick ass guitar solos, but rather the game's sense of humor and undying admiration for all things metal. This is a game for everybody who ever looked at the covers of their records and wished they could live in that heavy metal world. And best of all, it's hilarious all the way through. Sure some of the plot twists can be seen a mile away, I found myself falling in love with the idea of being in this fantastical world. This hellish world has just as much atmosphere as BioShock's Rapture or Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City. Only this game is both devilishly clever and always funny.
Even with its non-stop references to heavy metal and specialized soundtrack, Brutal Legend comes off feeling like one of Tim Schafer's most accessible game. The real-time strategy aspects are carefully explained and never feel too daunting for the average console gamer. What's more, the game's humor and over-the-top story will make you want to see the game through to the end. And when it was over I kept playing, just because I didn't want my experience to end. There's a lot to love about Brutal Legend, so put down your fake plastic guitar and run out to the store and pick up one of the best games of the year.
A
Brutal Legend merges action and real-time strategy, two genres that couldn't be any further apart. It also throws in some racing, a little role-playing, a healthy dose of adventure and creates one of the most fascinating games of the year. Couple all this with phenomenal voice talent, an epic soundtrack and an oddly unique multiplayer mode and you have a game that is worth testing your mettle on!
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