I haven't seen any topics on Brutal Legend so...

[Gamerforlife]

I thought I'd post my thoughts on it and stir up some discussion. Personally, I loved the game, but not initially. Like a lot of people I was turned off by the stage battles, but then I stopped doing what EVERYONE does the first time they play these stages. I stopped trying to play them like an RTS game, then they became easy and fun.

I thought the story was entertaining overall. A few things didn't make sense and the ending felt a bit rushed. I think the game suffers a bit plot-wise but the characters are great, the humor and dialogue is spot on, there are tons of great Heavy Metal shout outs and the game just has some memorable and epic moments.

I was very impressed with the overall art direction of the game. The over world map is full of visual awesomeness that fits the Metal theme. This game really had to deliver in the sound department and I think it did. The music choices used in the campaign are PERFECT and this is definitely a game that would not have been half as good as it is were it not for the great soundtrack.

I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't played it but I will say that my favorite parts involved mortar cannons, a bat family, every single campaign mission that involved the Druid Plow(especially the escort missions), a bad-ass rock crusher, a certain mission in a rock quarry and a cut scene where I'm told to "Burn the other guys!".

Oh, and one more thing. Best pre-title screen intro ever!

[Ack]

(especially the escort missions)

Seriously? I typically hate escort missions, but I haven't gotten a chance to try this game yet. Did they actually find a way to make these things fun?

[Gamerforlife]

(especially the escort missions)

Seriously? I typically hate escort missions, but I haven't gotten a chance to try this game yet. Did they actually find a way to make these things fun?

It's probably not what you're thinking. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that they basically involve you protecting a moving vehicle. They work well because your ride is well armed and the game is very good at making sure you see your enemies soon enough to intercept them. Also, the vehicle you're protecting will get an occasional kill of its own and the driver is good about alerting you to oncoming threats or letting you know if you're too far away. There's also a certain upgrade that eventually becomes available that is practically broken in how effective it is in this missions.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Well even though Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation) seemed to not be a huge fan of it he did say that "if you like listening to Dragonforce while driving a car through a landscape that represents Megadeth's cover art" you would enjoy it. And that appeals to me grately.

[(-_-)]

So I can lay to rest all of my suspicious of the majority of the game being an "rts"? Because I really want to run around summoning lighting with the guitar and decapitating druids with the axe.

[Gamerforlife]

So I can lay to rest all of my suspicious of the majority of the game being an "rts"? Because I really want to run around summoning lighting with the guitar and decapitating druids with the axe.

This is how most stage battles work. You summon some troops onto the field, then you send them after a resource node, once they captured it you send them after another and keep doing that until you have them all. At which point you'll have enough resources to build up a large and powerful army and go after the enemy base(which is actually a stage, keeping with the Metal theme;)

Of course, while your army is roaming around seizing territory, the enemy will try to take back your resource nodes or capture any you don't have. This will lead to skirmishes between your troops and the enemy troops. That's when you haul your butt over there and kick some ass!

That's mostly all there is to it. You need to keep your army on the move and on the offensive and bring your ass into every battle to help give your troops the advantage. As Schafer himself said, stage battles are all about dominance. You mainly want to keep your army together at all times, have new troops head towards where ever the action is(by using the rally flag or summon army guitar solo) and ALWAYS make sure Eddie is a factor in every skirmish as he's the difference maker. Honestly, the stage battles feel more like a Dynasty Warriors style game than an RTS

Where players screw up is they try to micromanage or waste time trying to form a strategy when they should just focus on being aggressive and staying on the move. Only the last two or three stage battles require any real strategy and it's just about figuring out that ONE thing you're suppossed to do(like defending a bridge until you have any resources to bring your strongest unit onto the battlefield to literally bring down the wrath of the gods on your enemy)

I'm not an expert on RTS games, but I've played Starcraft on PC and Brutal Legend never gets even remotely as complex as that game. There are also a number of missions that don't even involve stage battles

[Peffico]

I liked it. Not that great, but still a good game. I did enjoy the RTS some and it was a pretty funny and original game to me. Yahtzee is just eating his morning plate of hatertots.

[Gnashvar]

It's an alright game. Too much hype imo for what it really is.

[Gamerforlife]

It's an alright game. Too much hype imo for what it really is.

I've noticed the most enthusiastic responses from the gaming community are from metalheads. This may be one of those games that has a niche audience. I'm not even the most hardcore Metal fan, yet I enjoy it enough that I thought the game was awesome. Some appreciation and knowledge of Metal may be required to get the most out of this game. It's a solid game regardless, but being into Metal kind of elevated the whole experience for me. I was thrilled to hear one of my favorite bands during one of the stage battles(Iced Earth)and Ozzy is used so well(again I have to mention the bat family sidequest)

[emwearz]

It's an alright game. Too much hype imo for what it really is.

I agree, got it played for awhile, its now in my 'play once more important stuff is finished' pile. The gameplay is pretty average, Jack Black is funny and the cameos are good but other than that its a fairly average title.