Any Room for Brutal Legend?

Double Fine Studios second release, Brutal Legend, is one of the finest creative works I've seen. A game that combines heavy metal, hack 'n slash, RTS, Tim Schafer humour, and Jack Black all into one has got to leave reviewers scratching their heads when trying to categorize this beast.

The universe and characters created by Tim Schafer and his team have a flavour of originality that is refreshing in this space marine dominated industry. Performances by Jack Black and a string of heavy metal icons are delivered with a level of natural quality that reinforce the fiction (I don't even want to know how many takes it took to get Ozzy Osbourne to form coherent sentences).

The game is solidly constructed, and I can't find any game breaking bugs or annoyances, probably thanks to the extra time the team had to polish. Gameplay is fun, the story is interesting and the humour is right on the mark.

To me Brutal Legend is everything that I love about games. An original world has been forged to be explored and enjoyed. Creativity abounds in every facet of the experience.

That said... I sold my copy to a friend yesterday.

I sold it for one simple reason... it doesn't appeal to my tastes. I've never been a fan of heavy metal so much of the humour and commentary that springs from the games primary theme is lost on me. I also found myself wanting to turn the car radio off most of the time. At that point I realized that this game wasn't meant for me. My friend, however revels in the world and lore created via heavy metal.

Through all of this I'm glad to have Brutal Legend be a part of the gaming sphere. I believe that we need more titles that explore the niches of interest that make each one of us unique. I can respect this well crafted game, those who enjoy it and it's inspiration, while at the same time not sharing in their enjoyment.

Though I can't comment on the financial status of Double Fine it seems that they really need a win to solidify their position and provide for future development. I really hope that we will see more genre bending experiences from them in the future. Only time will tell how successful Brutal Legend will be and interesting to see if a new I.P. can push past all the sequels to grab a piece of the holiday pie.