Brutal Legend Video Game Review

I am not a huge video game guy. In actuality, I haven’t spent more than a couple hours per week playing any video game in the last 15 years. So for you avid gamers, keep that in mind when reading this review. I just recently picked up an Xbox 360 with a bushel of games from a buddy and have been getting used to the platform. Now that I have a current game system, my options have opened up and I have had the opportunity to get in on some of the more graphic intensive games that most of you have been playing for years now. One of the first on my list of must play games was Brutal Legend. This is Jack Black’s first attempt at a video game. The recipe: guitar thrashing music, high voltage rock, and medieval love of violence and Hellish creatures.

I didn’t know much about the game except the Jack Black element, and that was enough to pull it off the shelf. Jack Black is my hero, and Tenacious D speaks to my soul. Therefore, I am happy to say that if you are a fan of his type of rude humor particularly as it pertains to his music, then this video game will not disappoint. Jack is a Roady that gets transported to a mythological satanic kingdom where he electrifies Hellspawn with blazing guitar solos and dashes them to goreish pieces with an enormous battle axe. What more could you want? Cameo’s by rock legends like Ozzy and Lemmy Kilmeister? Check. Face melting guitar solos? Check. Gut Busting drums? Check. Off color humor and tongue-in-cheek mockery of an age of Rock that pays homage to an era of kick-ass music that has sadly been replaced by pop chants that wouldn’t know guitar distortion if it fell out of the sky, landed on their faces, and started to wiggle? Whew that was a mouthful….anyhow, yeah there is plenty. Finally, and most importantly, no Dave Mathews, at all, ever.

Game play is fun and although I’ve only had it a week or so, it is what I would expect from Jack. The Headbanger and Groupie characters are hilarious and I thoroughly enjoy the various kick-ass rides that get you from one side of Hell-world to the other. Visually, I think the cartoonish comic book style well suites the story, so no complaints there. Also, as I am a slow player, I don’t know how long the actual game is as I have not yet finished, so there could be issues with longevity. I can say however, that so far, it has been a blast and my wife has even enjoyed the story and watching me play.

This is definitely a mature title but as a side note, you can turn off the foul language if you want. I don’t recommend doing that however, if you want to stay true to Jack. It just seems funnier it it’s raw form, but then again, nothing really offends me. Ultimately, I guess I am saying that this probably won’t win game of the year, but it is better than most games. I think it is definitely worth a rental, and probably the full purchase price. So go grab your axe and let’s “melt some faces”!