Jack Black stars as Eddie Riggs in Double Fine Studios' upcoming "Brutal Legend". Get it.
Out right now is the demo for the upcoming comedy/action title "Brutal Legend", a video game set in the (fictional) world of the soul of heavy metal music starring Jack Black. Produced by Double Fine Studios-- the brilliant guys behind "Psychonauts", "Day of The Tentacle", and the "Monkey Island" games-- the game is a helluva lotta fun: I've played it. Read on, gentle Examiner readers...
"Brutal Legend" has had a difficult time getting made. The game-- about the greatest rock and roll roadie that ever lived being transported to an alternate world that's essentially the very soul of heavy metal made real-- bounced around between different publishers before finally getting a home at EA.
Double Fine Studios, led by the genius game designer and writer Tim Schaeffer, made the game. The demo is out now, online for both the 360 (for those that have XBox Live) and PS3 (for those that have a PS3; no $60 subscription fee necessary...not that I'm bitter), and the Comedy Examiner has played it. So, what'd I think?
First of all, the game is hilarious. One of the hallmarks of Schaeffer's work is the comedy, and this game delivers just as we'd expect from a guy who had a hand in the making of "Psychonauts" and the "Monkey Island" games. This dude used to work for LucasArts, back when it was churning out some of the best adventure games in the business ("Day of The Tentacle", "Sam and Max Hit The Road", "Full Throttle"), but eventually LucasArts decided they wanted to devote all their time to making sh-tty "Star Wars" games that only hardcore geeks could appreciate instead of funny point and click adventure stuff.
In the demo, you play Eddie Riggs (Black), the greatest roadie ever. He's apparently crushed by a giant, falling set piece at the concert of some rap-rock-pop act that he's working for, and instantly he/you/me wake up in a flaming, bone-decorated area being haunted by some chanting ghouls in cloaks waving some scary looking swords around. It becomes apparent very quickly that this world is based entirely upon the sorts of covers that graced old Iron Maiden and Dio albums; it's awesome. And the writing? Sharp as hell and twice as funny (little known fact: hell is hilarious).
Here, check out the trailer:
I don't wanna spoil any other parts of the demo except to say that it's way too short. I've had both a 360 and a PS3, but these days I'm rolling with the Playstation (my 360 died on me; screw you, Microsoft), and it took a nice little chunk of time to download the demo and only about 20 minutes or so to play through it. This likely has more to do with all the cut scenes they shoe-horned into it more than anything else.
That said, the demo does its job: it establishes an awesome game with laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, awesome gameplay, some excellent voice work by Black, an outstanding combat system, and then it takes it all away from you just as you're really getting good at it. I knew five minutes into the demo (before the opening cinematic was even through, to be honest) that I'd be buying the game as soon as I could, and the demo definitely sold me on the game beyond a shadow of a doubt.
So, if you're into comedy, action, Jack Black, heavy metal, Tim Schaeffer's games, and "fun", have I got the game for you. If you're able, download the demo right now and get playing: the game comes out Oct. 13th, but you're gonna wanna get a head start. This game certainly earns the Comedy Examiner seal of approval.
And, hey, check out some of the Comedy Examiner's other recent articles, handily listed in the top right-hand corner of this page. We have reports on David Letterman's blackmail shenanigans, a poll asking whether or not Dave's a sleazebag, Conan O'Brien being banned from Jersey, progress reports on the ratings figures for several of your favorite NBC comedies-- are some of them getting a pink slip?-- that air Thursday nights, a report about "The Jay Leno Show" being boycotted, reviews of last week's episodes of "The Office" and "Parks and Rec", and another poll about Jon Gosselin's recent appearance on "Larry King Live", a report on the upcoming "Green Hornet" movie, proof that The Rock is a "Fairy", as well as some other timely stuff. Click any of those links to go straight to the articles!
Oh, and while I've got your ear: the Comedy Examiner has a new website! If you like the Comedy Examiner's articles but just wish they were a little more adult-oriented, a little more snarky, and could cover stuff other than snarky pop culture and comedy, then you are cordially invited over to NiceGuyForHire, the Comedy Examiner's newest site. It's still a work in progress-- we have alot of cool features planned-- but you can still stop by, leave a comment, and check out some of the articles that aren't running here over there. Give it a shot!
(Photo: Brutalgamer.com)
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