Zero Punctuation: Brutal Legend

[Gutterpunk]

I've yet to play it, but I am still tempted to get it, just for the soundtrack.

There is one question I wanted to ask though, I know it's about as likely as the moon colliding with Uranus, but are you gonna review Tropico 3? I know you're not a huge fan, but this is meant to have a bit of humour and other such things to tease you over. That and you get to be a dictator.

Did you miss the part of the video that mentioned how he hate RTSes?

 

[Shintsu2]

Man it gets so old hearing the harping about Psychonauts. I am never playing that stupid game, it sold badly because the game just looks and sounds stupid. Most people don't like it. Why do people who develop a cult following (The very meaning of being a hardcore following of something most people don't) want everyone to follow it too? If they did then it'd be a generic borefest of mediocrity. The Need for speed series started out a little more "cultish" but NFS Underground made it mainstream popular and then EA has turned it into a shitfest - the last decent NFS title being Carbon (Which was just Most Wanted with some extra stuff basically). You DON'T want your favorite cult game to be a popular game...it won't end well.

I liked the old Populus game but I doubt a remake would be as good as the one I played. Cult games went into production WAY more in the 90's - now it's mostly big boys. We do get stuff like Bioshock and Mass Effect that come out from nowhere that are good stuff but a remake of an old game today isn't usually as good as fans would like them to be.

A little more on the game though, Brutal Legend looked stupid since I heard about it so glad to see Yahtzee tearing it up. I do not know - nor do I care who Tim Schaffer is. Whoop-dee-whoop. The fact some dude had something to do with it means nothing to me, the whole idea of a metal game just sounded stupid from the start. I like trance music but I can tell you a game with hack and slash and RTS elements with people dressed up like ravers in a "rave world" sounds stupid, so it's not just because I don't care for metal. Although as I said elsewhere the fact Jack Black was involved already sealed the deal I knew it would suck - since Jack Black sucks he transfers his suckdom to everything he is involved with in any way.

 

[Little Duck]

I've yet to play it, but I am still tempted to get it, just for the soundtrack.

There is one question I wanted to ask though, I know it's about as likely as the moon colliding with Uranus, but are you gonna review Tropico 3? I know you're not a huge fan, but this is meant to have a bit of humour and other such things to tease you over. That and you get to be a dictator.

Did you miss the part of the video that mentioned how he hate RTSes?

I saw. I still think he might like it, at least a little.

 

[ssgt splatter]

HAHA, that was funny!
Now to wait 7 more days before my next drug injection.

 

[GoldenCondor]

I laughed so hard. Brutal Legend looked pretty stupid to me, basically Jack Black's chance to wank.

Jack Black always wanks. He's also not funny.

I haven't played the game, and never will for the sole reason that Jack Black is in it. This review just gave me more reasons to not buy it.

Thanks Yahtzee! I appreciate it very much!

 

[Britisheagle]

Thos "1st" comments are actually starting to annoy me. Great review but disagree that all genres are being killed by the sandbox monster but it would be nice to see some variety. The umlaut thing was pretty funny too.

 

[Ziren]

Not to try and destroy Yahtzee's point with the RTS thing, but after the game came out Tim Schafer came out and said not to play it like an RTS and to play it more like a hack and slash with RTS elements. Like you should be down there a fair bit with your guys, you just need to replenish them every once in a while.

You know that you failed if you have to explain how to play your game to GAMERS. Because people playing games 10+ years (or 15+, what the hell) are usually considered gamers.

Did you know that some of the best chess players in the world do extremely bad at fairy chess? It's because they're too familiar with concepts they already know and unable to adapt to something different. And that's exactly the problem that your sort of "gamers" has with Brütal Legend.

------

The game has it's issues:
- rushed story
- overall far too low difficulty
- demo didn't give a full impression of the game

But I love the stage battles, especially in multiplayer. I usually don't like RTS games, but Brütal Legend cut all the stuff that I can't stand about the genre (basebuilding and the inability to take part in the action, to name the two most prominent) and made it into something I can truely enjoy. Also, the game has an awesome soundtrack and a great presentation.

Some of you might not "get" the game, the same way I can't "get" Starcraft or any sports game ever made, but you should at least try it out if you can borrow it from a friend before you pass your judgement.

 

[jorgemalgom]

I'm a huge Tim Schafer games fan (specially Grim Fandango and Pshyconouts). But i didn´t expect any good game if have jack black on it. It's like expecting to see a Charlie Sheen movie and take it seriously.

Good Review Never The Less.

 

[Fallopian_Faust]

It's my understanding that Brutal Legend was originally going to star a Jack Black impersonator, but the man himself liked the whole idea and wanted to get involved.

For those of you who thought that Black overpowered the game, do you think the notBlack might have been better? Not that you have much information to judge on.

I'm sorry he didn't like the game, but frankly, I don't give a toss what Yahtzee has to say when it comes to buying a game.

You act like this means something to other people.

[Yahtzee's] views on a game mean even less to me than the so-called "professionals" at IGN and the like.

The reason for this is he's a comedian...

So it's impossible to make a valid point in a humorous manner?

Jonathon Swift is going to be PISSED.

He does occasionally make some good points, but his reviews are rants that usually only focus on the negative aspects of a game for sheer entertainment value. I find "professional reviewer" to be an oxymoron as it is. When you get down to it, it's just some schlob's opinion that is no more relevant than anyone else's.

 

[DTWolfwood]

Wait is he saying this game is bad? good? or meh?

Yahtzee u cur go back to making a stand! no fun when you sit on the fence

 

[malestrithe]

I thought that this game was a good waste of time. I did not like the RTS aspect of it. If it was more combat and less RTS, then I would like it more.

I do not know about your friend, but that is what all RTS were made around. Gather your mates and throw them at the enemies. Even in good RTS you tend to throw enemies until either they die or you do.

 

[Zeraki]

A bit sad to see that people worship Yahtzees words, which in turn makes them pass over great games which he didn't like. These "reviews" are fun and all, but hardly proper reviews.

Exactly! It gets annoying when I see people saying "Well Yahtzee didn't like the game, so I don't have to play it now". It's sad how people can't form opinions for themselves anymore and actually try the damn games. For some reason I feel like playing Lemmings now.

 

[Illusive DiZ]

Good review. Thanks for the heads up about this game.

 

[VMerken]

This game is something my gamer's intuition told me to stay the fork away from. Too much at once -> no focus -> no depth in virtually 95% of the games which attempt it. Judging from the review, this indeed appears to be the case here.

 

[Mattteus]

best review of late, good work on the umlauts

 

[thepj]

Brutal Legend

This week, Zero Punctuation reviews Brutal Legend.

Watch Video

A: while i feel you make some vailid points i must say that you might have tried reading the manuel? (to learn what a motor forge looks like for example)

B: have you ever even played a total war game? much less reveiwed one? i doubt it cause if you had you'd find them decent if not exactly fadt paced and actiony

C: I thought you liked sandbox games? sure there's a lot more of them but surely the great yattze isn't getting sick of his sandboxes? what about some nice linier games?

D: i agree with you on the scavenger hunt thing though



my point though can be summed up as follows: REVEIW A FUCKING TOTAL WAR GAME, MAKE YOUR MIND UP ABOUT SANDBOXES DO YOU LIKE THEM OR NOT, AND READ THE MANUAL!