Superhero and cartoon characters are integral parts of the electronic entertainment industry. With this in mind, I salute the meld of pop-culture character and video game with a look at Brutal Legend (from Electronic Arts, reviewed for Xbox 360, rated M for mature, $59.99).
Tim Schafer and his developing band of Psychonauts bring the fantasies of heavy-metal music to life in a third-person adventure game loaded with bloody combat, a pinch of vehicular slaughter and real-time strategy battles.
Entering a postapocalyptic world ripped from a Meatloaf or Iron Maiden album, a player commands a cocky hero within testosterone-drenched action; the fate of humanity is at stake.
What’s the story? From the game’s manual: Somewhere in time, the Titans prophesied the arrival of a legendary warrior destined to tame a land beset by demonic evil. Or maybe destroy it. Not real big into details, those guys.
Eddie Riggs, however, was a details man and unquestionably the best roadie in rock history. He lived on tour, always staying out of the spotlight, until the fire beast Ormagoden transported him to a nightmarish - but kind of awesome - land plagued by evil. Now Eddie finally takes center stage to set the people free through the power of rock.
Play the role: The player manages the cigarette-smoking, overconfident Eddie as he roams a wasteland and challenges General Lionwhyte, Doviculus and the goth forces of black metal with help from Lars Halford, his sister, Lita, and the mysterious Ophelia.
Between freeing the lands from evil; entering the bowels of hell; and fighting a bunch of Skull Rakers, reapers and occasionally an enormous serpent and leech, Eddie’s primary objective is completing missions such as defending a tour bus from a band of ticks on motorcycles or hunting razor-fire boars to supply female warriors with weapons.
He also seeks side missions, such as ambushing Lionwhyte’s soldiers, and will unlock relics to add to his arsenal. He even can spend a few minutes looking over the landscape with a special viewer.
Get to the action: Eddie’s main weapons include a heavy-duty ax and an electric-bolt-spitting guitar nicknamed Clementine.
If that’s not enough, he drives a slick hot rod called Deuce on demand. This baby comes complete with a controllable radio that plays dozens of ear-bleeding tunes.
Eddie even can command and reinforce an army of roadies and headbangers powered by a geyser of undead fans in massive stage battles against the minions of Lord Doviculus and General Lionwhyte.
Best of all, a player follows the ancient power chords of the gods to perform actions, including calling the Deuce, inspiring troops with a battle cry or summoning a burning zeppelin of lead. (Get it?) Yes it’s a button-mashing, rhythm-based minigame and was absolutely required, considering the source material.
Memorable moments (in no particular order): Freeing the headbangers to the loud sounds of Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages,” meeting the Guardian of Metal, fighting against a spider metal queen, riding along with the Killmaster on his Thunderhog, taking flight as a winged-demon Eddie, and forming a headbanger stampede.
Violent encounters: Although this game might seem like the 15th circle of hell, complete with decapitations, spurting blood and profanity, it keeps its spiked tongue firmly planted in its makeup-covered cheek the entire time.
There is an option to shut off the curse words and extreme violence, but this is a mature Metalevil world of good versus evil. So, if watching Eddie cleaving leather-clad maidens of pain in half or melting the faces of foes is not your idea of wholesome entertainment, move on.
Read all about it: There’s no Brutal Legend comic, but I can offer a mix of sequential art to get players in the mood for the action. Start with any current Conan offering from Dark Horse Comics. I especially like the monthly Conan the Cimmerian ($2.99 each).
Next, scour the Web for issues of Revolutionary’s early 1990s Rock and Roll Comics, presenting illustrated biographies of such bands as Black Sabbath, Motley Crue and Whitesnake. Bluewater Productions soon may offer trades of the series. Hard-core readers also might go trolling for the few issues of the equally ancient Heavy Metal Monsters by Scott Jackson that definitely fit the vibe of Brutal Legend ($3.95 each).
Pixel-popping scale: 7.5 out of 10. Landscapes envisioned by Hieronymus Bosch mix with lively character design. Lionwhyte’s hair is over the top, and large battlescapes feature dozens of combatants.
Extras and unlockables: Stop by the Motor Forge temples to spend accumulated fire tributes and upgrade skills, gear and vehicles. Goodies range from flaming side pipes and machine guns for the Deuce to changing the Mount Rockmore faces to adding fire on Eddie’s ax.
Star power: Actor and comedian Jack Black not only introduces the game in a live-action segment but also offers his voice, soul and facial characteristics as Eddie Riggs. He delivers a hysterical performance in a role he obviously relishes.
Co-stars include Motorhead’s Lemmy as the Killmaster, actor Tim “Dr. Frank N. Furter” Curry as Doviculus, rock goddess Lita Ford as Rima, and Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford as General Lionwhyte. To top it off, the Guardian of Metal comes to life through the staggering vocalizations of Godfather of Heavy Metal Ozzy Osbourne.
The soundtrack is an additional co-star. It’s a wondrous mix of metal music, offering sounds from such stalwarts as Black Sabbath, KISS, King Diamond, Motley Crue, Anvil, Megadeath and Marilyn Manson.
Multiplayer: An online battle of the bands (to the death, of course) gives up to eight players the chance to build armies from either the Ironheade, Drowning Doom or Tainted Coil factions and let loose in a wide-scale “Lord of the Rings”-style war.
What’s it worth? Brutal Legend is an absolute dream come true for the metal head in the family. It’s inspired, loud and with a Spinal Tap sensibility sure to delight the cynical gamer looking for a different take on the third-person action genre.
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• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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