No Guitar Controller Support In Brutal Legend

[Keane Ng]

No Guitar Controller Support In Brutal Legend

Brutal Legend designer Tim Schafer has dashed the dreams of many a hopeful plastic axe swinger against the heavy metal rock of reality by confirming that his upcoming game will not support guitar controllers in any way.

Guitar controllers and Tim Schafer's heavy metal action adventure, Brutal Legend, seemed as natural a combination as the bottom of Ozzy Osbourne's stomach and a bat, but sometimes things that work on paper don't work in real life.

In Brutal Legend, you play as Eddie Riggs, who uses an axe, in both the literal and heavy metal sense, to fight. The literal axe cuts heads off, the guitar unleashes all sorts of special moves, and also plays a role in some kind of "casting system [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/03/joystiq-impressions-brutal-legend-page-2/]" that involves Eddie playing songs on his guitar. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to use a guitar controller, right? On top of that - both Brutal Legend's former (Activison) and present (Electronic Arts) publishers manufacture games that feature, you guessed it, fake plastic guitars.

Unfortunately, Schafer's too sensible for his own good (and what place does sensibility in heavy metal, I ask?). Asked if he might include guitar controller support in Legend, Schafer revealed he'd been thinking about it. "I was trying to figure out how you would throw down the controller and pick up the guitar," he recalled [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/03/guitar-controllers-axed-from-brutal-legend/]. Yeah, it does sound a bit cumbersome when you put it that way. Schafer then remarked that are "no plans" for guitar controller functionality in Brutal Legend.

Which I guess is for the best. Because I'm pretty sure I would've broken my TV swinging around my Rock Band guitar like it was a weapon.


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[Brotherofwill]

Maybe you could get an added bonus if you break your guitar in an desperate attempt to fumble between it and the controller. I'm smelling a sneaky achievement.

It wouldn't be practical, but it sure would set the mood

 

[Keane Ng]

In my opinion, not having guitar controller support in this game is about as metal as Hot Topic.

And Brutal Legend wasn't even that metal to begin with!

 

[ThaBenMan]

Awww, man, that would have been so cool... maybe you could have the guitar plugged/linked into the 2nd player slot. It would be kind of jarring to have to have the game pause for a second for you to grab it though...

OR it would've been pretty sweet to have the game be playable entirely with the guitar controller alone!

 

[Bullfrog1983]

Myeh. It's not really important enough to be a deterrent for me to rent this game. It'd be cool if the guitar controller was included in the main controls.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

Seriously THE Tim Shafer couldn't think of a way to switch from controller to guitar? How about a simple pause?

 

[GyroCaptain]

As long as it was directionally controllable via d-pad, it could totally work. You'd not have camera control, but who cares? A while back I was thinking about playing Lost Odyssey with one for gits and shiggles, but I never did.

 

[Brotherofwill]

This is coming from Indigo_Dingo:

Well, as someone who has yet to get a Ps3 GH controller, because Rock Band is still too expensive, Guitar Hero is still too much the work of Satan and Rock Revolution still lacking the quality its setlist demands, I am kinda pleased.

That bing said, I seem to remember Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw controllers. Any chance of a similar compromise?

Also, switching between the guitar and controller would be cumbersome, but how about mapping the game to the Guitar controller itself? I remember that you could play quitae a few games (and kick a fair amount of ass) with A guitar Hero controller back in the 6th generation, why not remap the controls to work for just the premise? Strum bar to turn, Green is fowards, Blue is X, Green is Triangle, and so on and so forth, Star power tilt to change the camera. Couldn't control any worse than Psychonauts

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

Everyone remember the guitar weapon in DMC 3? I don't see why we can't have something like that again now that we've got actual guitar controllers. It could be kind of a music, rail shooter thing...

Brb, pitching that to Capcom.

 

[HobbesMkii]

Good lord, remember how dangerous the Wii Remotes were? Now imagine those GH/RB guitars flying through the air. You'd kill everything!

 

[Flying-Emu]

Meh, doesn't change that I'll be checking this game out. I mean, it's Tim Schafer. It can't go wrong, can it?

But you know someone's going to manage to make this playable with a Rock Band guitar. And then someone will make it playable with drums. And then we'll have awesome multiplayer rock-offs.

Eh, well, I can dream.

 

[The Rockerfly]

Awwh man that is such a disappointment. I was really looking forward to everything within a 10m radius being bludgeoned to death by my guitar hero controller. Still, Devil may cry 3 had a guitar weapon and that was still fun without a guitar.

EDIT: Ninja'd

 

[Yog Sothoth]

Why would having a guitar strapped over your shoulder (or back the way rock stars do it!) prevent you from holding a standard controller while you're not playing the guitar...? Having said that, players who hadn't yet bought a guitar controller would, however, be left out in the cold....

Good lord, remember how dangerous the Wii Remotes were? Now imagine those GH/RB guitars flying through the air. You'd kill everything!

Aye, a guitar controller with full motion sensors would be the most dangerous gaming peripheral ever conceived..... I can only image the carnage.....

 

[KDR_11k]

I guess they could add guitar support to the rumoured Wii version since you'd have the controller located inside the guitar anyway and the motion sensing could let you swing the whole thing to attack...

Yog: But where do you put the controller when you use the guitar?

 

[Headwuend]

Maybe Mr. Schafer kindly has the PC gamers in mind when he doesn't intend to implement guitar controller support? I smell a port - gleeeeeeee ^_^

But I think it could add some immersion having your plastic guitar wrapped around you in some way and flinging it into action when the need arises.
I'd like to figure out some "very special moves", but frankly my guitar is made of wood and not fond of being flung around.

 

[The Great JT]

I like this idea. Make it more like a game and less like DDR for the fingers.

 

[Random Argument Man]

And Brutal Legend wasn't even that metal to begin with!

Umm....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLW2Z0ijIP0

Wonder beasts, motor bikes, Judas Priest, Epic Solo from a guitar, skulls and demons, Big muscled guy with a few skinny groupies around, an axe and rock gods...

I'm sorry did you say "wasn't even that metal to begin with"?

 

[Yog Sothoth]

...

Yog: But where do you put the controller when you use the guitar?

Ummm, you could just set it down or throw it on the couch or whatever....

 

[Fearzone]

Strummer down once: run forward
Strummer up once: stop
Strummer down while running: jump
Hold strummer up: go back

Left middle finger: pan right
Left ring: pan left
Left index: swing axe
Left Pinkie: modifier button that when used with other buttons and combination would allow special abilities.

 

[plastic_window]

To be perfectly honest, I'm glad there hasn't been a guitar controller-mode tacked onto this. It might make sense, but not everyone has them. Besides, I'd rather just play with my controller like normal. If I wanted a neat controller I'd have bought a Wii instead of my 360.

I think The Dishwasher: Dead Samuri has a Guitar Controller function on it. I think it goes like; if you play multiplayer, someone can join you as a floating guitar (!) and with the guitar controller, they can do stuff. Not exactly what or why, but IGN mentioned it in their review.