Yahtzee and me had the exact same feelings on this game... So promising, yet all that RTS bullshit...
Zero Punctuation: Brutal Legend
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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I like Tim Schafer. I really do. Psychonauts was fun, quirky and extremely enjoyable. Now, I thought that with Brutal Legend having an all star work out, a somewhat amusing lead voice, and the iconic art style of Schafer's games I was really looking forward to a unique and ultimately compelling game. What I got for my money was a game with a big yellow tag that screamed of RTS hack n' smash. Not many unique things to it. It had the same art style I loved, the same (though overdone quirky-ness), but where was the playability? I'm going to go sob and play Grim Fandango now.
TO be fair, I'm feeling a bit like Yahtzee on this one, I desperately want to love Brutal Legend, however, I had far more fun in the first half of the game than the second. Now dont get me wrong I've played quite a bit of RTS games in my day, in fact I keep Rise of Legends on my laptop for when I'm on military duty with no internet connection. The problem to me was less the RTS bit, and more about how they approached the RTS. It feels alienating to both RTS players, and people who dont really like RTS's.
Given what I know now, would I buy it? Well.... probably, but only to put in my Tim Schafer shrine... and I'dve bought it months from now when the price dropped to under $20 USD.
I also appreciated Yahtzee's pronunciation of the umlaut, I took seven years of German myself, and made a point to pronounce the umlaut when talking to my friends just to irritate the crap out of them.
Now I will sit here and await for Deathspank to come out, since it seems to have a better grasp so far on the Hack N Slash RPG style, with the same sense of humor as Tim Schafer... then again its less his sense of humor and more of the Monkey Island sense of humor that I enjoy so much.
Given what I know now, would I buy it? Well.... probably, but only to put in my Tim Schafer shrine... and I'dve bought it months from now when the price dropped to under $20 USD.
I also appreciated Yahtzee's pronunciation of the umlaut, I took seven years of German myself, and made a point to pronounce the umlaut when talking to my friends just to irritate the crap out of them.
Now I will sit here and await for Deathspank to come out, since it seems to have a better grasp so far on the Hack N Slash RPG style, with the same sense of humor as Tim Schafer... then again its less his sense of humor and more of the Monkey Island sense of humor that I enjoy so much.
I completely agree that the game fails as a genre. But why does a game have to be good at a specific genre to be a good game? Honestly, even though people are labeling it as an rts game, that is definitely not all the game is about. I mean theres what, like 4 or 5 rts fights? The rest of it is a combination of a bunch of different elements; racing, adventure hack/slash, side missions, etc. Besides, people complain that they dont like rts, but during the rts portions all you have to do is build a bunch of units, and then LEAD them into battle, not send them to different strategic points and sit back and watch. In fact, if you try to play it as an rts you will get pwned.(and by the way I don't play rts games and generally hate them) The rts portions are really basic too. They take place on extremely straightforward maps (usually just an open plain between bases with "currency" nodes in-between). Its pretty simple just to power through them. What I like best about the game, however, is the atmosphere. On its own, I admit, many of the gameplay elements are pretty weak, but the whole metal atmosphere makes it more interesting, even if its just while driving from point a to point b. (while running over/shooting down various wildlife) Just because the game isn't exactly as was advertised doesn't mean it's not a good game.
Yes. We realize there are no WMD's in Iraq NOW but we had reasonable suspicion that there were before going in. Could you please actually study the Iraq War and the circumstances behind it before you make half-assed jabs against Americans? Thanks.3_of_8 said:
Back on topic; I found the review hilarious while highly informative. Also the lack of gross jokes and imagery actually improved things.
I'm gonna be honest. If it weren't for the fact that Brutal Legend positively oozed metal and was so absurdly stylish, it would be a lot less fun. I would have loved it if it stuck more to the solo-with-a-couple-squads missions in the beginning. The one-on-one fighting is tight, but ultimately a bit simplistic; the RTS elements are outright childish. But the setting....
Whoa. The setting. The soundtrack. The "what the hell, let's just go with this and have a ball while it lasts" attitude. That's what makes it fun.
Oh, and the possible dig at Activision in Jack Black's intro for doing its best at killing this game in development, and nearly succeeding. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.
Whoa. The setting. The soundtrack. The "what the hell, let's just go with this and have a ball while it lasts" attitude. That's what makes it fun.
Oh, and the possible dig at Activision in Jack Black's intro for doing its best at killing this game in development, and nearly succeeding. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.
I can agree with most of the problems with the game, as much as I did love it, but I'm a bit unsure bout the complaint about the shortness of the story, yes it was short, but so was portal and I think it saves Brutal Legend from the same problem it saves Portal from, that is repetition. Unfortunately what I mean when I say "save" is actually "save the campaign" because the side missions are amazingly repetitive, apart from the awesome party ones.
I think that most of the problems with the game are ones I would associate with EA games, which is odd since it was produced by Activision... oh wait...
PS. Ditto the guy above me, the style, ooooh the style, that made this game for me. Anyone else think that the vision points were one of the highlights of the game?
I think that most of the problems with the game are ones I would associate with EA games, which is odd since it was produced by Activision... oh wait...
PS. Ditto the guy above me, the style, ooooh the style, that made this game for me. Anyone else think that the vision points were one of the highlights of the game?
i kinda thought the same thing about the demo. i thought it was more of a brawler/fighting/enemy spam game than an open world (stealth RTS). which the former would have been fun, and the latter is a let down. not to say the concept of a metal game is bad. metal is AWESOME \m/,
I like the game Brutal Legend and I thought it was Genius.
WHile I admit some aspects made me go "WTF?" in the game, I can say I still liked it.
I agree with Yahtzee that all the people who enjoy GTA, Saints Row and other sandbox games need to stop saying that EVERY game needs to be a sandbox game.
I like linear stories and sandbox games give me headaches because they always have these "scavenger" hunt missions....not just one ALL THE TIME. I am tired of scavenger hunts. I just want to play a game where I can do whatever I want and return to the linear story when ever I want.
WHile I admit some aspects made me go "WTF?" in the game, I can say I still liked it.
I agree with Yahtzee that all the people who enjoy GTA, Saints Row and other sandbox games need to stop saying that EVERY game needs to be a sandbox game.
I like linear stories and sandbox games give me headaches because they always have these "scavenger" hunt missions....not just one ALL THE TIME. I am tired of scavenger hunts. I just want to play a game where I can do whatever I want and return to the linear story when ever I want.
Haven't played it, as it is not available for the PC, and therefore I take some smug satisfaction from hearing I haven't missed anything (again).
One thing in the review though - some players (like me) are explorers. Yathzee said "Wouldn't it make sense to give me items as a reward for gameplay rather than send me out on a scavenger hunt?". For me, finding cleverly hidden things IS a reward for gameplay.
One thing in the review though - some players (like me) are explorers. Yathzee said "Wouldn't it make sense to give me items as a reward for gameplay rather than send me out on a scavenger hunt?". For me, finding cleverly hidden things IS a reward for gameplay.
As a fully informed fully American, I would like to make a fully-assed observation. We did not have "reasonable suspicion". What we had, in fact, was shaky information from sources who were known to be unreliable and a corrupt White House leaning on the intelligence community to provide the answer they wanted rather than the truth. Colin Powell was not quoted as saying "I'm not reading this bulls**t" shortly before quitting because everything was on the up-and-up.ShinningDesertEagle said:
As for all the people who feel the need to accuse those who put any value to Yahtzee's opinions as 'sheep' and 'cultists', I find doing so is one or two steps removed from reductio ad Hitlerum arguments. Yes, Yahtzee's reviews are primarily about the humor. However, there is normally legitimate criticism to be found inbetween the 'lines', so to speak. There is nothing more wrong with taking into account what Yahtzee says than there is any other reviewer.
I feel it's a shame that the review missed out on Scafers news post, that he pretty much titled "You are playing my game wrong"
(http://www.doublefine.com/news/comments/battle_time/)
It seems that it is not really a RTS, but something more. (then again, if you have to explain to people how to play your game, and it isnt obvious from playing it... well)
(http://www.doublefine.com/news/comments/battle_time/)
It seems that it is not really a RTS, but something more. (then again, if you have to explain to people how to play your game, and it isnt obvious from playing it... well)
Now, I normally don't argue with what someone says in an internet video, but to comment on the not knowing the "throwing the horns to raise whatever the hell it was at Mount Rockmore" and Tim & Jack never being in the same room together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlzumGiJOZE
http://g4tv.com/videos/42165/Brutal-Legend-Brutal-Thoughts-For-the-Ladies/
Sorry Mr. Croshaw. Kind of got to point that out. Love the video anyway.
(P.S. - I never even played the damn thing yet.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlzumGiJOZE
http://g4tv.com/videos/42165/Brutal-Legend-Brutal-Thoughts-For-the-Ladies/
Sorry Mr. Croshaw. Kind of got to point that out. Love the video anyway.
(P.S. - I never even played the damn thing yet.)
He called it out for it's imperfections but I still love Brutal Legend.
The experience was just so much fun for me personally that it's probably in my top 5/10 games of all time.
But the RTS element wasn't a strong point or done all that well, and the whole lack of content was pretty sad face. But all things considered, I was smiling ear to ear and having the best time ever when I was playing Brutal Legend.
The experience was just so much fun for me personally that it's probably in my top 5/10 games of all time.
But the RTS element wasn't a strong point or done all that well, and the whole lack of content was pretty sad face. But all things considered, I was smiling ear to ear and having the best time ever when I was playing Brutal Legend.
i agree with the review. although i must also admit that any game with jack black in it to me is basically "box office poison" rock and roll monster truck RTS game featuroing jack black AND guitar hero'esque? shoot me in the head.
Well, it had to happen sooner or later: Yahtzee does a review that I thoroughly disagree with. I've been playing BL since it came out and enjoy it immensely. While he's more or less correct that the RTS element isn't the most fantastic in the world, the world itself and the background story are what pull me in. That and the fact that the old-school tabletop wargamer in me wants some enterprising sould to create a line of 28mm Brutal Legend miniautres...