Brutal Legend (2009): A Metal Fan's Dream

If you are a true fan of metal and a fan of video games, the newest release from Double Fine Productions has combined those two passions into one entertaining, and visually stimulating video game experience.

From the developers of Psychonauts, Brutal Legend. Published by Electronic Arts, the game follows roadie Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black) through a world filled with scenery straight from the covers of old metal legends' albums. Legends along the lines of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, Lita Ford, and Rob Halford. The game also features cameo appearances from fellow comedians such as Brian Posehn and David Cross.

The basic plot of the video game involves a made up mythology a battle between humans, led by Eddie Riggs teamed with a small group of resistance fighters who have been battling the ongoing oppression of Doviculus and his minions. Equipped with a guitar and a battle-axe, Eddie leads these fighters into battle against various groups of enemies fighting for Doviculus. The battle itself often seems like it's an attempt to save heavy metal music from falling into the past and being replaced by the pseudo metal heard today.

When Ryan and I first heard about this game, we were extremely excited. We immediately downloaded the demo as soon as it became available on Xbox 360. The game is extremely entertaining and as I stated before, visually entertaining. The open world that the game is played in is creative and fresh. It literally brings covers off of heavy metal albums to life. In other words, a lot of Gothic style art, a lot of dragons, and of course, plenty of metal and spikes. Eddie also has a car called "The Deuce" (The Druid Plow) which he can summon at any time by playing a small guitar riff, enabling him to drive around freely in the open world.

There are numerous things to do in the game outside of the actual campaign. Various side missions are located on the map which involve all sorts of activities. Some involve defeating waves of enemies, racing various other cars, and defending your stage during mini-battles. There are also several types of unlockable content throughout the map. You can unlock the dragon statues which look as though they've been decorated in bondage gear right out of Rocky Horror Picture Show. You can unlock different relics throughout the game as well by playing the "Relic Raiser" guitar riff, which open up different garages in order to upgrade your weapons and car. These garages are protected and led by the "Guardian of Metal" Ozzy Osbourne himself. Also, as you unlock more of these relics and statues, you unlock more songs to add to your soundtrack which plays whenever you are riding in the car.

This brings me to the overall coolest part of the game, aside from the artwork (which is amazing). The music. If you are a fan of metal, this game is everything you ever wanted in a video game. It looks metal, and best of all, it plays metal throughout the entire game. Metal of YOUR choice. The soundtrack features artists such as Slayer, Black sabbath, Mastodon, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, and more. You can simply click the button and select which song you want to play during game play. This was by far one of our favorite parts of the game.

The game as a whole is a good game, but you would really almost have to like to metal to play it and thoroughly enjoy it. The battles in game are a little tedious and time consuming, and they are set up as real time strategy battles which makes it a little more frustrating than you'd expect. There are times during these battle scenes when you're protecting your stage that you feel as though you are making little to no progress against the enemy forces, but you just have to stick with it and really use strategy while trying to beat these sections of the game. I would offer a tip for these specific battles, but it is almost as if developing your own strategy will help you out more. These real time strategy battles are exactly what the multi-player is like. So team up with your friends and develop a quick defeat strategy and the game will probably be a lot easier once you've practiced it. Beyond this, some of the missions you have to complete during the campaign are equally as frustrating. The vehicles are a little hard to control considering you're driving the vehicle and using three to four button schemes to control, fire, and steer them. These few things do make the game extremely hard to remain patient with, but I assure you, tough it out and finish the game. If you're like us, you will play it just to continue listening to the music and looking around the world at all of the scenery.

Game Informer gave the game an 8/10, IGN gave it a 9/10, and I am going to have to say it is an 8.5 out of 10. As I said before, if you love metal, you have to at least get the game to pay homage to the music you grew up around, if you don't the game is still a fun story and several different activities to complete and keep you entertained. I would suggest playing a little each night and just having fun with it!

The game is available on: Xbox 360 and PS3

The Game is rated: M for Mature Audiences 17+ but if you're a parent and you're wondering, you can actually turn off the profanity as well as the gore in the game. You have the option to choose.

Paranormal Activity Reviewed

After hearing about the film for a few weeks and reading all the hype that surrounded it, Brittany and myself decided to take a little trip to Atlanta and see what all the chatter was about. I couldn’t believe that a film made in under a mere 11,000.00 dollars had garnered so much attention, but after seeing all the review saying it was “truly” scary, we had to check it out.



If you like your horror movies in the vain of Freddy, Jason or the Saw series, then this movie probably is not your cup of tea. The movie opens with a note from Paramount studios thanking the families of Micah and Katie and the LA police department. Next, we are introduced to the film’s only two “stars” who are a young couple who have been together for a few years and have recently moved into a new home. Katie is still in college and Micah is a day trader. One of the most redeeming parts of the movie is that its two main characters play their role as a young couple to the T, they make menial activities like brushing their teeth and working at the computer seem so natural and easy to identify with you could almost swear at times that the movie is in fact real, and all that’s left behind from the couple.



Micah has purchased a new camera to film and get proof of a ghost or something unknown, that audiences learn has terrified Katie at night since she was 8 years old. At night the couple set the camera up on a tripod to film as they sleep, in hopes that they will capture some sort of proof of the thing that haunts their home. Katie seems to be coming to the end of her rope with the haunting and has also called in a psychic to try and channel the spirit. The psychic informs the couple that what is haunting Katie is not a ghost at all but rather a demon and that sort of thing is out of his area of expertise. The psychic excuses himself from the home fearing that his presence will just make the demon more active and angry.



The couple proceeds to film as well as try and communicate and get proof of the demon in other ways. Where the film succeeds highly is in the area of using the “real and filmed by the couple” vehicle to reach great levels of intensity. A camera alone in a dark room watching the couple sleep strikes a nerve on many levels, that keeps you asking questions like, how did they do that without special effects, or what is happening to us while WE sleep. You feel on the edge of your seat in all of these scenes waiting for something to happen or not to happen. The film proves that you don’t have to be flashy, gory or loud to get a scare out of an audience. You just have to play on something that they know, and can relate to when they go home; the bumps in the night, the shadows in the corner and the deafening silence that keeps you chewing on your fingernails in complete suspense.

Because of the amount of hype and talk there will undoubtedly be naysayers, tough guys and cynics who will down the film, make your own decision, but I can promise you this; when they get home even the “haters” will be slightly reserved when it comes to cutting the lights out in the bedroom and trying hard not to at least sit up when they hear that bump in the night. With the great chemistry and free flow acting from the couple, the constant suspense, and eerie feeling that sticks with you after the movie we’ll give this one a 4/5.





Just a small tip: We’d post the movie trailer, but it’s our recommendation that you nix watching it and just go without. The movie is better if you don’t spoil it with the trailer. Seriously. Take it from us.