Brutal Legend

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 61
  3. Negative: 0 out of 61
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  1. Cheat Code Central
    74
    Brutal Legend didn't live up to my expectations. While I absolutely loved the immersive world, despite the graphical shortcomings, and the amazing voice work and soundtrack, despite the inclusion of Whitesnake and Skid Row, I was left miffed by the lack of main story content and the uninspired gameplay.
  2. DailyGame
    73
    Unless you're absolutely die-hard about hard rock and heavy metal, Brutal Legend is one game you can relegate to a rental.
  3. Absolute Games
    71
    If only Brutal Legend's gameplay was as imaginative as its cool look! Try not to fall into a rut of side-missions spread over 64 square kilometers, and you’ll enjoy the short single-player campaign. And yet, Shafer & Co. can do much better than this. Just ask Ben, Manny, or Raz.
  5. Wired
    70
    Brütal Legend does a lot of things wonderfully: It’s a technically adept, graphically beautiful game with a surprisingly good story and a great soundtrack. The hybrid gameplay just doesn’t meet these high standards.
  6. PALGN
    70
    Melding exemplary artistic merit with uninspiring gameplay, Brutal Legend is by turns captivating and clumsy, and certainly more fun to watch than it is to play.
  7. D+PAD Magazine
    70
    Brutal Legend has clearly been a labour of love for Double Fine Productions, and this is reflected in the degree of ambition demonstrated on nearly every level. Unfortunately, like the LOVE and HATE tattoos emblazoned on the knuckles of many a Hell’s Angel, with one you must have the other, and Brutal Legend is no exception.
  8. games(TM)
    70
    It may have its flaws, but at least those mistakes were made in the course of trying to do something new. [Dec 2009, p.100]
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  9. RealGamer
    70
    Brutal Legend serves up a strange mix of action adventure gameplay and heavy metal that even more bizarrely works quite well.
  10. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    70
    BL is original, hilarious and a notable action game. Likewise, it missed opportunities with a lot of weak spots. The side you take depends on your affinity to heavy metal. [Dec 2009]
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  11. Giant Bomb
    60
    The gameplay, as singular a combination of gameplay styles as it is, suffers from being a jack of all trades and master of none. Like most teenage metalheads, this game has got issues, but if you're willing to look past some very uneven gameplay, Brutal Legend will rock you. Hard.

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best PS3 Game of 2009
20
#20 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009
42
#42 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 200 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 125 out of 200
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 200
  3. Negative: 20 out of 200
  1. dene
    Jan 16, 2010
    10
    Simply a legendary game. Soundtrack is unbelievable. Gameplay is awesome, the humour is great, even the story is awesome. Definitely the game Simply a legendary game. Soundtrack is unbelievable. Gameplay is awesome, the humour is great, even the story is awesome. Definitely the game of the year for me.… Full Review »
  2. Isaac
    Nov 18, 2010
    6
    A couple of years ago i bought psychonauts, a game made by Tim Shafer, and loved it. It was original, fun and unique. since Brutal legendA couple of years ago i bought psychonauts, a game made by Tim Shafer, and loved it. It was original, fun and unique. since Brutal legend was made by the same guy, i simply had to buy it. I was somewhat disappointed. the game isn't bad by all means, but it's just not that good either. the humor is really good and the characters are interesting but the story is short and the gameplay gets boring quickly. the worst thing is that the game changes its own genre in the middle of the game, from a action adventure game to an rts. some gamers loved it but i did not. the rts elements are fairly basic so the game doesnt excel at anything. it tries to be some games mixed up but in my opinion doesnt succeed in doing so. it's a great tribute to metal and if you are a huge huge fan of metal you will love the game but if you are looking for a deep, unique and fun experience ,like usually found in Tim Shafer games, you might be disappointed. for me fun was really lacking in this game.… Full Review »
  3. TornadoCreator
    Jul 15, 2014
    4
    I feel genuinely bad giving this review, because this game did make me smile and was quite fun for the first few hours. Jack Black is quiteI feel genuinely bad giving this review, because this game did make me smile and was quite fun for the first few hours. Jack Black is quite funny, the theme of metal music is a good one for the setting and allows for humorous level design and characters; it really had potential... and then it fell apart.

    The world quickly started to seem slapdash once the game opens up and the shift in gameplay style is jarring and irritating. The combat, though sluggish at times, was serviceable and could have been used far more effectively, likewise for the driving sections of the game, but the strategy sections which start to dominated the game are simply terrible. With difficult control and limited visibility, this quickly begins to feel like a PC real time strategy game that you're forced to play with a controller and the camera settings of a third person action brawler game... and yes that's as bad as it sounds. It takes an otherwise interesting and amusing game and destroys the element of fun it started with.

    This game would have been far better if it was, as advertised, a game where you spend 6-8 hours playing as Jack Black; hitting the things from 80s heavy metal LP artwork with your guitar whilst cracking silly one-liners. For the first 2 hours, and intermittently after that, this is what you get; but the awful strategy game hidden in here make it a chore to play. If you see it for bargain bin prices, pick it up and play through the first few hours if you want something light-hearted and amusing, but don't expect to ever actually finish it... I know I couldn't.    … Full Review »
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