Brutal Legend Xbox 360
Metascore
82 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 88 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 88
  3. Negative: 0 out of 88
view
per page
  1. IGN AU
    93
    Charming and clever in equal portions, Brütal Legend is a classic example of cohesive game design...In an age of ever-increasing monotony and creative stagnation, a game like Brütal Legend is brash, proud, subversive and triumphant - and it deserves to succeed. Get on board, crank it up and make it so. Two horns up.
  2. IGN
    90
    Brutal Legend is a tour de force that wraps up humor, music, and clever gameplay into one highly polished package. You haven't played a game quite like this before and won't want to miss it.
  3. GamesRadar
    90
    Brutal Legend won us over with its complete package: the aspects that are decidedly outside “gaminess” are its strongest and most lovable. The dialogue made us laugh, and not just a little. We cared about the characters enough to feel sad to say goodbye to them. We never got bored of exploring its world and continued to do so after completing the main story.
  4. Cynamite
    90
    Brütal Legend comes with many cool ideas and a great soundtrack. Nevertheless, the boss fights could be more challenging and the controls are sometimes annoying.
  5. Telegraph
    90
    The enthusiasm and joy that was involved in crafting this game is evident in almost every single frame and it's an undeniably unique gaming experience.
  6. Gameplayer Sweden
    90
    Heavy Metal aesthetics, Jack Black and videogames in the best of all combinations, this is a must buy for any fan of heavy music or Tim Schafer games. The gameplay can be a bit unpolished here and there, but all in all Brütal Legend delivers a compact and unique gaming experience, unlike anything else you will play this year.
  7. Play Magazine
    100
    There's never been anything like it and there may never be again. Brütal Legend is truly a gift to metal and game fans alike and my new, best 3D game ever.
  8. TeamXbox
    92
    It’s a unique experience, in both single and multiplayer, and Double Fine nails the concept perfectly, making it challenging for experienced gamers, yet not overwhelming for the newbies who just came here for the metal.
  9. Game Chronicles
    92
    An amazing game, and if you love heavy metal, Jack Black, Tim Schafer or any combination of these elements then this is a must-own adventure game infused with a thoughtful balance of action, combat, and real-time strategy. The story is epic, the landscapes are magical, and the humor is consistently present throughout the entire game from start to finish. This is heavy metal heaven!
  10. MEGamers
    92
    There are very, very few games which truly make me sit back and go “wow”. Among the slew of games that I’ve reviewed this year, there are only a couple that I really enjoyed playing, and continue to do so. Brutal Legend is one such game – even though I aced my Public Speaking and English Literature classes, words only slur together when I try to describe this game. Truth be told, I only heard about the game in the last month or so, but after spending a good amount of time with it, I was transformed from a mere gamer into a rocking, die-hard fan.
  11. Vandal Online
    92
    Lots of humour, heavy metal and a gameplay you'll fall in love with.
  12. Da Gameboyz
    90
    With an artistic visual design and a sound package that is second to none, Brutal Legend is a game metal heads and Jack Black fans will undoubtedly want to pick up.
  13. GamingTrend
    90
    The title is chock full of little details that make it a must-have. While it is a bit on the short side, there are plenty of collectibles to keep you busy after you complete the game, and the entire ride is entertaining from start to finish. In a sea of holiday sameness, how many games can make that claim?
  14. MS Xbox World
    90
    While online multiplayer will very likely be a love it or hate it affair for many, the single player campaign is a unique gaming experience that no player should dare to miss.
  15. ZTGD
    90
    The side missions may be repetitive, but the story is interesting, the characters are great, and the atmosphere is encompassing. Brütal Legend is definitely one of the better games I have played this year, and I look forward to seeing what the guys at Double Fine come up with next.
  16. AtomicGamer
    90
    What's more important is that Brutal Legend is a ton of fun to play and fiercely stakes its claim as one of the most unique, most ambitious titles on the market today.
  17. Gameplanet
    90
    A powerful storyline with a great open world environment that truly is exciting, exhilarating and, well, pretty musical really. You will be awed as you tear through the landscape in your hotrod, throwing flames into the night as you listen to heavy metal over the Deuce's tape deck.
  18. Impulsegamer
    90
    In conclusion, this game rocked and was a great walk or drive down memory lane with all the great bands who have lent their music to this game. The voice acting is pure class and the gameplay actually works quite well in a bizarre way that makes this quite an original game.
  19. Game Over Online
    89
    The game is certainly worth renting for a weekend, as the single-player campaign lasts a minimum of seven to 10 hours on a modest difficulty setting. A full purchase may depend on just how much the subject grabs you, and whether you can find friends to play online. In any case, the game is very promising for Double Fine's future.
  20. GameSpy
    90
    Despite all the references to this beloved material, I also felt satisfied as a gamer, challenged by its unique blend of exploration, action and strategy. While I was prepared for a thoroughly entertaining storyline, and was delivered one, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was to wage war in and explore this lovingly-crafted world.
  21. The A.V. Club
    100
    It inspires such excitement for its muse, heavy metal, that it also serves as a point of entry to an entire subculture. Just as important, it stands as proof that music in gaming is no longer the exclusive domain of “music games.”
  22. Gaming Age
    100
    A masterpiece...Brütal Legend deserves all the admiration and attention that some of the best games out there receive. Sales or no sales, this game is easily a contender for game of the year and is just brilliant.
  23. Gaming Nexus
    100
    Even with its non-stop references to heavy metal and specialized soundtrack, Brutal Legend comes off feeling like one of Tim Schafer's most accessible game. The real-time strategy aspects are carefully explained and never feel too daunting for the average console gamer. What's more, the game's humor and over-the-top story will make you want to see the game through to the end.
  24. GameShark
    91
    This is a heavy metal fairy tale, spun with love and copious amounts of good humor from Shafer and crew – and it’s every ounce the game fans hoped it would be.
  25. GamePro
    90
    A fun game with some very noticeable flaws and some less-than-stellar presentation, but in the end it's a memorable adventure I'd certainly recommend to any aspiring roadie. It comes pre-packaged with its fair share of issues, quirks and bugs, but all of the near-misses in the world can't take the fun out of this inspired adventure.
  26. WonderwallWeb
    90
    Finally a game that makes us old school rockers proud. An awful lot of love has been put into this game and it is a riot to play.
  27. ActionTrip
    89
    It's a labor of love and it's fun. The variety of missions and humor mix well and should be enough to hook anyone.
  28. Gamers' Temple
    88
    If you have a dislike for metal I doubt that you'll appreciate the game that much and you'll certainly miss out on many of the in-jokes and celebrity cameos. To legions that appreciate the true power of rock, though, it's your one way ticket to midnight.
  29. Extreme Gamer
    88
    Brutal Legend is another creative release from Double Fine that showcases how you can mix several conventional game mechanics together with an original concept to make a fun and interesting game.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 211 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 56
  3. Negative: 3 out of 56
  1. gamer
    0
    For me, any game under 7 is a zero since i won't play it for long so why should it matter? anyways, the game is an utter disappointment. i've played 4 hrs of it. i can't say there is anything great about this. the soundtrack is good but who cares? it is basically real songs that you can find anywhere. the humor while being great at first, gets old REALLY fast. the quests are utterly simple, i can't help but feel that this game was made for casual gamers. the combat is idiotic, the entire time i wasn't even sure that i could die at all. the world is almost empty, it feels like theres nothing to explore(it seems full but they're just fillers). raising the garages are stupid too. this game lets you find metal ruins and raise them, it lets you go inside and buy upgrades. at first i thought there would be many ruins, but it turns out it's basically the same thing everywhere. i was shocked the first time i entered my second garage and realized its the same thing. i did not advance far enough to see real rts but from what i've seen, it looks like they were trying to create Overlord but failed miserably. Overlord wasn't great to begin with. last but not least, this is a small bit but it bugged me to no end; the car automatically brakes when you get go of the gas. no game i've ever played does that, the car always drifts when you let go. it was just such a weird feeling i couldn't shake it. tl;dr boring as hell hack and slash game. difficulty and depth was made for casual gamers ie those who play web games in their free time. hack and slash is a very difficult genre to make a good game out of, one of the only few good ones was god of war. brutal legends is recommended for those who don't play games often but enjoy metal music and themes.… Full Review »
  2. Lance
    6
    The game starts out lively and fresh. The dialogue and characters are both interesting and witty. Combat is introduced as simple button smashing. At times mixing an x after a series of a. It doesn't go anywhere though. In addition there are combat mechanics such as blocking, which really do nothing other then hinder the player. During large fights the player will be juggle resource management, strategy, build cues, army orders, music riffs (rythm game), personal combat and well most players just have too much on their mind to time blocks. Moving on the game's story progresses nicely with additional side missions available for those wishing to earn extra fire tribute, the game's currency. These side missions just like combat, they start out simply enough and never progress. And because of the ratcheting difficulty they sort of turn into a must if the player is on a harder level. Because of their repetitive nature it in essence turns into grinding/farming. The RTS elements of the game are great but with the added demands of Eddie's presence on the battle field to ensure victory, it's just another burdensome mechanic. In the end the player is left juggling grinding side missions, tracking down ball gagged dragons to earn boosts need to stay competitive, and a host of other items. Adding in the god awful, unbalanced races and it's enough for some players to walk away. On a side note, I suspect if neither Jack Black, or Time Schaffer were attached to this game, we… Full Review »
  3. Tristan
    3
    I'm a bit disappointed by this, mainly because I really liked Psychonauts. I found the driving parts frankly just plain irritating, the druid plow not really handling in a particularly satisfying way. This is only compounded by the fact that there are no interesting, fun or engaging distractions between missions. The melee combat was just OK. The final slap in the face is that most of the characters seemed waaaayyyy too idiotic to even be amusing. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm not really into the metal homage angle either.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »