October 13, 2009: Brütal Legend released
As with any sector of the entertainment industry, the video game community has seen its share of failures. But sometimes failure does not prevent a game for being beloved despite its flaws. Take for instance, Brütal Legend, the property of Double Fine and EA, which was released four years ago today. Here was a game that had everything going for it — plenty of money behind it and advertising in front of it, a cast of actors and musicians to die for, and a unique look that was bound to attract players. On the flip side of that happy coin, however, the game was mired in development and publishing conflicts. When the game was finally released, marketers didn’t really know what to make of it. Brütal Legend‘s innovative combination of RTS and action adventure gaming was overshadowed by the notion that it was nothing more than an immature “heavy metal game.” This lack of a cohesive message about the game brought about poor initial sales. The game has seen a resurgence in sales over the past few years, and most gamers and critics respects both its flaws and strengths.
If you’ve played Brütal Legend what are your thoughts on the game? Is it an overlooked gem, or does it deserve to be left in the past? Are there any great games that you feel were poorly marketed? Start the conversation below!
There was a game ( I;ve forgotten the title ) that I really liked, and I heard the sale and marketing of this game were really very poor, but I really, really think it was a great game.
Oh, wait, now I remember… it was Beyond Good and Evil ( ? )
I think you’re right about Beyond Good and Evil — everyone loved it, but it didn’t do so well commercially. I’m willing to bet it has something of a following now, as happened with Brutal Legend.
Beyond Good and Evil definitely has had a growing following in the years since it released. It had enough to warrant an HD remake on PSN/XBL/Steam, but not enough for a sequel sadly.
It currently stands as one of my all-time favorites. The gameplay was varied, everything it tried to do worked, the premise was interesting (overthrowing an evil force by exposing it to the populace rather than direct action), story, characters, direction…I could go on and on.
I got Brutal Legend on the day it was released for a couple reasons:
– I love Double Fine’s unique game design and their trademark humor.
-Jack Black as a roadie turned literal Heavy Metal hero sounded hilarious. And you know what? It was great.
The game does an excellent job with theming, making memorable characters, and humor of course. It also uses it’s sound track to great effect. I don’t think any sequence in a game has gotten me more pumped and excited than a sequence in Brutal Legend when you have to escape a collapsing fortress (I think it might be in a volcano) in a flame-spewing hot rod, all to the tune of “Through the Fire and Flames”!
Brutal legend does have trouble with it’s RTS element though. As the system gets more and more in depth and you have to handle more units and enemies, it gets borderline unwieldy. Still, it’s definitely worth a try since it’s dirt cheap these days.
I really wanted to give the game a try when it first came out, but I’ll admit that a few bad words about from friends kept me away. As a Jack Black fan, I can only imagine that he was wonderful! I might have to pluck it out of a bargain bin one of these days.