Brutal Legend

Review

Common Sense Media says

Jack Black as funny rocker roadie, but expect gory violence.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

AGE
12
QUALITY
 

Kids say

AGE
13
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Brutal Legend is all about fantasy and does not look realistic at all. That being said it does show graphic violence including decapitation, dismemberment, and mass killings (such as driving over a group of baddies). Eddie, the roadie protagonist voiced by Jack Black, has a number of weapons and special powers at his disposal to fight demonic creatures -- some who look human-like. Players, though, are asked at the start of the game if they're OK with blood and gore, and profanity and have an option to turn these aspects off.

  • Positive messages0
    Because this game is deeply rooted in fantasy, the game's message -- about defending innocent people from evildoers, by defeating them with violence -- shouldn't be taken too seriously. The main character is likable, but he does use weapons gratuitously to accomplish his goals.    
  • Positive role models0
    Eddie is a hard-working roadie who takes pride in his work, and he tries to save the life of a band member at the beginning of the game. He performs other selfless acts in the game, such as trying to rescue his love interest and save enslaved "headbangers." Eddie, however, smokes a lot and uses weapons to defeat evil in gruesome ways.
  • Ease of play2
    The game is fairly easy to control, but switching special powers (by using a spinning disc interface) takes a bit of getting used to.
  • Violence4
    While it's very cartoon-like in its graphics and delivery, this fantasy action game features plenty of violence, including the ability to hack and slash demonic armies with your double-sided axe, reducing them to bloody "gibs." This dismemberment is sometimes shown in slow-motion with blood flowing. You can also drive over baddies, shock them with lightning, or command others to head-bang them to death, all shown in vivid detail.    
  • Sex3
    No sex is in the game, but there are strong verbal references to sex ("going down," "orgy" and sight gags such as gamers led to believe that Eddie is looking at someone's penis). Plus, many of the women in the game are scantily clad, showing legs, cleavage and partially revealing buttocks and breasts. Some have leather outfits -- implying bondage, perhaps.    
  • Language4
    At the start of the game players have the option to hear profanity, which includes the F- and S-words, as well as "hell," "damn," "d-ck, "and "bastard."
  • Consumerism2
    The game's soundtrack features many heavy metal acts from yesterday and today but most of the game characters who resemble real-life rock stars (and who are voiced by them) have a slightly different name.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking5
    Eddie, the main character, can be seen smoking cigarettes quite a bit in this game, along with other characters who smoke, flick cigarette butts, blow smoke, and so on. You can also see women holding what appears to be beer and liquor bottles.  
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What's it about?

From the ingenious mind of game designer Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle, Psychonauts) comes an über fun – and funny – action-heavy adventure that stars Jack Black as roadie Eddie Riggs. One night, a freak stage accident knocks Eddie unconscious, and when his blood drips into his beloved belt buckle, a gift from his father, he is magically transported to a fantasy world, where heavy metal album covers come alive, guitars emit lightning strikes, and mountains are made up of piled amps. Your "battle axe" and super-charged hotrod will help rally an army of head-bangers to save humanity from an oppressive emperor and his demonic army.

Is it any good?

 

Yes, BRUTAL LEGEND is a blast, not just because it delivers a fresh
balance of fantasy adventure, humor, and great music (er, if you're into
hard rock, that is), but it also successfully borrows elements from three
different genres: action brawlers, real-time strategy games, and racing.
Plus, this third-person game offers a host of optional
side-missions that add to its replayability, while multiplayer modes
kick it "up to 11" online, too. Packed with more than 100 killer rock
tracks and voice talent from the who's who of heavy metal gods --
namely, Ozzy Osborne, Rob Halford, Lemmy Kilmister, and Lita Ford --
Brütal Legend is one of the more refreshingly unique games to debut in
a long while.

Online interaction: This fantasy adventure is easy to connect to a central lobby from the main menu, then find people to play against in real-time strategy (RTS)-focused matches. You can chat, as well, therefore potentially hearing inappropriate words online.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about why more games aren't as funny as this. Should humor matter, as it does in many movies? Can't game designers use humor to create more memorable characters, dialogue, and creatures? Or is it too hard to pull off well, as Tim Schafer has done successfully?

  • While this is an "M-rated" game, do you think it is less offensive because it is unrealistic?

This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Teen, 17 years old
September 25, 2010
AGE
14
 
just use the in-game filters
brutal legend is a great game. many of the complaints in the review, can easily be solved by using the games language and gore filter. which cuts out most substatial amounts of gore, and bleeps out most of the profanity. unfortunatly, it the language filter doesn't work when using the radio in your car.
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Parent
November 1, 2010
AGE
14
 
great game
jack black does an amazing job in this realy good game but for mature gamers only
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Adult
October 14, 2009
AGE
16
 
Okay, first and foremost I am a HUGE Jack Black fan dating back to 1999's Tenacious D skits on HBO. So when I heard that he was going to do a video game, I was pumped. For a month I awaited the game's release. Now that I have bought it, what can I say? It surpassed my expectations. It is extremely fun to play with awesome background music containing 108 songs of heavy metal rock. Parents, this is extremely violent with the expected explicit vulgar language. But there is a catch: the game lets you (in mid-gameplay) chose to bleep or unbleep language and to edit violent images out the game entirely. So, uncensored cut I give a 16+ to. Censored gameplay is a fair 14 and older. Enjoy the game, I know I will. A side note: the game is $59.99, so I did buy it, but I suggest renting it first simply for the rediculous price. 5/5 stars. Extremely recommended to all gamers. This game is a comedy-action-musical with the biggest free-roaming world I've ever played on (64x64 kilometers of open space, in real-world measurements that is 40 miles by 40 miles.) ENJOY & ROCK ON!!
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Parent of 8 and 10 year old
November 27, 2010
AGE
16
 
great for kids 17 and up
I acually love this game. I've passed the whole game, and I personally think it is too violent for kids 16 and under.
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Kid, 12 years old
March 29, 2010
AGE
10
 
Brutal Legend is a cool game for people who love violence. I played it with my friends and it was awesome. They also show your favorite metal stars like Motorhead and Ozzy Osbourne.
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Kid, 13 years old
October 22, 2009
AGE
14
 
TEEN ESRB screwed up
Its great but not gory so it should be TEEN
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Kid, 12 years old
October 16, 2009
AGE
17
 
GO to *g4tv*
HEAVY METAL ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAA!!!! buy this game you MUST!!!!
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Teen, 14 years old
October 16, 2009
AGE
17
 
GO to *g4tv*
HEAVY METAL ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAA!!!! buy this game you MUST!!!!
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Kid, 11 years old
October 16, 2009
AGE
17
 
GO to *g4tv*
HEAVY METAL ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAA!!!! buy this game you MUST!!!!
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Teen, 16 years old
September 9, 2010
AGE
12
 
Not for younger audiences, very fun
this game is pretty fun and incredibly funny. the game allows players to turn off language and gore, so this game can be perfect for any kid age 11+. the main character is an iffy role model but definitely has great qualities
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See all user reviews
This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Electronic Arts
Release date:October 13, 2009
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
This review was written by Marc Saltzman

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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