You haven't played this game yet?! For shame...
The story of Brutal Legend takes place in a metal fantasy world where music is king, or at least it was until its true essence was forgotten. Enter Eddie Riggs, a simple roadie who can fix anything; he makes it his job to make things run smoothly from the shadows. One day, Eddie 'dies' in an unfortunate stage accident and is transported to said metal land, where he learns that his guitar is now able to reign hell down on whatever he chooses. The story gets pretty intricate later on, but for the most part you may be able to guess key plot points if you're paying attention.
If you ever played Psychonauts (and liked it), you know that you're in for an unforgettable story delivered by Schafer himself. The game plays a little like the previous, but without platforming. The world you are in is vast and there is a lot to explore, and even as you progress through the game you can go back to any place you've been to in between missions. The characters are all cool and vivid, Eddie is a near exact replica of Jack Black, so you know funny dialogue is a given, and character cameos like Ozzy, Lemmy, Lita, and more make the experience all the more memorable.
The gameplay is actually pretty simple, but very effective. You can either blast enemies w/ lightning/fire with your guitar, or chop em' up w/ your axe; you'll also learn solos with have various effects such as summoning animals, your car, and (my favorite) melting people's faces. Speaking of the car, that alone should give you an idea of how vast the world is in Brutal Legend; if you have the time and the attention span, you can easily spend days finding everything and exploring. The game is also pretty customizable as you can change your weapon, car, and various other designs in the game.
Something for the metal heads: Get yourself another mind cause your old one's about to get blown the f%#@ away! On top of the before mentioned metal cameos, there is an extensive list of songs you can play while riding your vehicle; obviously you'll want for more, but even I, who is not musically inclined, can appreciate this heavy metal fan service.
…..Unfortunately, as every music player sometimes does, a bad chord is hit. You probably already know this, but the game is short; hardly worth $60 (even $50 is a little much). Plus, the final boss fight doesn't seem very epic compared to the rest of the game and the expectation it creates (there might be a secret boss, but I don't know. Still…..). The game also has points where you strategically rally troops in order to take down various strongholds and such. This was enjoyable for me, but others may become bored after the first time. Lastly, there's little variety between the side missions, so unless you really enjoy them, you won't feel up to doing them after the first time.
Ultimately, this game is worth playing, but not buying, so rent it or play someone else's copy. Oh, and in case you were wondering, there is Psychonauts cameos throughout the game (see if you can spot them all!). Now go fourth, approach thy console, and go mother f*&$#@! crazy!