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Oct. NPD: Brutal Legend sold 216k; DJ Hero sold 123k

by JC Fletcher { Nov 13th 2009 at 9:57AM }

Both Brütal Legend and DJ Hero were conspicuously absent from October's NPD top ten. According to data given to GameSpot by NPD, DJ Hero, which was released at the end of the month, on October 27, managed 123,000 units in sales across four platforms, with the Xbox 360 version accounting for the highest number of sales (62,000 units) and, predictably, the PS2 version, the lowest (3,300 units).

Double Fine's rocking, semi-strategy game, Brütal Legend, which debuted on Rocktober 13, totaled 216,000 units in sales across two platforms during October: 150,000 on Xbox 360 (almost enough to launch it into the monthly top ten) and 66,000 on PS3. This total fails to hit analyst Jesse Divnich's prediction for the month. However, Divnich suggested that Brütal Legend would go on to be an attractive holiday item -- something that may also be true for the bulky box with the cool turntable thingy in it.

Update: Removed reference to Brütal Legend as an Activision-published title. We know better!

Brutal Legend gets papercrafted

by Justin McElroy { Nov 11th 2009 at 12:29AM }

Our grandmother had this saying, "Handicrafts make for strange bedfellows." In fact, she believed in it so much she once stitched the saying into a pillow she made from the skin of drifters she had lured into her home and killed. True, you don't normally think "drifter murder" and "decorative pillows" as a pairing, so she had made her point. But we tried (and are still trying) to convince her that there are ways of stating her case that are both less illegal and involve less risk of contracting hepatitis C.

... So we guess what we're saying is that our grandmother would probably be way into these Brutal Legend papercrafts.

EEDAR predicts Nintendo dominance, weak GTA and Brutal Legend performance in October sales

by JC Fletcher { Nov 10th 2009 at 2:30PM }

EEDAR has released its predictions for October sales charts in North America. Analyst Jesse Divnich expects year-over-year declines for every console except the PS3 -- but also expects the Wii to regain its place at the lead, with an estimated 600,000 units sold. Divnich predicts that the Wii will remain at the top for the rest of the year -- based partly on New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Divnich expects the title to lose initially to Modern Warfare 2 in November, but pick up sales in the holidays and become the best-selling game of the year.

Other games expected to pick up in the holidays include Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Brutal Legend. Divnich expects both games to underperform in October (coming in at under 100,000 and 300,000 units, respectively), but to receive significant boosts in the holidays.

Demon's Souls, however, may exceed expectations. Divnich estimates that Atlus's punishing RPG sold 100,000 copies in October.

European PSN releases for November 5

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 5th 2009 at 10:20AM }

It's another slightly skimpy week on the ol' European PSN update. Let's see ... there's some Brutal Legend DLC, a few new Rock Band tracks, and -- oh! We finally got that PSOne Classic featuring everyone's favorite Square Enix hero: Party Time with Winnie the Pooh. What? He was in Kingdom Hearts, remember?

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

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Tim Schafer presents: Brutal Legend Multiplayer Deathmatch

by David Hinkle { Nov 2nd 2009 at 9:00PM }

Furthering his efforts to let you know there's some multiplayer beyond the single-player campaign of Brütal Legend, Double Fine's doubly fine gent, Tim Schafer, has passed along the above video. Now, it may initially seem like an episode of The Jerry Springer Show (standing against a brick wall backdrop will do that!) but, through and through, the near eight minutes of footage provides insight into the multiplayer it's-not-an-RTS mode by holding viewers' hands through an entire play session.

Brutal Legend soapbox bus rocks the Red Bull derby

by David Hinkle { Oct 28th 2009 at 8:50PM }

Above, driver Sean Feeley gets big air; not pictured: the Hextadon he jumped over.

If you've been lacking in the keeping up with awesome stuff department, then you may not know the annual Red Bull Soap Box Derby went down in LA recently. This isn't the sorta thing you'd normally find out about on a video game blog, but the winners of said event so happen to be big Brütal Legend fans -- so big, in fact, that their sopabox car is the friggin' Ironheade tour bus.

Destructoid ihas posted a photoblog documenting the creation of this wonderful piece of brand synergy, complete with pictures of game creator Tim Schafer behind the wheel. Surprisingly, not a single bit of goat's blood or any incantations were used to create the thing -- the soapbox bus is mostly made of steel, fiberglass, foam, and sweat. The sweat gives it a good shine and makes the body more aerodynamic -- for those nasty curves, you know.

The effort to build the bus paid off, too, as its creators, Team Ironheade, totally drove away victorious. Head past the break to see some coverage of the event from G4.

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First Brutal Legend DLC dated Nov. 3, initially free on PS3

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 27th 2009 at 11:41AM }

EA announced today that the "first DLC" (that means there'll be more, right?) for recently released Brütal Legend will be arriving November 3 and November 5 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, respectively. Named "Tears of the Hextadon," the two, totally not RTS maps ("Circle of Tears" and "Death's Fjord") will set you back 400

($5) on Xbox 360. If you're a PS3 owner, however, the map pack will be free of charge for the first two weeks. "We love the PS3," EA's Brent Dady said over on PlayStation Blog, speaking on the publisher's decision to offer the DLC for free on PSN until November 19.

Those who get the DLC on either console will also get a free in-game axe -- the intimidating "Blade of Ormagöden." We suggest you start looking for the game's creative lead Tim Schafer, who claims in the release that he plays online "every night." Get him Joystiq Biomass! Get him.

Gallery: Brutal Legend

FIFA 10 won't relinquish top UK sales spot to Uncharted 2

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 19th 2009 at 12:29PM }

FIFA 10 may have seen a 54 percent sales drop in the UK last week, but it still maintained its place in the top sales spot for the region. The ~~soccer~~ football title has now surpassed the million sales mark and has done so three weeks faster than FIFA 09 did last year.

Last week's PS3 mega-release, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, entered the "All Formats" chart in second place, but was top (naughty) dog on the PS3 sales chart. The franchise wasn't in uncharted territory, though, as the original also reached the top spot on the PS3 chart during its second week at retail. Brütal Legend's assault of the charts was less savage. The Tim Schafer creation premiered in the seventh position behind -- really?! -- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

Source -- FIFA hat trick [Chart Track]
Source -- All formats chart [Chart Track]

Jack Black discusses the demon slayer's workout on Jimmy Kimmel Live

by JC Fletcher { Oct 16th 2009 at 3:00AM }

This week, Jack Black continued his bizarre Brütal Legend promotional tour with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, somewhat in character as Eddie Riggs. As we watched Black upturn furniture and do clap push-ups, we started to realize that he's getting rather a lot of mileage out of that muscle suit. And then we couldn't help but wonder: what do you think that suit smells like right now?

And how do you even clean the inside of a foam rubber muscle suit? Do you use household cleaners of some kind, or does the film industry have a specially formulated solution just for cleaning bodysuits?

... Oh, right, the Kimmel segment's after the break, in four parts.

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Tim Schafer dishes out Brutal Legend strategies (not in real time)

by David Hinkle { Oct 15th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Look, if you're going to listen to anyone's advice on how to play Brütal Legend's Stage Battle mode online, it should probably be the dude who opened the Necronomicon and uttered those magical words that summoned the disc from the depths of hell, right? Designer Tim Schafer has posted a fairly comprehensive set of tips for the game's strategic battles on the Double Fine blog, hoping to alleviate the frustrations of those still getting the hang of commanding the armies of rock.

It feels a little defensive -- and is keen to point out how leaping into the action with Eddie Riggs sets the game apart from a traditional real-time strategy title -- but it might just help smooth out some of the rock opus' rockier segments. And hey, isn't it nice of a developer to offer a helping hand? We asked the Demon's Souls designers for advice and they sent over a wrestler to break our spines.

Metareview: Brutal Legend

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 14th 2009 at 7:15PM }

Our take on Tim Schafer's Brütal Legend was less-than-brutal, but what about all those other reviewers out there tapping away at their keyboards -- what did they think? Turns out that Schafer maintains his visionary golden boy status, even if his latest game hits a couple sour chords.

IGN (90/100): "Brütal Legend isn't quite perfect and there is room for improvement (it's a little short, side quests are repetitive...), but when the credits roll you'll find yourself hoping for a sophomore release. Double Fine created a rich heavy metal universe and backstory full of great characters and creatures, with potential for an out-of-this-world sequel. Here's hoping Schafer and company get a chance to take us there."
Gamespot (85/100): "Brütal Legend is a game that continually surprises, and it does so in a genuinely fun and interesting way. And Double Fine deserves some major respect for keeping so many aspects of the game closely tied to its subject matter. Of course, Brütal Legend also has some shortcomings. The secondary missions are weak and the single-player campaign lasts about seven hours if you're not too keen on unlocking every single last shrine or secret item. In that respect, it's unfortunate that there's just not more of the good stuff, such as the on-foot missions with boss battles or more fleshed-out side quests."
Game Life (70/100): "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."
Giant Bomb (60/100): "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, Brütal Legend will rock you. Hard."

Gallery: Brutal Legend

Joyswag: Brutal Legend and Eddie Riggs statue

by Christopher Grant { Oct 13th 2009 at 7:00PM }

If you check your calendar of ridiculous marketing dates, you'll likely see that today is Rocktober 13th, the very date foretold by the Great Marketing Powers of EA upon which Brütal Legend would be released. [Ed: It's also Twofer Tuesday at your local pizzeria ...]. To celebrate the one-off holiday, we're giving away a copy of the game on Xbox 360 and two limited edition (only 1000 ever made) Eddie Riggs statues. The grand prize winner gets the game and the statue while the runner-up will have to make do with just the statue. To enter:

Leave a comment letting us who would win in a rock god free-for-all: Ozzy? Rob Halford? Lemmy?
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec which, historically, has long feared the metal.)
Limit 1 entry per person per day
This entry period ends at 7:01PM ET on Friday, October 16
At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive a copy of Brutal Legend on Xbox 360 ($60 ARV) and a limited edition Eddie Riggs statue ($100 ARV); and another winner to receive just the limited edition Eddie Riggs statue ($100 ARV)
For a list of complete rules, click here

Gallery: Brutal Legend's Eddie Riggs figurine

Review: Brutal Legend

by Randy Nelson { Oct 13th 2009 at 3:00PM }

I have to start by being brutally honest with you: Brütal Legend is not the game I hoped it would be. As a huge fan of director, designer and writer Tim Schafer's body of work – especially Double Fine's debut effort, Psychonauts – I had prepared myself for a wonderfully written, laugh-out-loud funny, constantly surprising experience filled with compelling characters that would have me grinning in anticipation of where it was taking me next.

What I came away with after beating the game in about six hours (granted, I didn't embark on many of the battle- and racing-based sub-missions, but I did do quite a lot of exploring) was the opinion that Eddie Riggs is a truly awesome character, along with a sense of wonder at the fantastic – and very metal – world Schafer and crew had created. Unfortunately, I also came away with a questioning of why so much of the game felt like a b-side to the hit single that had been its first couple of hours.

Gallery: Brutal Legend (10-13-09)

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Brutal Legend ad commercializes Eddie Riggs for television

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 13th 2009 at 2:00PM }

The marketing leading up to Brütal Legend's Rocktober 13 release date (hey, that's today!) has been unlike any Tim Schafer game to date -- a steady stream of content from the game on top of the occasional live-action short. And now, Schafer's biggest project is taking the marketing machine to the boob tube (we've embedded the ad after the break, via YouTube) with a 'Hell yeah!'-laden ditty.

The bad economy paired with Brütal Legend's same-day release alongside Uncharted 2 means EA needs to get the word out. Hopefully Eddie Riggs' repeated phrase will do the trick.

[Via Wired]

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Brutal Legend video talks about the competition

by David Hinkle { Oct 9th 2009 at 5:52PM }

If you're like us, you're still writhing about in agony from the last round of Brütal Legend videos unleashed upon the internet. It's okay, we had little hope things would get better -- that is, until we were handed this latest video. It's actually entirely watchable and even makes a few funny comments about the various games being released around Brütal Legend, including Assassin's Creed 2's feathered protagonist Ezio and how those night-vision goggles that come with Modern Warfare 2 aren't as awesome as slamming an axe into a demon's face. Check it out above.