By Matthew Scott Hunter
‘Brutal Legend’ (M)
Heavy metal game wins over fans’ hearts
****
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360
The best thing about a Tim Schafer game is that no matter what it is (and it’s always different), it has the subtle nuances and tender loving care of a very personal passion project. The video game visionary who brought us “Psychonauts” doesn’t always offer the best graphics, but what his games lack in cutting edge particle effects, he makes up for with subtle character animations that make his creations feel like they have lives and personalities that exist beyond the realm of what we see them do as our avatars.
Schafer’s latest gift to interactive entertainment is an ode to Heavy Metal — a story that has roadie Eddie Riggs (Jack Black in what is arguably his signature role) lead an epic battle in a land wholly inspired by the music and album art of Heavy Metal legends. Many of these legendary stars have roles in the game, and with the exception of Ozzie Osbourne, I didn’t recognize any of them. But you don’t have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Metal to enjoy the game. You don’t even have to be a fan of any particular game genre. “Brutal Legend” mixes real-time strategy, hack-‘n-slash combat and even “Guitar Hero”-style button-prompt guitar playing (which summons spells that can melt the faces of your exotic enemies). This is a great game even if you don’t like Heavy Metal. But if you love Heavy Metal, this could very well be the greatest game you’ll ever play.
‘Ju-On: The Grudge’ (M)
*1/2
XSEED Games
Wii
To be fair, there are some genuinely scary moments in the haunted house simulator that is “The Grudge.” But that’s because it’s genuinely scary to be abruptly awakened from a restful sleep, and most of this game will put you into that sleep. In the roles of multiple characters, you’ll spend hours exploring environments that are very dark — thankfully — since what little you can see with your flashlight looks like crap. Then, every so often, the monotony is broken by an attack by an Asian woman or a little boy (familiar to anyone who’s seen the films), which is most frightening in that it means you’ll have to wrestle with unresponsive motion controls.
‘Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (E)
**1/2
Sega
Wii
The biggest problem with this collection of competitive mini-games is that most of the events — skiing, skating, snowboarding, etc. — are represented better in countless other games. Downhill slalom and speed skating have controls that are simple enough to be accessible to any age group, but figure skating and other sports have such a simplified control scheme, that anyone who can waggle a remote can win. So this game is probably best for young kids who want to see their favorite Nintendo and Sega characters do what other games do better.
‘Spore Hero’ (E10+)
***
Electronic Arts
Wii
For Wii, “Spore” has devolved into a simple action-platformer, but that’s not such a bad thing. The depth of creature customization is largely gone, but your critter can still collect body part upgrades on his adventure, and whatever bizarre anatomy you design, the overall cutesy look will feel like a good fit for Wii. You won’t be able to share your character creations online, but at least you can watch your own marvel of Intelligent Design in action.
