double fine
Latest
PSA: Brutal Legend demo available today for pre-orders
For those of you who dropped a few bucks reserving Brütal Legend early, now's your chance to get some face time with Eddie Riggs and co. The demo dropped today on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, giving those who pre-ordered the game roughly a month of time to enjoy ... erm ... demoing it. If you didn't pre-order it and you're following Joystiq on Twitter, we'll be giving away some download codes later on today.The rest of us plebes will have to wait until September 23, which is when the demo will arrive for everyone else. Tim Schafer would love for us all to be able to play the whole thing right now, though he concedes, "While we're waiting for Rocktober 13, a taste of Metal is better than none at all." Indeed it is, Mr. Schafer.%Gallery-41208%
This is how Brutal Legend starts
Listen, are you sure you wanna do this? You've made it so far without Brutal Legend spoilers and you're so close to the game actually coming out ... do you really want to watch the first five minutes of the game? ... Oh, sure, we watched it. We watched it and it was spectacular. But you shouldn't. Not you, dear reader. You're better than that.
Brutal Legend gets a classy pre-order bonus at Best Buy
It appears that Best Buy's pre-order bonus for Brütal Legend comes a bit sooner than at other retailers. Handing over cash for the game before its Rocktober 13 release nets folks the attractive Brütal Legend LP sleeve seen above. Aside from displaying artwork, the sleeve serves as a holder for the game disc itself when, for some reason, it's not in your console.Unfortunately, the official Brütal Legend blog doesn't list Best Buy among the retailers who are offering the free in-game guitar and early demo access. As such, we've asked EA for more information on the Best buy deal and will update this post when we hear more.[Thanks, Kyle!] [Image credit]
Jack Black cosplays as Eddie Riggs at VMAs
Okay, sure, he may have looked ridiculous dressed up as Eddie Riggs at last night's MTV video Music Awards, what with that awful wig and foam arms that would have been laughed off the set of Popeye. And yeah, we know he's got a stake in the project's success, but you have to love Jack Black's commitment to Brütal Legend, one that we wish all big-name celebrities could share when they appear in games of their own. Seriously though, Jack, let's have a talk about that wig.
PAX 2009: Brutal Legend lets you decide about the F-word
Tim Schafer showed us the opening cinematic for Brutal Legend at PAX, where they revealed the band that Jack Black's Eddie Riggs roadies for: Kabbage Boy. It's a band full of hipster d-bags (one guy wears a Phantom of the Opera half-mask) and they think they're metal. The only problem is that they sound like every emo-alternaband out there, much to Eddie's chagrin. Hopefully we'll get to reveal who's in the band soon, until then just let your speculation run wild.All of that inside, the cinematic included a very novel way to select if you want to hear the super-cussin' & swearin' version of Brutal Legend, or go the sanitized and parental-safe route. Eddie notices one of the musicians crawling around on top of his behemoth-sized, Stonehenge-on-acid set (which Eddie has already been chastised for not tailoring to their "tween" audience), and is not happy. He spouts, "I don't know how many times I've told you not to crawl around up there! I don't know what the F....." And then the game freezes. A menu screen pops up and you have to choose if you want to hear naughty words or not, and when you resume he finishes the word appropriately. Much better than choosing from a menu screen, eh? There another option-setting moment like this a bit later in the scene which was cut short, but we imagine it'll have something to do with violence and blood spurts. Thanks for making even the settings fun, Double Fine.
Brutal Legend pre-orderers get in-game guitar, early demo access
It seems that those who've chained themselves to their couches in anticipation of the September-bound demo for Double Fine's upcoming rock god sim, Brütal Legend, won't be the first ones to get their hands on the game. Rather, unrestrained persons who manage to pre-order the game at their nearest GameStop will be granted early access to the demo on September 17. The pre-order deal mentions this early access beats the demo's normal release by a week -- meaning non-reservers will likely get the trial on Wednesday, September 23.Also bundled with the pre-order offer is a GameStop-exclusive in-game guitar, which possesses a "unique, sexy body inspired by the members of Tenacious D." We hope this means Jack and Kyle gave their input on what the guitar should look like, and not that the guitar actually looks like their bodies. We're doing just fine without that mental image, thanks.Update: While the demo access is new information, we actually knew about the gee-tar in May. We've even got a picture of it -- and we're happy to report it doesn't feature nude versions of K.G. and Jack. No, wait! There they are![Via Kotaku]%Gallery-41208%
Latest Brutal Legend trailer shows multiplayer, awesomeness
A new trailer for Brütal Legend has been rolled out and gives a fairly substantial peek at the Tim Schafer's upcoming rock-'em-up. In particular, we get a good look at some of the game's environments and a brief look at the multiplayer mode -- which we recently discovered is really good. There's a also a tender, intimate moment, in which Eddie Riggs prepares to teach a young maiden the art of French Kissing, whatever that is. And, of course, there is metal.
Brutal Legend demo rocking XBLM and PSN in September
Listen, you really don't need to try out Tim Schafer's upcoming rock-epic-brainchild to know it's going to be phenomenal. Still, according to a recent EA press release, Double Fine is dropping a demo of Brütal Legend on XBLA and PSN sometime in September. Based on details revealed in the presser, it sounds exactly like the demo we got our hands on at E3 earlier this year. Highlights from said sneak peek include "zipper-faced nuns," "corpse mountains," and the introduction of "The Separator," Eddie Riggs' aptly named axe.In the press release, Schafer explained that "villagers have surrounded our offices with torches, demanding the game. So we're releasing a demo and hope that this taste of metal will keep the mob at bay until Brütal Legend comes out this Rocktober." We're not sure when Rocktober is, but we think it's the month between Jamuary and Shredtember.
Hands-on: Brutal Legend multiplayer
click to übersize Chatting with Tim Schafer before sitting down for our very first match of Brütal Legend's multiplayer versus mode, the grinning designer reminded us that we were about to play what the game began life as, so he seriously hoped we liked it. Schafer introduced the mode, calling on two members of his team at Double Fine to play a match so we could see how it worked. What we saw was impressive, but also intimidating.This isn't a Dynasty Warriors style hack 'n' slash with Brütal Legend characters swapped in; it's a large-scale, real-time strategy game with a definite learning curve, but also gameplay deep enough that we can see it becoming a standout multiplayer title on XBL and PSN. It's also big, loud, funny and very metal -- just like the main game.%Gallery-69999%
Video: Brutal Legend soundtrack makes everything metal
You might find it hard to believe, but even one of the most non-metal objects in the world (literally and figuratively) can be made metal by the Brütal Legend soundtrack. Above, you will find a video of the Heavy Metal Rubik's Cube Challenge, in which Tim Schafer races against Brütal Legend musical producer Emily Ridgeway to see if he can solve the cube before she can read off all the songs in the soundtrack. We won't tell you who comes out on top but, honestly, with a soundtrack like this, everybody wins. Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack revealed in the video matches quite nicely with the one revealed by EA Denmark over the weekend. Curiously, one song revealed by EA Denmark is absent from the video: "Girlfriend," by Kabbage Boy. We've contacted EA to see what's up and will update this post as soon as we hear anything. In the meantime, enjoy the video and – if you have a Rubik's Cube of your own – play along at home!
Full Brutal Legend soundtrack released by EA Denmark
Fun fact: Heavy Metal was invented in Denmark in 1843 by Professor Garth Metallus in a horrible lab accident involving taut metal strings and a primitive electroacoustical transducer. The spirit of the rock music has innundated the nation ever since -- as such, we're not surprised that EA Denmark was the studio which recently revealed the 100-plus thrashing songs which will be included in Double Fine's upcoming epic rock story, Brütal Legend.The list has since been pulled from EA Denmark's site, but not before Kotaku snagged a screencap of a translated version of the page. We've got the whole kit n' caboodle posted after the jump. Unless EA makes some drastic changes to the final setlist, they're going to have to put a Surgeon General's warning on the game, telling players they're about to subject themselves to a terrible case of face melting.%Gallery-41208%
LA Times: Activision likely to receive 'little to no compensation' in Brutal Legend settlement
Here's a little addendum to the Brutal Legend settlement story that, should you be sympathetic to Double Fine in this situation (and, um, how could you not?), should bring a little smile to your face. The LA Times spoke to an unnamed person "familiar with the settlement," who offered some extra information about the deal. Overall, it looks like Activision was the "loser" in this agreement, though, of course, the whole point of settling was to avoid having a loser. First off, the source claims that the game will be released as planned in October. Second, the LA Times says, "it appears very likely that Activision received little to no compensation from Double Fine and agreed to a settlement to avoid losing its case in open court." Now that all that's dealt with, hopefully we can get back to talking about important things, like GWAR. %Gallery-41208%
Activision and Double Fine settle Brutal Legend lawsuit
On the day that attorneys for Activision and Double Fine were scheduled to present their arguments before a judge over a lawsuit filed by the former to delay the release of Brütal Legend, the Associated Press reports that both sides have settled. The AP article notes that it was Activision's legal team who notified the court of the settlement, and that an official notice outlining what sort of agreement was reached has yet to be filed with the court. Late last month, the judge in the case indicated he was not inclined to force Double to delay the game while the publishers engaged in legal posturing, and that he felt Activision didn't have "a likelihood of succeeding" in the matter.We're reaching out to Activision and Double Fine in hopes of finding out the specifics of the settlement and will update as we receive more info.[Via The New York Times; Thanks, Markusdragon!]
Court not likely to delay Brutal Legend
During E3 2009, Activision fired its first volley in court, suing Brütal Legend developer Double Fine and asking that EA not be allowed to release the game as scheduled this October. Double Fine shot back with its own countersuit just over a week ago, and today, a tentative ruling in a Los Angeles courtroom denied the movement to stop the release of Brütal Legend.The Associated Press has Los Angeles Superior Court judge Craig Karlan pushing back the formal motions until August 6th, to allow both parties to further prepare their arguments -- and because his calendar is full at the moment (with dance parties, we assume). Though he called the case a "close call," he also noted that his tentative judgment is based on his belief that Activision's case doesn't have "a likelihood of success." Ouch.
Comic-Con 2009: The Tim Schafer chat
With only three short months until the October Rocktober 13 release of upcoming Double Fine game Brütal Legend, Tim Schafer and co. are out at the San Diego Comic Con in full force this week promoting their game. Lucky for us (and you!), he took time out of his busy schedule to talk with us about not just his upcoming game, but how he feels about the re-release of various LucasArts adventure titles, how much of a role he plays in the current lawsuit with Activision (spoilers: almost none), and even Gwar! Check out the whole thing after the break.
Video: Jack Black and Jellybean, the guitar-playing cat
As far as internet memes go, you can't do much better than amusing cat-themed images. Jack Black, sage that he is, knows this all too well. As such, the latest edition of Brutal Thoughts is packed to the brim with hilarious cat action. Granted, it's not quite as satisfying as the last, battle axe-infused episode, but it has its moments. Watch it now and be among the first to witness Jellybean, the cat with serious face-melting skills.Oh, there's some Brütal Legend footage in there too. Also with cats.
Double Fine countersues, says 'Activision will not kill Brutal Legend'
In the midst of all the confusion of E3 this year, ex-Brütal Legend publisher, Activision, decided to sue the game's developer, Double Fine, in order to "stop the release" of the game this October. But before all the exciting litigation can start on July 30, Double Fine has legally responded, filing a countersuit against Activision and claiming Activision's lawsuit is intended to hurt Double Fine and Brütal Legend itself."Double Fine's countersuit is a demonstration of our intention to fight for this game - Activision will not kill Brütal Legend," DF's Caroline Esmurdoc said in a statement released to Joystiq this afternoon. With this countersuit, the developer is seeking an official judge's ruling that it was free from its contract with Activision and thus allowed to sell the rights to Brütal Legend to the game's current publisher, EA. Interestingly, Double Fine claims that Brütal Legend was dropped in the Vivendi/Activision merger after "an effort to convert the game into a Guitar Hero sequel failed." What?! Now that is a piece of information we didn't expect to get out of this.[Thanks, Stix_Remix!]
We really want this Brutal Legend statue, and so will you
We already know you want this 1,000-of-a-kind Brütal Legend statue, even though you haven't yet perused the gallery of images found below, so we'll cut to the chase. These are going to be pretty hard to come by. All we know right now is that you'll find more information on how to get your hands on one of these hyper-detailed, 17-inch beauties -- depicting protagonist Eddie Riggs in mid-dismemberment -- on the official Brütal Legend website and Twitter feed. With 1,000 available, we have a suspicion some may eventually be available to buy, rather than win, but if that happens don't expect them to be cheap. And good luck winning one -- you've got us to compete with. %Gallery-68364%
Brutal Legend's four-on-four multiplayer (vaguely) detailed
Lo, what is this? Xbox.com's info page for Brütal Legend actually contains some noteworthy ... info on the game? It's true, and said info has to do with the game's yet-to-be-revealed multiplayer component -- y'know, the one that provided the basis for the single-player game's strategy elements?According to the site, the game will include a four-on-four XBL skirmish mode which "marries action combat with a strategic unit-control mechanic," and sees each player battling "as the leader of one of the factions in the game." Given that the single-player game will feature showdowns between whole armies comprised of numerous specialized units, we can see this "skirmish" becoming a full-on war -- a "battle of the bands," if you will, only with lives on the line in lieu of recording contracts. (Isn't it always better that way, really?)[Via Evil Avatar]
Gwar headlines totally metal Brutal Legend concert
Notoriously noxious metal lords Gwar top the lineup of bands playing EA's "Brütal Legend Metal Meltdown" concert in San Diego, Calif., on the evening of July 23. (That's the first night of San Diego Comic-Con, which runs July 23 through 26 at the nearby San Diego Convention Center.) The costumed comedy shock-rockers will be joined by Canadian metal act 3 Inches of Blood, all-grrl thrashers Unholy Pink and Black Flag co-founder Keith Morris. Now, before you bellow, "That is so effing cool!" know that it gets better: the show is free. Well, at least for those lucky enough to be chosen from the concert's sign-up page. More deets can be found on the concert flyer after the break. [Image]
