“No Doubt” is suing Band Hero (and Guitar Hero) maker Activision over their appearance in the game (GameSpy).
Allegedly, the band’s contract with Activision dictates that the band member’s avatars can only be used on their own songs, but they are fully playable characters in the game. This means that players can appear as say, Gwen Stefani on any song in the game.
Apparently this is damaging to the members of “No Doubt.”
Someone screwed up badly, and only time will tell who it was. Either…
“No Doubt’s” lawyers dropped the ball or…
Activision breached their contract.
I don’t know how it actually went down, but either way, this is pathetic.
At the end of the day, I don’t see how the members of “No Doubt” are actually damaged and deserving of financial reward on account of this, but I’m sure their lawyers would be happy to explain why I’m wrong. By the same token, Activision needs to get their shit together and make sure that the artists that they put in their games understand, and are happy with their role within it, as the very same thing happened with Guitar Hero 5, and their use of Kurt Cobain.
I’m sure that the same lawyer who approved the deal with Activision over Cobain’s appearance along with the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in Guitar Hero 5, had to approve the deal with Nicktoons as well. I can’t imagine that Cobain would have liked that commercial.
So, “No Doubt” & Courtney Love, let’s cut this shit out. Everyone got paid and these games introduce the music of “No Doubt” and Nirvana to a younger generation. Everyone is making money, and that’s all that you folks really want at this point.
In Brütal Legend, you play as the greatest roadie in the world, Eddie Riggs (Jack Black). Riggs is killed while saving his wussy band’s pathetic guitarist after he does something stupid on stage. Instead of dying, Riggs is transported back in time to the World of Metal where he takes on the small task of saving the human race with the power of his metal.
The Basic Game Mechanics
Riggs is armed with two axes. The first axe (the chopping kind) is used for melee combat, while the second axe (the musical kind) is used to electrocute, blow away, and explode enemies… in the World of Metal, guitars can do that kind of shit. However, that’s just the tip of the mechanics iceberg. You also have an awesome car, “the Deuce” (as in the Deuce (not douche) from Bruce Springsteen’s song “Blinded By the Light”).
Finally, there is an entirely unique portion of the game, and that’s a real-time strategy (RTS) component. Riggs leads his army, the forces of heavy metal into battle against the likes of General Lionwhyte’s (Rob Halford of Judas Priest fame) glam metal army.
The game is part sandbox/ hack & slash, and part hack & slash/ real-time strategy. The combination works well.
The Good
There is a lot to love about this game; especially if you enjoy metal… but I believe that you don’t need to enjoy the music to have a good time playing this game.
First, the game is hilarious. The dialog is brilliant and well-crafted.
Sample dialog from the opening scenes:
Eddie: “I can fix anything, except that” (in reference to his band’s awful music)
Roadie: “Metal is dead”
Eddie: “Ever feel like you were born in the wrong time, like you should have been born earlier… when the music was real?”
Roadie: “Like the 70’s?”
Eddie: “Earlier… like the early 70’s.”
The voice acting is great. Metal legends like Ozzy Osbourne (who is unusually coherent), Lemmy Kilmister (or as I like to call him, “the fucking man”), Lita Ford, and the aforementioned Rob Halford all lend their legendary voices and faces to the game. They are joined by other actors like Tim Curry (the Tim Curry), and Brian Posehn.
The World of Metal is gorgeous. It looks exactly like what heavy metal world look like if the music and album covers became a functional reality. The landscape, people, weapons, buildings, cars, men, women (especially the women), and even the creatures all look like they could grace a stage or album cover.
The story is oddly compelling, and pays such a loving tribute to the often misunderstood musical genre.
My favorite part of the game was visiting the location known as “the Wall of Sound.” Guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen play with a wall of amps behind them… the Wall of Sound is a cliff of amps.
The use of the music was wonderful, especially in certain areas of the game where the music was deliberately selected. The getaway scene where you are speeding in the Deuce, avoiding the onslaught of some big and ugly monsters is set to Dragonforce’s shredfest, “Through the Fire and Flames” (I can’t help but speed in real life when this song is blasting in my car, so I was happy to race to it in-game). During one critical story moment, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley” struck me as particularly beautiful and powerful.
Throughout the game, music constantly plays through the stereo in the Deuce. The selection is broad and generally good. I was especially pleased to hear song’s like Motörhead’s “We Are the Road Crew,” and a pair of songs by Racer X.
The driving and combat was intuitive, and the RTS components were easy to control after I got the hang of it; fortunately the learning curve was pretty shallow on the RTS battles.
The Not So Good
Brütal Legend gets everything almost perfect, but it could have used some polish. For example…
Riggs often gets stuck on things like rocks – a jump button would have fixed that
Riggs dies in water – I’m so tired of characters dying in water (especially when you see them swim in the during cinematic sequences of the game without dying)
A mini-map while driving the Deuce would have saved me from constantly pausing to check the damn map
Cinematic scenes, particularly at the beginning and end of the game cut to load screens in odd places; this yanked me out of the narrative
A lack of instructional cues – There are things throughout the game that aren’t explained and you have to discover them for yourself (how do you a free serpent statues, or disabling songs that you don’t enjoy [I can't stand industrial metal], among many other key features
None of these ruin the game by any stretch of the imagination, but an extra month or two in development would have gone a long way.
The Ugly
I’m not completely sold that this belongs in the “Ugly” category, but I need to put something here, and this bothered me the most about Brütal Legend…
It was too easy, even on the Brütal difficulty level.
Once I got the hang of the RTS system, and discovered that the old Starcraft Zerg rush technique worked insanely well, I destroyed the computer without any resistance.
The Bottom-line
This is a great game, and well worth your time and money; if only for the humor, story, and music. Brütal Legend is a breath of fresh air, and a truly original experience in an ocean of sequels and rehashed game mechanics. There are so many great things about this game that I couldn’t even get into all of them. I guess you will just have to play and discover them for yourself.
I have been taking guitar lessons with a guy named Billy Roues for the last few years. Aside from being a great teacher, exceptional guitarist, and all around good guy, he is also puts on one hell of a show. He performs with a number of different bands that span quite a few genres, and I go to see him play whenever I have time.
Last weekend he played at the Turning Point in Piermont, NY (near where I grew up) with his band, the UpSouth Twisters. Whenever Billy plays, he mashes genres, techniques, and styles into a sound that is uniquely his own (and he has a few of them). He plays with his brother and bassist/ blues harp extraordinaire Muddy Roues; accordion wizard Kenny Margolis (if you don’t like the accordion, watch Kenny, he will change your mind); master of the washboard Boris Kinberg; and the difficult to see, but easy to hear Billy Rankin on drums. The UpSouth Twisters play an fun combination of Cajun zydeco, rockabilly, and blues that is easy to love.
They play mostly original material during their shows, but they always cut loose on their cover of Canned Heat’s “Up the Country.” Their rendition is stunning, and as far as I’m concerned, blows the original out of the water. To prove it to you, I recorded their last performance. The audio isn’t perfect, and the video didn’t quite capture the power of their performance, but it certainly gets the point across.
You can purchase their CDs or see their tour dates on their website: www.upsouthtwisters.com
If you get a chance, go see them live; they are really worth it.
This is the first of a few “better late than never” game reviews.
The Good
The revamped multiplayer mode is exceptional. Having the game boot right into a party play mode that never stops is brilliant. Players can join or drop at will, no one fails out, and anyone can play any instrument on any difficulty (which means you have have four people playing guitar). It’s perfect during big geeky parties.
The graphics are very pretty.
The ability to use your own Xbox Live avatar in game is freakin’ awesome. I love that I am able to import myself into the game, make a guitar that looks just like my wine red Gibson Les Paul Studio, and rock out on stage to a song like The Derek Trucks Band’s Young Funk.
The Not So Good
I’m not sure this is really a problem with the game, but the track list is so broad and diverse that inevitably you spend a fair amount of time jamming on songs that you just plain dislike (even if you have broad musical tastes). I’m not sure there is a way around this other than band, or genre specific games (Like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and The Beatles Rock Band).
The Ugly
Why the hell can’t Activision make a guitar controller with a silent strum bar? I hate all of the incessant clicking, and so does everybody in the room when you are playing.
The Bottom-line
If you like music rhythm games, it’s worth the money. If you don’t, this probably won’t convert you.
I’ve covered a number of pop culture references on this blog, but if there is one that I want everyone in the world to understand, it’s the phrase “more cowbell.”
If you already get it, you can just move on. If you don’t, please stick around and catch the “fever.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Christopher Walken on SNL circa 2000… before SNL sucked.
If you bought tickets to one of the other four Bruce Springsteen shows to shut down Giant Stadium, I’m sorry. It’s gone. The building was torn down last night, and you should have been there.
Here's to you Giant Stadium.
Seriously, that was an epic three hour and 15 minute performance; they never stopped playing. Even at the end of the set, the band lined up, took a bow, talked something over for a few seconds, and then Bruce yelled, “It’s too cold to stop playing!” and jumped back into a long seven song encore. Where does he get the energy to run, jump, sing, and play like that? Apparently 60 is the new 16; he has the energy of a teenager.
His stage presence is completely unrivaled by any other performer I have ever seen. He really knows how to play to his audience, and we love him for it (As opposed to that unprofessional jerk, Peter Frampton).
Six songs in, they played Hungary Heart (Am I the only person who always forgets that he wrote that song?). During the song he ran down the stage and started jumping into the crowd. After his first leap about 75 feet to my right, I pulled out my Flip cam and powered it up, just in case he jumped in near me (I was standing up at he front of the floor section). It turned out that his next stop was directly in front of me, and I captured the whole thing!
I know it’s shaky, but the way the crowd was pushing, I was delighted that I kept the Boss in frame the whole time. I even got to pat him on the back (envy me baby boomer women… I never realized he was such a big sex symbol among 50+ women).
The Music
There’s so much to talk about that I will not be able to cover the whole show…
He opened with a song he wrote special for the Giant Stadium shows. It was called Wrecking Ball… want to guess what it was about? It was a fun start to the evening.
I really enjoyed hearing Working on a Dream, it’s been a bit of a personal theme song for this past year (finishing grad school, finding a new job, you get the point).
The performance of the album Born to Run in its entirety was exceptional from start to finish. During the song Born to Run, the crowd which already had a party-like atmosphere, went completely insane; it was quite a sight. However, the musical highpoint for me was Jungleland.
Jungleland was never a favorite of mine, but something about the piano, Bruce’s voice, Little Steven’s killer solo in the middle, and especially Clarence Clemons gorgeous solo sax work made my night. The song made me weepy, and I’m not ashamed to say so; it was a beautiful performance.
He followed that up with a series of songs from The Rising. That album was what originally sparked my interest in Bruce, so it was nice hearing them. Lonesome Day was retooled a bit, and I was ambivalent about the altered version, but it could have been a me resisting change on a song I love.
The high points of the encore for me were Growing Up (I’m a sucker for stage banter, and this had some “grade A” banter) & the Irish rockish American Land (That was foot-stomping good).
Hearing their percussive, metal influenced classical guitar harmonies on album is one thing… seeing them do all of this crazy stuff live is a whole different experience.
Last night’s show at Terminal 5 in Manhattan was their first show since releasing their excellent new album 11:11 (Yet another thing I ran out of time to write about. I’m going to skip an individual review post and just say that it’s excellent. You should listen to it). Gabriela explained that it was only supposed to take them six months to make their last CD but they recorded it and re-recorded it a few times until it was to their liking. She described it as being a lot like “Spinal Tap,” which cracked me up.
They played a brilliant mix of stuff from their first & second studio albums and a few things from their latest live album. They killed with each and every track. I clapped and danced my geeky ass off all night; it was one of the most fun and energetic performances that I ever had the honor of seeing.
Probably the most emotional moment of the show for me was when they played Metallica’s Orion. Orion was written in honor of Cliff Burton, Metallica’s bassist who died when the band’s tour bus got into an accident in Europe. Metallica basically never performs the song live, but Rodrigo y Gabriela play it essentially note-for-note, daring listeners who claim they “don’t like metal” to reevaluate that judgment. I can think of no better tribute for the late Mr. Burton.
This is kind of a discombobulated review (mostly because I am beyond exhausted), but my point is listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela (albums). If they are playing near you, do yourself a favor and go see them (tour schedule).
It seems that the members of Pink Floyd are considering a music game. After seeing the loving care that the Beatles received in Beatles Rock Band (review coming really soon), I can’t think of a band that is better suited for the same treatment.
The stages would be freaking awesome. The music is incredible (and far more difficult than the Beatles), and that solo on Comfortably Numb… ooo the solo on Comfortably Numb. I’m in love with this idea already. I hope it happens.
I wish I had a dollar for each time I have heard or read that there will never be another Beatles or Michael Jackson.
Yes, it’s true… there never will be another Beatles or Michael Jackson, but as incredibly talented as they were, talent is not the reason there won’t be another band or artist as influential as these two.
The simple reason for this is because the music industry is broken, and splintered. Gone are the days where record companies have the power to make everybody like (or at least listen to) a single group or artist. Things are far more segmented. People listen to different things.
It’s great for listeners, but it also means that the cultural phenomenon of an entire society experiencing the same music simultaneously just isn’t going to happen again.
So let it go. There will be people as, or more talented than the Beatles and Michael Jackson. They are out there performing now… go find them.
While I’m on the subject of the late Mr. Jackson, I am going to direct you to this rather vulgar, but spot-on rant that Jackie Danicki reposted. Unfortunately we will hear about Jackson’s death/ “murder” until the end of time.
There’s too much going on today to just cover one topic…
Happy birthday to TGW contributer Jason (TheLisnakFactor). He is now the official TGW tech question responder guy, so send him some questions!
Happy 10th birthday Dreamcast; the defunct Sega gaming console. Oh Dreamcast… your graphics were so good, controller was freaking odd, and your games were unfathomably easy to pirate. Thems were the good ole days.
The wire coming out of the back of the controller was never a good idea.
Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple announced a lot of iPod related things that didn’t excite me enough to write something original.
DC Comics is going through some drastic changes… really it’s a corporate enema.
The weather in Asbury Park was perfect. The company was great. The guitars were screaming. Peter Frampton was putting on a wonderful show… and then there were technical difficulties…
Wait, I am getting ahead of myself, let’s backtrack a few years. In 2005 I tried to see Mr. Frampton live. The show was canceled, and subsequently postponed to a time where I was out of town. Since then, I have tried to see him play each time he has come within 100 miles of me, and each time I have been unable to make it for one reason or another… In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a fan of Peter Frampton, and I have been waiting a long time to see him play.
So, the show was on, and Frampton was great; he’s a guitar playing monster. His attack on solos is vicious yet beautiful, and his stage presence is equally aggressive, yet dignified. His band was on, he was clearly having a blast, and it reflected in the quality of his music. He was playing a nice mix of old and new, fan favorites and obscure new songs for the real fans… That became clear when he mentioned playing material from his Fingerprints album, and the response was cheers and clapping from a small portion of the audience (for the record, I shouted loudly).
He played a slightly edgier rendition of Show Me the Way, and killed on the instrumental, Boot it Up. Then sent my mind wandering with a beautiful performance of Lines On My Face. My only real complaint was that the acoustics were too bassy, but that seems like a recurring issue at the Stone Pony (among many other venues).
They had my attention completely. I was entranced and enthralled, sucked into their music in a way that only the best performers can achieve. Then Frampton announced that he was going to do his instrumental cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun; I was so insanely happy. Every once in a while a band will play a song that you desperately want to hear, but don’t actually think they will play. This was one of those moments.
A few bars in, he suddenly stopped playing, and waved off the band. Something was wrong, but I honestly couldn’t tell what it was. The roadies were hard at work trying to fix his guitar rig while the audience watched a dark stage. After a while Frampton remarked, “Fucking computers!” and began playing an acoustic song (I can’t even remember what he played). After he finished, the stage went dark for a few minutes.
When he started playing again, one thing was clear; Peter Frampton was mad as hell. He played with a rage that is usually reserved for angsty teenagers. The rage served him well on Money, (I’ll Give You), where he swapped solos with guitarist Adam Lester; the back and fourth was wonderful. The rage wasn’t so great on Do You Feel Like We Do, but it’s such a classic anthem that no one cared.
After finishing Do You Feel Like We Do, he gave his guitar to his roadie and bolted off stage, never to return. The time was about 9:30, and he was scheduled to play until at least 10:15. He didn’t say a word to the audience about leaving. No “thank you.” No “I’m sorry that we had technical difficulties, I wish I could have given you more this evening.”
Nothing.
The man stormed off like a child. Worse still, it took about 15 minutes for anyone to step up to the mic and tell the audience that there would be no encore. I had already left because it was clear as day that the amps were off and the roadies were taking things apart, but I heard the announcement on the PA as I walked to my car.
Mr. Frampton, your audience did nothing wrong. There was no reason to act like a prima donna, and treat your fans with such disrespect. You are supposed to be a world class performer. You could have found a way to continue entertaining your fans, but you chose not to. You could have finished the show with a different set list, or done acoustic renditions of your songs. It wouldn’t have been the show you had planed, but it would have been memorable for being so different. Instead, I will remember this show because you were a selfish asshole (Example: Jordan Rudess after his keyboard broke during a Liquid Tension Experiment show in Chicago).
All you would have had to do was man up and apologize. I would have been disappointed, but I wouldn’t be pissed off.
(“Thank You Al Gore Thursday” is being delayed to Friday afternoon due to a lack of time)
There are a lot of creepy things floating around the Interweb. Personally, I think this is probably the creepiest, legal thing I have seen online (If you don’t count “Two Girls, One Cup.”*).
Anyway… Crispin Glover (George McFly in Back to the Future) made an album in 1989 called, “The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be.” One track of this auditory abortion is called “Clowny Clown Clown.” Glove made a music video for the song that makes William Shatner’s interpretation of “Rocket Man” seem like a creative masterpiece. Have a look for yourself…
This might be the best anti-drug add ever created.
Special thanks to Tim Smith for sharing this epic fail with me.
* I will always carry a little bit of hatred for my friend Pete S. for ruining New Years 2008 by showing that disgusting video.
For many of you, any Beatles set list was going to be satisfying, but I am not the biggest Beatles fan. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate them for their historical importance, influence, and even a lot of their music, but they have never ranked among my favorites.
That being said, I am a big fan of George Harrison.
So, onto the set list. The complete list of tracks is available at GameSpy.
The high points for me are:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Ranks among my favorite songs ever. The song is written by Harrison, but the extensive solo work is Eric Clapton (w00t!). It will be years before I can actually play the solo, but I’ve got the rhythm guitar down.
Here Comes the Sun – This song is just incredible.
Taxman - Another Harrison classic.
Helter Skelter - This song still feels so uncharacteristically edgy and aggressive to me.
Something
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Octopus’s Garden – The SCUBA diver in me has a soft spot for this song.
There are a number of other interesting tunes on the list, but those are the ones that excite me at first glance.
The presence of While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes the Sun really sell me on the game. Who knows, maybe this game will increase my appreciation of the Beatles. It wouldn’t be the first time that a music game has made me see brilliance in music that I had previously ignored (See Dinosaur Jr. & the Killers).
The Premise
While returning from the Wall of Sound, Riggs & Co. are attacked by a flock of seagulls; the joke was so subtle I had to pause the game to cackle (if you don’t get it, 
Last weekend he played at the 
