Brütal Legend [PS3]

The general reaction from people when I told them I was going to a Brutal Legend multiplayer event was, "There's multiplayer in that game?" In fact, that was the reaction from some people as they arrived at EA's three-hour play session. Yes, there is online multiplayer in Double Fine's upcoming game. In fact, Brutal Legend's multiplayer component has been in development for longer than the single-player campaign.

The multiplayer element is unexpected, not just in its very existence, but in its execution. It's a simplified real-time strategy game (though EA would like everyone to call it "action strategy") complete with base defense, resource management and troop building. Everything has been tuned to work perfectly with a controller and the various troops have more personality than you've likely ever seen in an RTS. I was a little doubtful heading in, but I quickly became convinced that this would work. It's simple, by the standards of full-on RTS games, but it's also fun. The troops really make this a special experience.

Though up to eight players can get in on a match, there are only ever two teams in Brutal Legend multiplayer. Each of the seven maps feature two stages (AKA bases), with one per team. The goal is to destroy the other team's stage. Doing so won't be easy.

From the very start, you'll notice this is quite a different take on a strategy match. You don't play as a cursor. Instead, you're an avatar, head of whichever faction you've chosen. You have full control of your avatar that can perform most of the actions Eddie Riggs manages in the single-player campaign. That means all of the melee attacks, summoning your vehicle, playing guitar riffs for special attacks or rallying your troops. You could technically ignore troop building and just run around as your avatar attacking your enemy. That would be pretty boring though, and you'd get your ass kicked. If you play with more than two people, the others join the team with their own avatars, but they share all resources. Communication is key and teammates will need to figure out their roles quickly to maximize your resources.

There are three teams to choose from: Ironheade, The Drowning Doom and The Tainted Coil. The team you choose determines your avatar, but more importantly the troops you can build. I can't stress enough that the troops really make this enjoyable and the team you choose certainly makes a difference for some of your strategy. From what little I played, all three factions seemed balance, though certainly players will find ways to maximize (or exploit) some of the special aspects of their forces.

The commands are easy to master after one or two matches. The D-Pad controls your troops that are on screen. Right tells those on screen to go to the beacon (set with a separate button), left has them follow, up is to charge and attack and down is to stay and defend. You can also select specific troop types to command, but otherwise it's fairly limited to what is on screen. You are a general, flying to your various troops to give orders. Oh yeah, every avatar can fly, making travel across the map (and scouting) easy.

Should you want to rally all your troops, don't worry, this is possible. Just whip out your guitar and select the proper ditty. Everyone will rush to you. This is helpful for when you miscalculate your opponent and allow them a chance to charge at your stage.

When I say that your avatar isn't all-powerful, that's true. But that doesn't mean he (or she) is defenseless. You can perform melee attack combos, ranged metal magic blasts and use your guitar riffs for some solid special attacks. On top of this, your avatar can jump onto your stage and use its defenses (like turning on dry ice to harm charging enemies). The most powerful move, though, is performing a double team with one of your units. Almost every unit has a unique double-team move and all of them are more powerful than any buttons you can hope to mash. Be careful with your avatar in the field, though, since if you die and you respawn at your base, your enemy snags 50 of your fans.

Your resources are your team's fans. Fans are constantly being added to your total, but there are ways to boost this amount. Each map has at least one (sometimes more) fan geyser. To control this space, you need to bring over your army and play a fan tribute. This will get your army to build a structure around the dormant geyser and get it to start spouting fans into your resource bank. These points on the map are almost as crucial as the stage you're trying to defend. More resources not only mean more troops, but bigger and better troops as well. You can also upgrade your stage for added defenses up to Stage IV.