Personally, I don’t ever pay even an ounce of attention when a game launches its official website. There usually isn’t any point. 99% of the time what you’ll find is a decent piece of art and the game’s name in fancy script on the front page. From there you’ll have the opportunity to either listen to the developer tell you why their game is the be all end all of consumer software, or read about it.
This time however, you should pay just a little attention. Tim Schafer’s newest game project Brutal Legend, starring Jack Black, has just launched its website and boy is it a doozy; by far and away the best game website I’ve ever had the pleasure of navigating.
The first thing you’ll come to upon getting the site open is a virtual rock concert. Rocking the crowd is none other than the game’s protagonist Eddie Riggs. Heavy metal tunes scream all while you’re exploring. From start to finish, the game’s amazing sense of personality and atmosphere is inescapable. There’s even a set of engine pipes adorning each side of the page. Spin your mousse scroll wheel and flames will shoot out and an engine revs.
The coolest thing about the site is that in order to see who it is that’s performing the rock concert you have to wade through a sea of lighters in the audience. Everyone out there is holding up a lighter. Click on one to see what a real user had to say about the game. Everyone has the opportunity to become someone in the crowd. By joining the crowd you will be both literally and metaphorically placing yourself in the audience cheering Tim Schafer on to the completion of this game.
Beyond that, it’s all pretty standard game-site stuff — screens, forums, videos and the like. Take a gander, it’s worth your time if you’re a Schafer fan.
