Every now and then the games press will throw its weight behind an upcoming title, writing raving previews in the hopes that gamers will give it a chance. This was done with BioShock, and thankfully the hype came true. Right now Brutal Legend seems to be the game journalists are heaving onto their shoulders, desperately trying to make consumers aware of designer Tim Schafer's inevitable gem.

But despite the slick presentation and top-notch voice cast (including the likes of Jack Black and Ozzy Osbourne), I'm having a difficult time getting pumped. Amongst this year's fall line-up of games, Brutal Legend is often one I forget about. I don't want to judge too much, but after reading plenty of previews and watching many videos I'm left asking what kind of gameplay Brutal Legend has that makes it so special.

From what I've read, the game is a pretty standard hack and slash affair. You're given an axe, and a guitar named Clementine which can be used to summon lighting down upon enemies. The gameplay for Brutal Legend looks furious, but certainly not revolutionary. Now don't get me wrong, I love action games, but I fail to see what makes Brutal Legend's action worthy of all the praise it's been getting.

What's funny is that the press themselves admit this, in a way. Check out any preview for the game and most of the article is busy highlighting how amazing the soundtrack is. Then, somewhere towards the end there's a brief mentioning that the gameplay is "standard." I won't give any names but I've seen one journalist dismiss what they called "basic gameplay" because the rest of the game is so face-meltingly wicked.

So why all the love? It probably has something to do with the media's man-crush on Tim Schafer, the creator of Brutal Legend.

His genius is mentioned in almost every piece written on the game, and it is hard not to share that sentiment. Schafer is the industry's underdog, designing a number of titles like Psychonauts that were great games but failed miserably at retail. Add in the fact that he's been hunted down by industry villain Activision in a lawsuit to prevent the sale of the BL, and you have all the makings of a hero.

I can understand that Schafer's situation is fueling the praise for Brutal Legend because many people just want the poor guy to catch a break, but that's still not an objective stance. There's no such thing as charity in any business, and if the product stinks then it doesn't deserve to be bought.

Now before you all go calling me Bob Kottick's lap dog let me be clear that I' m not praying for Brutal Legend to crash and burn. In fact, I'd love to be proven wrong. There's nothing I like more than seeing good games come out, and it's a shame that more of them aren't going around.

It's obviously not fair to call Brutal Legend a bad game yet, but I will say that nothing I've been shown lately makes me see it as a game–changer. I do think the coverage of it has been an interesting look into how the press can sometimes behave.

I'll keep an eye on Brutal Legend, but as of now I'm not sold. As for the press, it's not their job to worry about selling games.