Saturday, September 25, 2010

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (PSN/XBLA) Review

          

Scott Pilgrim is on a journey to win the love of Ramona Flowers, but in order to do this he must defeat her seven evil exes. In the comics and the movie, this is his only task; in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the Game, he must also defeat her seven evil exes’ many minions. From street thugs to robot ninjas, this game offers variety in everything from enemy types to environments giving you, the player, something new and fresh to look at while you take a beating.




Taking a beating is one thing you will be doing often in this title as it sticks to its 8-bit roots of being increasingly more and more difficult. This is my one complaint with Scott Pilgrim. At times, it feels unnecessarily difficult; there are no checkpoints meaning you will have to start an entire level over even if you were one hit point away from defeating a boss. I understand that this is one way that the game attempts to remain true the arcade classics of yesteryear, but it simply frustrates instead of providing that sense of nostalgia. The gameplay is by no means bad; there are varied enemy types leaving room for strategy and a little creativity. However, there are parts of the game that I sincerely believe would be impossible without the help of a co-op partner.

While the co-op is great once you get going, getting there can be a pain. There is no online play; the game completely relies on local play only. For a game going for a retro style this is understandable, but with today’s fully online gaming functionality it is unacceptable. There is no reason as to why this game should not have online support as it would be great to get a team of four friends on Xbox Live or PSN and fight through the games seven levels. There is no drop in/drop out functionality either; you must have all players ready to play from the start screen. This is another omission that is obvious from the moment the game begins, and someone wants to play alongside you. One annoyance with the co-op is that when one player loses all of their lives they have the option to steal a life from another player while in a “Ghost Mode”. This is fine, but if a player then dies while their partner is in this mode you must sit and wait for them to fade out before continuing. This is a small gripe, but I feel that it’s worth noting.

These negatives aside, there is still a lot to enjoy about Scott Pilgrim. The visuals are a mixture of 8 and 16 Bit graphics with a modernized look and feel to them. The character models are highly recognizable and do the comic books a great deal of justice. The villains all have their own unique style, and their levels convey their personality well. Whether it’s Evil Ex Number 3 shooting fruits and vegetables at you or Numbers 6 and 7’s giant robot, all the bosses are memorable in one way or another. There are other little moments like these throughout the game, such as the game’s level menu, which is right out of Super Mario, and little images such as the Pac Man magnets on a refrigerator. The entire game is filled with quirky moments and little nods toward classic games.

There is a leveling up system, which grants you new moves, stronger abilities, and greater defense, giving the game an added sense of depth. There’s nothing more satisfying than leveling up and gaining a new move that helps you defeat a boss that was giving you trouble just a moment earlier. There are many stores located throughout the levels that offer food and items some of which will give you experience and raise certain stats. Replaying levels is necessary to level up or revisit some shops when having a tough time with some stages. There is a small sense of level grinding in that respect, but as you become more powerful, the enemies of the earlier stages become much easier making it fun to just bash your way through them again.

The audio and storytelling is fantastic. Anamanaguchi provides a stellar 8-Bit soundtrack that blasts its way into your ears and doesn’t stop. It is inventive and original while simultaneously classic and old school. The story isn’t a big focus in the game relying heavily on player’s previous knowledge of specific events, but what it does include is quirky and charming. Most of the storytelling is done with small cut scenes either before or after each level. For the most part, they are simply there to provide some sort of context for the situation or to set up or conclude a level. There are small hints during levels that point to characters or plots from the comic, but unless you are previously aware of these, they will most likely pass right by you.

Ultimately, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a game made for people who love classic arcade beat em ups and Scott Pilgrim. Other than the aforementioned problems and a few freezing problems this game is great. I highly recommend it as a must buy if you like either of these things. Give this game a chance, or at the very least, try the demo and see for yourself. I myself, see a lot of playtime with this game in the future.

-Raymond Segal
8/10   Great

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