subject: Scott Pilgrim Vs The World The PSP Game [print this page] Ubisoft's precious little game can fight with the big dogs. There are gamers out there who will never even try Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. Most seasoned gamers will probably notice the last two words of the game's title, and sprint for Bobby Kotick's hills like they would from an Uwe Boll production. There's frankly a better chance of them giving Scott Pilgrim Vs. the world: The breakfast cereal a shot, and that's rather unfortunate, but understandable. Games based on movie and/or comic licenses rarely ever shine with the quality their licenses deserve. But Scott Pilgrim Vs.
The World, based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's cult hit comic series, on the other hand, shines with the care, respect, and polish that made Castle Crashers an arcade hit. Believe it. This one's even better than the movie it's loosely based off of, and that is quite the rarity. Speaking of the movie, there's little connection between it, the comic, and the game besides the basic setup-- Scott Pilgrim, lazy Canadian gamer extraordinaire, is dating the lovely, slightly emotional Ramona Flowers. Problem is, Ramona's seven Ex-boyfriends are out to pound Pilgrim and break up the relationship like a dojo board. Cue seven levels of side-scrolling, beat-em-up gameplay playing as Scott, Ramona, and fellow Sex Bomb-Omb band members Kim Pine and Stephen Stills. The story is simple and never gets in the way as you beat down the hoards of Toronto, making your way to the stage's end and an Ex-boyfriend waiting to rock you. All in the name of love, of course. Gameplay is very reminiscent of the classic beat-em-ups from Capcom and Sega, but thanks to some light RPG elements, a slew of unlockable moves that are actually useful, and four player co-op (no friendly fire!), the simple brawling gameplay feels polished up to modern standards. There are plenty of weapons to find and use, plenty of objects to throw at enemies, and plenty of humor to keep you chuckling.
Try to hide a smile as you beat up paparazzi, throw teammates at innocent fans, and trash a movie set (or five), I dare you. Not only does Scott Pilgrim know how to throw a punch, he also knows how to look the part. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World boasts one of the most impressive 8-bit art styles I've ever witnessed. The environments are colorful, animated, and full of smooth parallax scrolling. You'll also be astounded by the amount of detail packed into this 8-bit style. Artist Paul Robertson has done some absolutely phenomenal work making the arenas and streets of Scott Pilgrim look polished and retro, but even better than his environments are his characters. Scott Pilgrim looks harmless and innocent, a true underdog, until he busts out his flaming dragon uppercut. Ramona looks chibi, cute, and far more colorful than her movie counterpart. Kim and Stephen bring their own unique flavor to the group, and the various boss Ex's all look suitably menacing after a long, health-sucking trek through their stage. Even the generic thug characters look great, often inciting humor as stereotypical geeks lose their mind and panic while enemy bandits gander about in sinister fashion. Perhaps most impressive of all are the character animations, which flow smoothly and impressively as the cast perform somewhat simple, yet impressively choreographed combat moves. Scott Pilgrim never strays too far from the style and humor of its comic-book inspiration, but still manages to find its own style as a seriously good-looking 8-bit game. Scott Pilgrim will light up your screen. And while your screen is busy pushing those purty pixels, your speakers will be jumping to an electrifying original score from 8-bit band Anamanaguchi. The songs themselves seem capable of inspiring headaches after awhile, and the different tunes eventually begin to sound a little too similar, but overall the soundtrack fits in with the game's retro vibe and complements the action well. Besides the soundtrack, the sound effects pack a nice arcadey punch, and the lack of voice acting is probably a godsend. Don't think this will be a walk in the park though, the psp games is quite difficult for the lone player. I took me around five tries to best the first Ex, However, the game provides a River City Ransom-like power-up system that will give even the solo gamers a fighting chance. It's also a fairly brief experience at around four or five hours. Throw in some four-player co-op and the game get's a lot more fun, a lot more ridiculous, and unfortunately a lot shorter.
Still, there are unlockable modes and characters, and playing through again as the fairly distinct alternate characters is worth the effort, if just to see their awesome animations and special moves. At ten bucks, you'll be satisfied with the amount of game you get here, especially when its of such high quality. Final Comments Scott Pilgrim is not a revolution of the brawling, beat-em-silly formula, but darn if it hasn't nearly perfected the genre. Ubisoft has done a fantastic job creating a responsive, deep, and replayable brawler that not only harkens back to the classics of old, but outdoes them. Paul Robertson knows how to push a very, very pretty pixel, and the game does service to its comic-book roots while finding a cohesive and beautiful 8-bit style of its own. The audio is fitting, and the game will give you enough playtime to justify its modest ten-dollar price tag. Sure, online co-op would have been great, but guess what else is great--Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. Bryan Lee O'Malley should be proud to have such a wonderful title serving his precious little license, and you will undoubtedly be proud to own this game.
