Good Game Get! Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game

I am the first person to admit that I know nothing about “the business of games”, so when two side-scrolling brawlers were released together on the XBLA last week I was puzzled.  Why put two similar games, Shank and Scott Pilgrim vs The World, head-to-head on the same platform on the same day?  Not being a big brawler fan, neither game would have normally registered on my radar, but having just seen the Scott Pilgrim film I was curious, and downloaded both demos. I bought Scott Pilgrim before reaching the first evil ex-boyfriend.

This recommendation comes with one caveat. Unless you are a fan of the comic or the old games which it celebrates, you will want to pass on this if you plan to play alone. For the single player it feels unrewarding, and becomes both repetitive and frustrating quickly.  Although a fan will find all the hidden references worth the struggle, there are plenty of better brawler options for single play. But with that out of the way, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Video Game rocks! There’s no doubt this game was designed for good old-fashioned couch co-op, and at that the game excels. 

Inspired by and providing homage to many old 8- and 16-bit games (and generously borrowing from River City Ransom) Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Video Game (also available on the PSN) just screams “come over to my house and help me bash dudes!” On top of that is the level of fan service provided to players who have read the comics. Let there be no mistake, this is a comic tie-in, not a movie tie-in. Spotting all the extra comic-centric details is a big part of the fun and the Bryan Lee O’Malley inspired art is fantastic.

One of the biggest complaints about the game is the lack of online multiplayer and I agree that would expand the player base.  But when I played through it for the first time with family bouncing up and down on the couch beside me, it really hit home that this game captures the fun I used to have playing video games with friends when I was a kid. There are a lot of very polished multiplayer and co-op experiences out there, but, for me, this new Scott Pilgrim game captures the pure fun.  Sure, it does this by cribbing great ideas from older games.  But honestly, who cares?  Would you rather be playing a boring polygonal walking tour of the movie?

BTW, Scott Pilgrim is very different from Shank, the other brawler released last week. Shank suits single play to a tee, is gorgeously drawn and defines the concept of ultra-violent gameplay.  Where Scott Pilgrim is a beat ‘em up that I believe any gamer can enjoy, Shank will only interest a specific type of gamer.  The soundtracks for both games are also available.  Shank’s is free and can be found here.  The amazing Scott Pilgrim soundtrack by Anamanaguchi can be found on many music services and streamed for free at AOL Music.

- Andy