User Reviews

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

Charlie FoHammer — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

If you're looking for a current-gen, high quality 2D brawler that isn't Castle Crashers, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal than Scott Pilgrim. Each of the playable characters have unique move sets that are both easy to use and beautiful to watch, and the enemies you face(from the lowliest of Canadian street punks to each of the cleverly-designed bosses) are highly varied and extremely memorable. If you're not familiar with the source material, don't sweat it; the story in the game is minimal, with simple one-frame cutscenes between levels. For those that are familiar with it, there are plenty of nods to the comics(not to mention classic games) throughout the levels that will make your inner nerd squeal with delight. The light RPG elements add plenty of replay value, and hidden game modes and some cool DLC are icing on one fantastic retro-cake. All that said, certain boss battles can be a bit frustrating the first time around(you may want to outfit a wrist-strap to your controller), and lack of online co-op is beyond disappointing.

The Best Brawler I've Played

Ian Farris — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:51:00 GMT

I never really was a fan of beat 'em ups. Sure, I enjoyed them back in their heyday, but I've never held them to the high, high pedestals of platformers, RPGs, and the like.

Scott Pilgrim, though, changed that, a good 15 to 20 years after the peak of the brawler's popularity. It is by far the best beat 'em up I have ever played. Everything is balanced, cheap tactics can't be abused, and the game throws a high level of difficulty at you without being unfair. That's not to say it isn't frustrating - but then again, frustration is one of those things I associate with the genre. It wouldn't be a beat 'em up if you couldn't get pummeled by four guys at once because you mistimed a counter or punch.

Right off the bat, Pilgrim establishes a firm mastery of the genre. The first level recaps the events of the first book loosely (in other words, you fight Matthew Patel). You travel through the streets of Toronto, beating the hell out of anyone that dares attack you - and all the enemy types are different. You have the standard mook in a blue cap and white jacket who serves as the game's Goomba - he never blocks and has low damage and health. You have a guy with a flat top and brown shirt who is much more formidable, chaining attacks together, using aerial moves, and blocking frequently. Then there's one of my most dreaded enemies - a blonde-haired guy who blocks almost everything and only stops to run away and grab a random object to throw at you from far away. Then you have giant, muscular guys who deal a ton of damage and have unblockable attacks, and a fat dude who only is hurt by heavy attacks. An emo guy who is ridiculously fast appears not long afterwards. This is still the first level, by the way. Moving on, you'll find a ton of environmental hazards as well, in the form of speeding cars and lumbering buses. Eventually, you'll finally reach Patel, and it's here that you'll get your first taste of the incredibly fun boss battles. Patel, fittingly, is a pushover, but his flaming attacks and demon hipster chick summons all make for one hell of a great fight.

The first level was pleasantly surprising, but the game only gets better. In the interest of not transforming this from a review to a summary, I'll stop going through the levels, but know that the other boss battles are just as fun, if not more so, and the coming stages more creatively designed than the first.

The mechanics complement the system perfectly. You start off with pretty much three attacks - light, heavy, and aerial. Fortunately, a system of experience which correlates to how much damage you deal is incorporated, and every time you level up, you gain a new move. Level 2 gives you a new light and heavy attack while running. Other notable attacks which are unlocked in this manner include an aerial stomp (which bounces you back into the air in position for another stomp), a double jump which also deals light damage, a counterattack, and a "tech attack", which is an extremely powerful, often unblockable attack which is unique for each character. Alongside this is an RPG-esque stat system. You collect coins from defeated enemies, and buy food, drink, and accessories at stores. These heal you and boost your stats - strength, willpower, defense, and speed. By the time you cap these stats out at 100 each, you'll be hitting for five to six times your standard damage, be many times as fast, and take about eight times the damage before losing a life. If you spend your money wisely, it's entirely possible to beat the game without returning to previous levels to grind money, even on the hardest difficulty setting.

For all the merits of the main game, multiplayer is where Pilgrim shines. Plugging in extra controllers causes additional enemies to spawn and gives bosses additional minions. Teamwork is essential. A downed player will begin to die (in a manner similar, of all things, to Borderlands). After 10 seconds, they lose a life, but a player who is still alive and well can still rapidly tap O to revive the player with minimal health. This is harder than it sounds, since a single attack will interrupt the resurrection. Additionally, a new, awe-inspiring band attack can be used in multiplayer by taunting at the same time - and it is awesome. Aside from the additions to the gameplay, multiplayer is just plain fun. Beating up dozens of guys by taking turns juggling them in the air is great, and so is rescuing your pal from being mauled by four or five guys. Fortunately, drop-in multiplayer was added in a recent patch, but no online play is available - truly sad, as this game would have benefited immensely from it.

This game is so great, and I truly cannot recommend it any more. Nonetheless, there are some flaws which I feel I should point out. They are all the more evident because the rest of the game is so God-awfully good.

Again, no online play. This doesn't make the game any worse, per se, but it still would have been welcome.
Brevity. I understand it's a downloadable game, and well worth the $10 price, but the second and third levels are very short. The first and sixth levels aren't much better. Even the longest level - the final one - probably lasts 30 minutes, tops. A good player can clear the game with a fresh character in under 90 minutes relatively easily.
Side-screen ambush. A great deal of beat 'em ups suffer from this. It's when enemies spawn from the sides of the screen and instantly attack you before you can realistically defend yourself. The solution is simple in theory - stay in the center - but that isn't always easy. Also, the ninjas in the fourth level are so fast that even if you stand in the center, they can still rush in and deal hefty damage before you can react. Definitely annoying.
Side-screen aggro fail. This only happens rarely, when an enemy beyond the sides of the screen simply won't come into the field of play, and you can't advance. Simply waiting a few minutes usually causes the enemy to wander into the field, but still, it's annoying.
Difficulty. This one didn't affect me much, but players new to the genre, and even some who have played brawlers before, will still get torn up after playing on the lowest difficulty. I'm not criticizing the higher ones here - they're supposed to be extremely hard, but "Average Joe" should be a good deal easier.
Throwing objects can hurt teammates or yourself. Not a big deal early on, but when you gain strength, you throw things faster. This causes them to hurt you a great deal, and at higher levels of strength, if you miss an enemy after throwing something, chances are good that the object will rebound off the screen boundary and hit you in the face.

I highly, highly, highly recommend this game to any fan of Scott Pilgrim, beat 'em ups, or both. Have fun!

My Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Review

AbramS — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:55:00 GMT

I'm a pretty big fan of the Scott Pilgrim series. I've read the books, and watched the movie probably more times than anyone should. So, of course, I bought the Xbox Live Arcade version of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

The game begins with you selecting a character. You can choose from Scott Pilgrim, Kim, Ramona, Steven Stills, or Knives Chau if you have the downloadable content. Then the game drops you into Scott Pilgrim's world with only two objectives.

1. Defeat the seven evil exes. 2. Kick alot of butt.

Gameplay wise you wouldn't think that it's that complicated. The game plays out like an old school brawler, but when you level up you get combos and special moves that greatly add to the game. Also, try playing the game with other people. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World doesn't have online support, so bring a friend over and the game will more than likely double in fun. [PageBreak]

Visual wise is eyecandy for anyone who loves 8-bit games, and it looks like the game was ripped straight out of the comics. It also has some comedy reminiscent of the books. I won't spoil it, but there's a great Guitar Hero part on evil ex #3.

All in all, this game is great. Great visuals, great music, and great gameplay. The one thing about this game thats bad is no online support. I would give it a greater score if it had online capabilities, but as the way it stands, its not happening. I think everyone needs to try out the trial version at least. It's a pretty awesome game, and I'm sure fans of the book will fall in love with it.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

ForgottenEmotion — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:54:00 GMT

Purchasing and Downloading Scott Pilgrim was one of my favorite and easiest decisions I have made this year. At a price tag of only 10$ you would have to be plum crazy to not purchase this wonderous game that brings many memories back of playing in Partyhouse Pizza and literally feeding the machines my coins so that I can get back into my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade beat 'em up with my cousins and friends.Hearing the retro music and menu was one of the coolest moments i've seen from a game in a long time reminding me of Mega Man 2's opening cinematic (if I can call it that) and getting pumped from the music ad ready to die thousands of times. Unlike Mega Man, Scott Pilgrim doesn't need thousands of trial and errors to finish a boss or complete a segment of a leve. Every time I died I knew exactly what mistake i had made to put me in that position from not blocking correctly or being just plain reckless, but there ins't that much of a penalty for death so needn't worry about that to much. The only thing that happens when you actually lose all your live's is having to restart the story, but that didn't matter to much to me because I, unlike many, like to grind and level up which is another part that I really loved about the game as well. Leveling up lets you learn new moves and increases your health, but to enhance your power, speed, defense, and willpower up you need to collect the money from defeated enemies and purchase various items from vendors to increase your stats. It's a neat touch, but I would have rather have them level up gradually instead of all at once when I have the money. Multiplayer is a terrific blast when you have enough friends and controllers to access that feature, but if you don't it makes you sit and wonder why the hell they didn't put in an online mulitplayer feature. Other than those two "complaints" the game is amazing and brings a satisfying treat to new and old Scott Pilgrim fans alike.

Hopefully this review has helped make you decide on whether or not you want to cough up the 10$, which I highy advise, and enjoy Scott Pilgrim. Comment and please tell me how I can improve with my writing. Thanks

SCOTT PILGRIM the game, the movie and so much more.....

Zenger8 — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:09:00 GMT

BEST MOVIE MADE THIS YEAR has come out on the Blu-ray and DVDS. I speak of Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, If you like movies, 80s video games, music, comics, and well anything AWESOME. If you said yes to any of that then GO BUY THIS MOVIE, RENT, DOWNLOAD IT (Legally) this is my “Zenger Buy of the Week” and if you like that then you will love the Xbox live and PSN game, and the 6 part manga hell I’m not for artsy this is not artsy its nerdy gamey and all around AWESOME. SO GO OUT AND FIND SCOTT PILGRIM NOW!

Rating: Awesome

Davron Mananov — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:50:00 GMT

This summer, two films hit me harder than most films have in a single year. Inception, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I remember I read the very first graphic novel before seeing the film, then I saw the movie, then I read the other 5 novels. Scott Pilgrim is now as central to my life as Star Wars is. It's that good!

Then came a gift of a Ramon plush doll and finally, the Scott Pilgrim game from Ubisoft. I first assumed it was PS3 only but I recently found it in the XBLA. The cycle is complete.

Gameplay

SPvTW is a very simple side scrolling brawler. Kick, punch, it's all in the mind. The diversity doesn't fall into the controls but more into the structure of the game. I must make a huge note, THIS GAME IS BETTER IF YOU HAVE READ THE NOVELS OR SEEN THE MOVIE. If you have not done either, do not buy this game. You just won't get it.

Back to the topic, the game is unique in the way that each enemy must be defeated in their own way. Special moves and combos greatly add to your chances of success as the game can get difficult even on the easiest setting. You level up from defeating enemies and buying items from the various stores displayed (or hidden) throughout the game. New levels unlock new moves to pummel your foes to pixelated death with. It's always great when a developer takes a simple concept and breathes new life into it a la Castle Crashers.

The game features 4 playable characters and more to unlock. You can play as Scott, Ramona, Stephen, or Knives Chau. Each character has their own unique moves, but here comes the tricky part. There is no online multiplayer. Why this feature was left out can simply come down to not having enough time to get it in before the movie is released. Me personally, my 360 is in my room and I rarely have 3 other people in it. It's just my personal choice of not liking people in my room. So I will never enjoy this game the way it was meant to be played unless it was online. I would honestly give this game a 10/10 if it wasn't for this butterface feature.

Graphics

This is where stuff gets good. The artwork in SPvTW was done by a Mr. Paul Robertson. YouTube him. Now. This guy is on the forefront of sprite animation and it's honestly shocking that his work hasn't been in a game before. This game is GORGEOUS. It's a visual treat to the eyes, especially in HD. Despite AAA titles this year having incredible million pixels visuals, it's this game that had me floored the most. It follows in the footsteps of the latest Mega Man games from Capcom and keeps the 2D sprite work alive. I salute the art team at Ubisoft behind this game. You guys did a wonderful job.

Sound

Here's where it might get even better. This game features what is possibly the best original soundtrack I've heard in YEARS! The music is straight out of 16bit games of the 90's and it sounds oh so wonderful. I can say that I went to bed after playing this game and the tunes looped and looped in my head all night. And I never got sick of it. I would love to purchase the soundtrack if it is or becomes available.

Conclusion

I can tell from the movie, to the game, to the music, the artwork. Anyone who was offered a job to work on something SP related definitely put their heart and soul into it, no matter how small the task. For some reason, Bryan Lee O'Malleys characters have an effect on people that is so strong, we need to be a part of it any which way we can. Online multiplayer or not, SPvTW is a must buy for anyone who is a fan of the canadien hopeless romantic 22 year olds.

Rating: Awesome

9/10

A Classicly Styled Classic

Kevin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:25:00 GMT

Scott Pilgrim has been one of those faces I couldn't seem to avoid. Every time I hopped onto GI.com I would see something about the artist, when I would walk passed the comic store, there were promotional posters, finally I saw a trailer for the movie. At that point I thought, okay why not? So I downloaded the trial. before 30 seconds passed by and I was already way into the game. I hadn't enjoyed beating strangers this much since TMNT on the SNES. I was suddenly drowning in mix of nostalgia and pure epic awesomeness.

The story is simple and dare I say heart-warming. It's far from cute and cuddly though, with adult themes subtly inching in and out as you play this rock'em-sock'em adventure. The challenge factor is definitely present, making this a game that can be conquered or played recreationally. The interesting and fun score to this game adds more or a classic feel with an amazing 8-bit soundtrack as well as clean sound effects. The controls are easy to pick up and learn, yet complex enough to separate the boys from the men, so to speak. Adding your friends to the mix creates an entirely new experience as well. Team based fighting allows new moves and options through the experience.

Over all, this game blew me away. It was love and first sight. I'm just glad I don't have to beat up it's ex's to enjoy it.

A Truly Fantastic Downloadable Title

FiveMinutesTill — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:49:00 GMT

About half way through this game i thought to myself: "Man. This is awesome. I'm totally writing a review for this" And you know what i just now thought to myself? "Holy s*** it's really late, i should finish this up" Finish it? I haven't even started. I mean seriously. Look at me. I feel terrible. It's 2:56 and my face hurts like h***.

Anyways, where was i? Well i guess i never was anywhere to begin with... CRAP! I'm doing this again. No. I must review this game.... must forge on! I must do it! I must! I must. I mus........

*Wakes up quickly as if Five was jolted*

This game is super awesome. Done. Are you happy FiveMinutesTill?

CONCEPT: Scott must defeat his new girlfriend's, Ramona, seven evil exes in an awesome throwback brawler. 9.5

GRAPHICS: Paul Robertson is basically the coolest person that has ever lived. 10

SOUND: Anamanagutchi are basically the coolest group of people that have ever lived. 10

PLAYABILITY: Easy to learn, not so easy to conquer. Unless you grind until you have enough money to buy all that secret crap in 1-2. Then the game gets super easy. 9.5

ENTERTAINMENT: It's really awesome to say the least. 9.5

REPLAY VALUE: This game has the highest replay value of any game assuming you have four controllers and three friends who will be there beside you whenever you want to play Scott Pilgrim. Yeah, it could be better. 9.0

Fun Fact: It's only ten dollars!

Beat 'Em-Up Has Never Been More Satisfying

born4this — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:39:00 GMT

Did I know what Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was before I played this game? No. Have I ever played River City Ransom (This game's main inspiration)? No. Do I like beat 'em-up games? HECK YES!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Even after playing this game, I'm not entirely sure what that is. I just know that it has something to do with beating up ex boyfriends to be with the girl I love. Beat up the bad guys and get the girl - sounds like a good video game premise to me (especially an 8-bit style game.)

In SPvsTW, you'll hit enemies with your fists, your feet, a large variety of objects (like baseball bats, trash cans, buckets, snowballs, etc.) and other enemies. YES!! Also, you'll fight a variety of enemies, but describing any of them to you would be a spoiler. You'll just have to find out for yourself.

Like I said before, I like beat 'em-up games. Some of my favorite, classic video games are brawlers like Final Fight, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time and The Simpsons Arcade Game. As much as I liked these games, there was something that was always frustrating about them - they were HARD! Before ports of these games were created for current consoles, I'd never beat an arcade brawler before (I've yet to complete Final Fight or Simpsons Arcade.) So naturally, one of my biggest concerns about this retro title was, "Will I be able to finish it?!?" Trophies and achievements are a big part of the modern gaming culture, so this is a common concern that gamers may have about any game. However, unlike the old-school beat 'em-ups, Scott Pilgrim saves after each level you complete. On top of that, it saves every time you get "Game Over" and select to continue, so anything you earn is kept so you can continue to level up. Level up?!? OH YEAH!

One of the best features of SPvsTW is the RPG element. While playing this game, you'll gain XP which will unlock new moves, and you'll collect coins which can be spent on special items that will increase your strength, defense, speed and more. This was a breath of fresh air for me, as it made the game unlike any brawler I've ever played before. Turtles in Time (my favorite, classic beat 'em-up game) had attack, dash attack and special attack, but this is just a portion of what Scott Pilgrim has to offer.

And now for the REALLY good part (I've saved the best for last!) Nostalgia. The Scott Pilgrim game is a tribute to many classic video games. From the character selection screen, to the level selection screen, to the level design and beyond... this game is sure to remind you of at least one of your favorite old-school games.

From the moment you select your character, SPvsTW pays homage to classic games, starting with Super Mario Bros. 2. Even if you're a SMB2 hater, you'll recognize the screen, and hopefully... that will put a smile on your face.

Without knowing the source material, and without seeing the movie (yet), I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. If this game gets online co-op, I will change my rating to a perfect 10. It's easily the most fun I've had with a downloadable title, and with the retro, 8-bit style, it's something that will have a lasting appeal. Like Turtles in Time and Final Fight, I'm confident that I'll want to play this game years after its release.

Close to perfect

Supercakeman — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:44:00 GMT

This game was in a word epic. I really enjoyed playing with my 3 friends. I'm a huge fan of the series, so it made the game that much more special. I couldn't think of a better way to bring the comics into video games. The game play was tight, the feeling of progress was there the whole time. The difficulty really amped up at the end though. The ways designed to upgrade your character were well done. This is an absolute amazing game to play with your friends. The aspect I thought was the best though was the music. Anamanaguchi did an epic job with the soundtrack, to me it's perfect. I do have a few small gripes with the game though. My biggest issue is that the enemies can really spam you with their attacks. Even if your character is fully upgraded weaker enemies can still put the hurt on you. It would have been nice to have a way to break their combo chains. The other issue I have is that after being knocked down there is no period of invincibility. It would have been a lot easier to deal with bosses (cough Gideon cough) if you had a few seconds to let loose after being knocked down. Not to say I didn't think the game was unfair, these just would have nice additions. Overall this game was amazing, and I highly recommend it for anyone.

A great game in the end. With just a few nicks

Meta77 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:45:00 GMT

Ok I'll keep this short and sweet. As I am not going to give it a high score just cause its scott or a old school brawler. I was raised on old school games like this and I'll admit the game gives great props to old games such as sonic and zelda. The levels are not to long or to short and have plenty of enemies. The graphics are very good and all the characters play the same for the most part with everyone having different tech attacks later on in the game as you level up. The main drawback is the amount of grinding and difficulty of the game. Even on the lowest setting this game is a pain at times as enemies will wall attack you and bounce you several times before they are done. Of course when you max out leveling the levels are not as hard but enemies can still be cheap at times. Also the game features co-op but no online because they wanted to keep to old school roots and keep it at just co-op. Several things about this. 1. Most of us grew up and no longer have friends with no life's who can just sit around and game it up like we used to. 2. If say you are already in a level you must restart to let you friend join. Or if a friend is playing with you and must suddenly leave you cannot simply exit his character you will either have to restart the entire level or go it alone at controlling two players. Besides these little annoyances the games still great.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World the video game: Review

jacob — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:43:00 GMT

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a hilarious,idiosyncratic gem of a game! I'm happy to say that the game dose deliver a punch to fans who are into brawl,action,and humor.The story starts out like any other story "Boy meets Girl, boy loves girl ,and boy must defeats seven Evil-Ex boyfriends to win girl's heart.Yep like any other story.No the starts out with Scott Pilgrim, a middle age man who went out to a party and saw the girl of his dreams.Ramona Flowers plays the damsel in distress and she too fell in love with Scott.So whats the problem? In order to win her heart, Scott must defeat seven Evil dudes that had an relationship with Ramona.So It's a delight to be part of that action.It also been to sight for the creator Bryan Lee O'Malley who created such a book,who knew that It would be such a BIG hit that it would become a movie and now a game!

The game will be fun for you and three other local/online players.So Scott Pilgrim is not the only hero out there,you will also get to play as Ramona,Kim Pine,and Stephen Stills.If you don't know any of these names you haven't read the book,but everyone of those players have a different unique way of fighting so you'll want to try all of them.Ubisoft is at it again with Scott pilgrim vs. The World and not bad ether since the game is a eight bit 2D adventure game. Lots you can expect from this game,try to get in to it!

Jacob Pena

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Review

jacob — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:32:00 GMT

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a hilarious,idiosyncratic gem of a game! I'm happy to say that the game dose deliver a punch to fans who are into brawl,action,and humor.The story starts out like any other story "Boy meets Girl, boy loves girl ,and boy must defeats seven Evil-Ex boyfriends to win girl's heart.Yep like any other story.No the starts out with Scott Pilgrim, a middle age man who went out to a party and saw the girl of his dreams.Ramona Flowers plays the damsel in distress and she too fell in love with Scott.So whats the problem? In order to win her heart, Scott must defeat seven Evil dudes that had an relationship with Ramona.So It's a delight to be part of that action.It also been to sight for the creator Bryan Lee O'Malley who created such a book,who knew that It would be such a BIG hit that it would become a movie and now a game!

Jacob Pena