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Scott Pilgrim vs The World (PC, PS4, XB1, NS)
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Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game - An Indepth Review Of a Retro Inspired Brawler

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game - An Indepth Review Of a Retro Inspired Brawler

745 View2023-01-23
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Hey There Folks, thanks for tapping in for my first non Indie game review! Specifically, I'm going to be writing about Ubisoft's Scott Pilgrims Vs The World: The game - which recently enjoyed a release on steam in honor of it's 10th anniversary. Which also seems like the perfect time to ask whether it still holds up, or if my fondness could be chalked up purely to nostalgia.
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Ramona Flowers & Scott Pilgrim Are In Love- But before they can enjoy a date in peace, they must defeat Ramona's Seven. Evil. Exes.
And that's about the gist of what you can expect as far as narrative depth- since the game eschews the core elements of murky interpersonal relationships, character building and all the ensuing drama which were central to the comic & movie alike in favor of the videogame-y violence of the world.
Still, that's not to say there isn't some semblance of a plot to be had. After all, each of the stages do provide a relatively sequential exploration of the scenes from the comic, a sort of show-don't-tell mook-laden theme park of familiar scenes and set-pieces. That said, if you aren't overly familiar with the source material, a fair amount of the references and visual gags will likely be lost on you.
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And if that winds up being the case, the closest thing to narrative beats that you'll encounter, is the game's various endings- as each of it's 7 characters have one of their own. Though, perhaps I should say 6- not because of the secret character, but because one of the characters endings is basically an image- which may as well just say 'A Winner Is you'.
Prepare To Die, Obviously
That said- I'll admit that I didn't pick this title up for it's narrative beats- but rather for the beatdowns, and to it's credit, the game doesn't skimp out on providing you an excess of opportunities to throw hands with absolutely everyone and their dog throughout this stage based brawler.
A brawler which -may- look a bit familiar to fans of the genre, especially as baddies burst into pocket change.
That said, compared to the retro titles Scott Pilgrim pulls inspiration from, there's some quirks that are fairly easy to overlook, even despite it's seeming simplicity.
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For one thing, your choice of character -isn't- simply a matter of aesthetics. Some of them do have a bit more range in their attack animations- which allows for some differences, even when their repertoire is initially limited to a light attack, heavy attack, blocking and a crowd control move. That said, while the matter of animations certainly helps to provide them some identity- the most distinctive element of their initial loadouts actually winds up being the characters -taunts-, which essentially double as a support summon. These actually wind up feeling fairly notable, since while Scotts summon is pretty potato's, the other characters gain options like burst healing, massive damage or even granting every player super speed.
There's also a group taunt, but that requires several friends to co-ordinate with, which means I never got to see it. (More on that later).
Here's the thing, though. As useful as the taunt summons are- they're not the sort of thing you can spam recklessly, since they actually drain from your characters willpower- which is an important resource since it not only doubles as fuel for your crowd control ability- it's also expended when you lose all your health, allowing you to slip back into the fight.
Which is then compounded by the fact that using those moves with no willpower makes them cost health instead. Sure, if you're playing Co-op your partner can save you from death by mashing a button over your corpse. But, that requires them to be both close enough -and- to have the breathing space.
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Then again, dying -actually- isn't that big of a deal. And not just because the whole willpower thing, or the fact that there's in-stage shops you can replenish it and health with. No, beyond all that, you also have multiple lives the enemies will need to burn through . . . and even then, the only real consequence is getting kicked out of the current stage. Albeit with all your earned experience, money, and the stats you'll have gained from eating store food.
Which- okay. So, while I mentioned experience- I should probably clarify something. While you -do- gain levels on the various characters, it has absolutely no bearing on how -strong- the bandmates are, with all of their stats derived from the store items.
Instead-, leveling up heals you to full, and more importantly, it unlocks one of your characters various abilities. Which would be cool, were it not for the fact that, other than the last level, each of these abilities is essentially the same between each character.  And a lot of these upgrades feel like they should have been including from the get-go, such as having the ability to parry on a well timed block, the ability to roll, to grab an enemy, to stomp on a downed one.
Technically, there -is- a hidden extra ability each character can get, that you can acquire near the end of the game- but even then, it only brings their total number of unique techniques up to -two- by the time you've reached the end of the game- which means, you've invested a considerable amount of time in order to figure out if you'd ultimately enjoy their loadout or not.
Which, is a bit of a shame, when you consider that Scott Pilgrim -does- provide a decent array of stages to make your way through. Each of the seven levels not only look different, but also have their own roster of baddies to beat up, and some interesting set pieces to see- ranging from a spontaneous snowball fight, escaping a vegan psychic, or platforming through a trapped temple. And all of them culminate in some legitimately solid boss battles.
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Frankly, the first run-through of the game -is- a bit of a treat, especially if you're a fan of the series- but,  it -is- hampered by the characters limited arsenal, especially if you're on your own.
And there's a more than decent chance that this may wind up being the case, because despite the game having a co-op focus, it';s unfortunately released to steam with broken net code. Despite my best efforts, I could not play the main campaign, or even the optional mini-games like zombie Survival or dodge ball with people using Online Co-op. It would refuse to connect, desynchronize horribly, or even quietly disconnect one player, while remaining locked on a screen.
Couch Co-op was at least somewhat viable, but- that hinges on having a player 2. What's more, this wasn't actually the extent on my troubles with this title. While this lacked the lag spikes I hit when I tried this title on Playstation, I instead found myself repeatedly encountering odd bugs which would prevent me from entering doors for substantial amounts of time- barring me from accessing shops, secret areas, and even advancing stages. Having to spend several minutes fiddling with an entrance so you can reach the boss behind it is a surefire way to kill the excitement the game's striving to build.
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Chau Down
Still, there are some things that I can't fault the game for. For instance, I absolutely adored the overall visual style of the game. There's a -lot- of love put into the character models, and  to the world that you're navigating- and despite the liberties taken, it still feels on brand. Plus, it was neat seeing the small visual nods to the game franchises that were, themselves, initially referenced in the comics.
That said, perhaps the element I'm fondest of, is the simple attention to detail- because whether it's the way bosses die, or things like Kim Pines Taunt referencing a very obscure slice of the comics- it very much feels like a love letter to both the comic and the fans.
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As for the music- well- I haven't been able to get some of the tracks from this game out of my head for close to a decade. It's legitimately how I got introduced to the band Anamanaguchi- and whilst their theme for Nega Scott is certainly a highpoint, the whole of it is solid.
You'll Always Be My Clash At The Demonhead
But- what does that ultimately mean? Well- while I appreciate that I got to see an interpretation of the comics in the medium that inspired them- I did walk away from the whole thing with a slew of legitimate grievances.
It was genuinely disheartening to -buy- copies of this game for friends and colleagues, only to be unable to properly connect with them online. It was absolutely -painful- to have his disconnect while he was in a shop, leaving me unable to leave, or to even access the start menu- and thus losing all my progress, since the game only saves when you finish a stage or leave.
Doubly so, because well- Leveling isn't based on -kills- in this game. It's based off number of hits, and I -may- have used Ramona's ability to haste the party to then beat up enemies in overtly long combos, so that I could get access to everyones kits far earlier than I normally would. If the disconnect hadn't happened.
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Not that it's my only grievance, either. For instance, gaining stats isn't actually a purely beneficial process- since the speed stat actually causes your character to become slidy, to the point of both interfering with combat -and- complicating platforming elements.  Thrown weapons are also a weird friendly fire disaster waiting to happen, even if you -shouldn't- be able to harm each other.
That said, the most offensive element to me, was Wallace Wells. Wallace is one of the two DLC characters, alongside Knives. That said, while Knives has a solidly fleshed out and unique kit at her disposal, Wallace is...- his moveset is pulled from the other characters -and- he's got the laziest ending.
It's just..dissapointing. Like, I grew up on these comics. I have fond memories of playing this game when it first released. And I -legitimately- think you could get a solid handful of hours going through an initial playthrough and experiencing it.
That said, this game shines best when it's co-op, but -heavily- hampers the means of doing so, and it also flounders substantially when it comes to matters of replayability.
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Sure, you have an optional boss rush, and zombie survival brawl to do- but. In and of itself, the game boils down to more of a FUMBLE for me. There -is- a lot of love here, some genuinely enjoyable elements, especially if you're a fan of Scott Pilgrim- but, if you're a diehard fan of Brawlers, there's definitely better entries, like the River City Girls Games.
And if you're searching for a Co-op Title, the general difficulty in arranging Co-op Sinks this into FAIL territory.
P.S.  If you want to see my other reviews, you can check out & Follow me @-Youtube→ https://www.youtube.com/c/CritHit
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